Improving sustainable use of pesticides in the EU

The European Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy aspire to reduce the use of pesticides in the European Union by 50 percent by 2030.  The sustainable use of pesticides will reduce risks and the impact of their use on human health and the environment, while promoting the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and other alternative approaches.

The EU Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) organized a stakeholder event to reflect and exchange ideas with partnerson the revision of the pesticides directive of 2009 and align it with new EU targets for the reduction of pesticide use. At the same time, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the sustainable use of pesticides.

Policy officer at the EU Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) Niall Gerlitz highlighted the recently-released list of potential agricultural practices with support for eco-schemes in the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The list will help EU countries to prepare their CAP national strategic plans. Practices include Integrated Pest Management Practices (IPM), reduced antimicrobials use, and precision farming.

The Flanders Environment Agency took the opportunity to present their experience on how to promote alternatives to reduce the use of pesticides.

The new Pesticides Directive is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2022.