EU frames plan to save bees by reducing pesticide use
BRUSSELS: The European Commission executive, here on Wednesday put forward new rules to slash pesticide use and restore damaged ecosystems. It aims to halt the startling decline in the number of bees and other pollinators across its 27 nations by the end of the decade.
The proposals -- which have faced opposition from some disgruntled EU nations -- are part of the bloc's ambitious environmental push as it seeks to make agriculture more sustainable. The European Commission wants legally binding targets to halve the use of pesticides across the EU and restore 20 per cent of its land and seas by 2030.
"The ongoing Russian brutal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine creates deep concerns about global food security," said EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
"These concerns are valid. But they don't take action on pesticides any less urgent," she added.
Beekeepers in Western Europe have reported a fall in the number of bees and colony losses over the last 15 years, the European Food Safety Authority said. EU lawmakers say this trend endangers the 76% of food production in Europe that depends on pollination.
Already EU regulators banned the outdoor use of neonicotinoid insecticides in 2018, meaning they can only be used in closed greenhouses.
Some farming groups have said a wide ban on pesticides could cause crop yields to fall and urged the Commission to assess the impact of the measures before fixing binding targets.
“We acknowledge calls for pesticide reductions and let’s be clear - we are open to discussing targets,” Geraldine Kutas, Director-General of the European Crop Protection Association, said. “Targets however have to be realistic and science-based.”
The sugar industry in the Netherlands lost 2.3 million euros ($2.48 million) in revenue in 2019 because of impacts associated with a lack of neonicotinoid use, the International Confederation of European Beet Growers said.
The plan aims to make chemical pesticides a "last resort" for farmers and would ban them totally from protected areas and urban green spaces such as parks and gardens. In a bid to win over sceptical national governments, farmers will be offered financial support for five years to cover the costs of making the switch.
The rules, which need to be approved by the European Parliament and member states, face fierce hostile lobbying from the powerful agricultural sector.
Russia's assault on agricultural powerhouse Ukraine has stoked a global food crisis and forced Brussels to delay unveiling its proposals in the face of calls not to risk EU production by curbing pesticides