The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Tuesday the withdrawal of the proposal for a new law on sustainable pesticide use, whose current form has failed in both Parliament and the Council. She promised to involve the agricultural sector more in the drafting of the next draft.

The law, which proposed binding national and EU-level targets to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030, as well as the use of the most dangerous pesticides, faced rejection from the European agri-food lobby out of fears about its impact on food safety.

«The Commission proposed the sustainable pesticide use legislation with the valuable goal of reducing the risks of chemicals to protect plants. But the proposal has become a symbol of polarization. It has been rejected by Parliament and there has been no progress in the Council. That’s why I will propose to withdraw the proposal,» said Von der Leyen.

Before the European Parliament, where she attended to report on the latest leaders’ summit last week, Von der Leyen assured that the issue «remains on the table» even without this proposal and advocated for «more dialogue and a different approach» to move forward.

«Based on this, the Commission could make a much more mature new proposal, with involvement of stakeholders,» said the President of the European Executive, who called for avoiding the «blame game» and working together.

«Our farmers will only invest in the future if they can make a living from their land. And they will only be able to continue living from their land if we together achieve our climate and environmental goals,» warned Von der Leyen.

Brussels wants to take advantage of the framework of the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the EU initiated on January 25 to listen to all stakeholders before presenting a new proposal, so it is unlikely to present the renewed draft in the near term. The current legislature will end with the elections to the European Parliament between June 6 and 9.

Before the European Parliament, the German emphasized that «our farmers deserve to be heard,» but also that agriculture will need a «more sustainable production model» to remain profitable, a transition in which the industry must «take the lead».

«We need to analyze the situation together, share ideas, and develop scenarios for the future. We need to move beyond polarized debates and build trust,» said Von der Leyen, who suggested «generous incentives» for farmers to strengthen natural protection in the form of public subsidies or a ‘premium’ label.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also considered that the duty of the European institutions is to «listen» to the farmers who have expressed «anger, anxiety, and concern» to see what can be done to respond to their demands.

«Farmers are key contributors to our food security and also to the climate transition. They deserve respect for the enormous work they do in our interest, and it is important for there to be fairness, to reduce bureaucracy and to apply the same standards to the entire sector,» Michel urged. EFEverde

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