A quarter million Europeans are urging the European Commission (EC) to reinstate pesticide reduction policies through a petition conducted by environmental activist platforms Ekō and WeMove in collaboration with Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe. 

PAN alleges that the EC has “evaded” pesticide reduction in its recent communications, noting that the issue was not addressed in the Mission letters to the Commissioners-Designates. It presented the petition results ahead of the hearings for the incoming Commissioners.

“The support reflects public demand for decisive action to halt the use of harmful pesticides and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Citizens regularly express their concern over pesticide’s impacts on public health and the environment through petitions, European Citizens Initiatives or Eurobarometer,” says Natalija Svrtan of PAN.

Reducing dependence on pesticides

The petition includes key demands, such as the reinstatement of pesticide reduction in EU policy and for the issue to feature strongly in EU-level legislative texts and plans.

The petitioners believe that for Europe to transition to a sustainable food system, there needs to be a “renewed commitment” to higher targets covering food production and environmental protection.

The civil society organizations call for stronger regulations for public health, biodiversity and ecosystems spanning Europe.

Nabil Berbour, campaign director at Ekō, says, “This petition shows that European citizens want to see pesticide issues high on politicians’ agendas. We call on the Commission to step up the European Green Deal and its strategies to reduce pesticide consumption.”

Under the EU Green Deal, the Commission proposes to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of more hazardous pesticides by 50% by 2030.

Despite this commitment, PAN notes “widespread dissatisfaction” with the current agricultural and environmental policies.

Toward sustainable farming

The Brussels-based organization urges the Commission to align its strategy to respond to the needs of the planet and people, with a sharpened focus on sustainable farming practices that can cut pesticide dependence.

“It also leads to biodiversity loss, soil degradation and contamination of water sources,” adds Svrtan.

Pests and pesticide use are among the key challenges facing the agri-food sector. Food tech start-ups are responding to calls for more stringent quality control with AI-powered pest detection tools.

Food innovation community EIT Food is injecting €900,000 (US$965,387) into its Fast Track to Market program. The program has chosen four start-ups working on tools and software to simplify safety inspections.