Press releases
The organisers of the European Citizens’ Initiative Save Bees and Farmers (signed by 1.2 million Europeans demanding a 80% reduction of synthetic pesticides by 2030 and a full phase out by 2035) and the European organic movement are looking forward to the European Commission adopting a proposal for a Regulation for a Sustainable Use of pesticides (SUR) on 22 June.
On the basis of the negotiation documents published on 3 June 2022(1), ClientEarth, GLOBAL 2000 (FOE Austria) and PAN Europe acknowledge and welcome the progress made in the negotiations of the new regulation on the Statistics on Agriculture Input and Output (SAIO), with regard to pesticide use data.
The European Parliament and the Council reached yesterday a provisional agreement on a regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Input and Output (SAIO). Member States managed to postpone the publication of quality data on pesticide use to 2028, preventing the EU Commission from properly monitoring the 2030 pesticide reduction objectives from the Green Deal.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) decided to maintain the existing classification of glyphosate: toxic to aquatic life but still no classification as a carcinogen, despite of even stronger scientific evidence than in 2015 when WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans". The "Ban Glyphosate" civil society coalition strongly rejects ECHA’s conclusion that “available scientific evidence did not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate for specific target organ toxicity, or as a carcinogenic,
EU Member States have been legally required since 2011 to phase out 55 pesticides identified as particularly harmful. However, their presence in food has increased dramatically over the last ten years as is shown in a report launched today. These findings reveal a failure by Member States to enforce the laws at the expense of consumer protection.
On May 10th EFSA announced the postponement of its Scientific opinion on the re-approval of glyphosate. In practice, this means the European Commission and Member States might try to decide for a 1-year prolongation of the herbicide. PAN Europe denounces the mismanagement of the file by EFSA and objects to any prolongation of the approval.
The European Commission confirmed today that Sulfoxaflor insecticide will soon be banned in the EU. Only 7 years after its first approval, this neonicotinoid-like substance will be off the market due to concerns about its toxicity to bees.
Celebrating the Pesticide Action Week, PAN Europe publishes today a new report “Pesticide Free Towns: A Diversity of European Approaches”, which explores successful efforts undertaken by several EU countries to phase-out pesticides in public areas.
Ironically, exactly at the launch of the Pesticide Action Week[1] (20-30 March), the European Commission gave in to the pressure of agribusiness lobby groups. By postponing the publication of a Pesticide Reduction Regulation and the Nature Recovery Law, PAN Europe considers the Commission is making a mistake as they are part of the answer for the EU to become more independent in terms of food and feed productions.
On 3 March, in a hearing in the Environment Committee of the European Parliament on the protection of wild bees against pesticides, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and DG Sante avoided answering the most relevant questions from the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
