European Union announces abandonment of plan to cut pesticide use by 50%

The European Commission president announced on Tuesday that she would withdraw the body’s proposal to halve the use of pesticides in agriculture by 2030, a central part of European environmental legislation that is being scrapped following protests from farmers.

“The Commission proposed DUS [Diretiva Utilização Sustentável dos Pesticidas] with the worthy goal of reducing the risks associated with crop protection chemicals, but the proposal has become a symbol of polarization [pois] It was rejected by the European Parliament and there is no further progress in the Council, so I will propose to the panel to withdraw this proposal,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

Speaking in a debate at the plenary meeting of the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg on the outcome of last week’s extraordinary summit, which was marked by intense protests among farmers about 800 meters away, community leader Head stressed that “conservation can only be successful with a , incentive-based and bottom-up.”

“And only if we reach our climate and environmental goals together will farmers be able to continue making a living. Our farmers are well aware of this and we need to trust them more,” said Ursula von der Leyen, hinting at complaints about tough environmental targets.

Last November, the European Parliament, with right-wing votes, rejected legislation aimed at halving the EU’s use of pesticides, which was opposed by European environmentalists.

The centerpiece of the European Green Deal, a legislative proposal proposed by the Commission in June 2022, aims to halve the use and risks of crop protection chemicals in the EU by 2030 (compared to the period 2015-2017).