Fast forward to 2026, and the bloc has shelved the mandatory reduction regulation for good. What’s more, in an effort to remove regulatory burdens for companies, the EU’s executive body is now considering approving most pesticides permanently.
Fast forward to 2026, and the bloc has shelved the mandatory reduction regulation for good. What’s more, in an effort to remove regulatory burdens for companies, the EU’s executive body is now considering approving most pesticides permanently.
The binding target of cutting pesticides use by 50% was opposed by my own country Sweden even though we are at the bottom of pesticides use per hectare in the EU. Why? Because the proposal was for every country to halve their pesticide use individually. We have countries like Cyprus and Hungary that use over 10x the amount we use per hectare. They had to halve their use from that amount. While we who use barely anything had to halve from our originally low amount. This meant that the countries that were abusing pesticides historically were grandfathered into being able to keep abusing them at a crazy high level, even if lower than before. While we who have already reduced pesticides use enormously to where most of the pesticides use left is that which is close to absolutely necessary, and we still have to halve.
The proposal was entirely unfair and hurt the countries which have done well and benefited the historically largest polluters. Mainstream media doesn’t understand this though and seems to spin it as the EU abandoning promises to reduce pesticides, that’s not necessarily true. It’s just that this specific proposal was very unfortunately designed.
It’s OK, soon we don’t even need pesticides, because the insects are disappearing.
Insecticides are actually the least of the big three. Herbicides are by far the most used followed by fungicides against fungal disease. So insects disappearing wont nudge the pesticide use that much. In addition to that the insect pests are really not that affected by the insect decline. In many ways it’s the other way around. When all the other insects and birds disappear the agricultural pest insects lose their natural predators and they turn into an even larger problem.
You are right, it’s just my English that suck, because I always think pests when hearing pesticide, and pests are insects not plants in my brain.
So I confuse pesticide with insecticide. 🫣
It’s one of those words that gets me almost every time.
Many of them are against fungi.
You say that, but you wouldn’t believe the gain of function testing happening in developing fungal pathogens attacking plants it’s quite exciting I’m sure. Oops I think some spores got out, it’ll be fine.
It would’ve been so easy to set a minimum target. Everyone above has to cut in half or meet the target, whichever is higher
I read multiple articles on this and your short description left me more informed then these big long articles thank you.