The chairman of the outgoing AGRI Committee of the European Parliament asked the European Commission to urgently introduce derogations to the authorisation procedures for pesticides. The letter was intercepted by civil society associations that reiterate the need to protect health, the environment and pollinating insects. (1)
Time too long for authorisation
Norbert Lins, a Member of the European Parliament from the EPP Group and chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, sent a letter to the European Commission in April 2024 requesting a relaxation of the authorisation procedures and derogation use of pesticides.
Again, the wave of farmers’ protests is being ridden to pressure the Commission to ease the use of pesticides assessed as risky. (2) 12 years from the launch of a new molecule to its placing on the market seems an excessively long time to the AGRI president.
Possibility of derogation use
The letter also complains about the difficulty of obtaining a derogation to use a pesticide that has been banned. It is proposed that a substance can only be banned if:
– there is a similar, sustainable and affordable alternative on the market,
– an environmental impact assessment of alternative pest control strategies has been made,
– an assessment of the economic implications on the sector is made.
Civil society’s response
The letter was intercepted by civil society organisations, more than 30 of which signed a letter of response. The organisations remind the EPP parliamentarian and the Commission that the restrictions on authorisations in the pesticides regulation have a specific function: to protect human health and the environment.
Moreover, Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 already has many shortcomings given the substances whose authorisation has been extended despite the lack of an impact assessment or even proof of their toxicity. (3) Many scientific studies prove that pesticides and intensive agriculture are among the main factors in the 80% decline in insect biomass over the last 30 years.
Towards pesticide-free agriculture
Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 certainly does not need any further derogations. On the contrary, its enforcement should be strengthened, as evidenced by a number of European Court of Justice cases highlighting the insufficient level of implementation of the regulation by Member States. (4)
The time has come to overcome an idea of agriculture only possible with pesticides. And to stop instrumentalising the protests of farmers and citizens who, contrary to what the MEP says, are aware that an agriculture dependent on chemicals damages nature, human health, especially farmers, and only enriches big agribusiness companies. (5)
Farmers demand guaranteed income for their work. That can be achieved through support for the transition to agroecology, by banning sales below cost, by favouring the sale of local products and the short supply chain, by imposing reciprocity of production conditions on free trade agreements, which create downward competition between products. (6)
Change is possible
Another agriculture is possible by uniting the forces of farmers and citizens. To do this, one must distrust those who serve the interests of big seed companies and chemicals and listen to the true representatives of collective interests – such as ECVC for farmers and FoodWatch for consumers. (7)
One tool is to exercise the right to vote, consciously. Dario Dongo, who has been carrying on these battles for years, is a candidate for the Peace, Land and Dignity movement in the upcoming European elections on 8 and 9 June for the North-Eastern College to bring these demands to the European Parliament. (8)
Alessandra Mei
Notes
(1) Full texts of the two letters https://8e8ea45ed3b1-4c0f-8009-56b8df6908d2.usrfiles.com/ugd/8e8ea4_554675e3cbbe427f9ecb4628101ddfd6.pdf
(2) Dario Dongo. Farmers in protest, pesticides instead of #prezzoequo. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 7.2.2024
(3) Marta Strinati. Not just glyphosate. 33% of pesticides used in the EU lack risk assessment. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 26.11.2022
(4) Dario Dongo, Alessandra Mei. Pesticides, Court of Justice stop to national derogations to EU bans. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4.2.2023
(5) Dario Dongo. Eliminating synthetic pesticides, the INRAE study. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 20.4.2024
(6) Dario Dongo. Green light for EU agreements with Chile and Kenya. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 28.2.2024
(7) Dario Dongo. Via Campesina, farmers’ priorities in European elections. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 24.4.2024
(8) Dario Dongo. Peace, Land and Dignity. Our movement in the European elections 2024. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 14.3.2024
Graduated in Law from the University of Bologna, she attended the Master in Food Law at the same University. You participate in the WIISE srl benefit team by dedicating yourself to European and international research and innovation projects.
