The European Commission does backpedal pesticides. The president announced it Ursula von der Leyen to the EP Plenary, explaining that he will propose to the college of commissioners "the withdrawal" of the legislative proposal on pesticides. The decision comes after very difficult ones farmers' protests which are affecting all of Europe, including Italy, and which today heads straight towards Brussels and Strasbourg, where around a hundred tractors blocked the entrance to the European Chamber while the debate on the conclusions of the latest EU summit was underway in the chamber in the presence of the President of the EU Commission and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
According to the president of Coldiretti Ettore Prandini the withdrawal of the proposed regulation "saves 30% of the production at the basis of the Mediterranean diet, from wine to tomato, put at risk by the unrealistic objective of halving the use of agrochemicals".
Von der Leyen: “Farmers must be listened to”
“Our farmers deserve to be listened to. I know they are worried about the future of agriculture and their future. But they also know that agriculture must move to a more sustainable production model, so that their companies remain profitable in the years to come", said the president of the EU Commission, announcing that she will propose to the college of commissioners "the withdrawal" of the legislative proposal on pesticides. THEThe regulation “has become a symbol of polarization” he explained, underlining that "a new, more mature proposal" will be made in the future.
“The proposal was rejected by the European Chamber, and there is no progress in the Council either,” continued von der Leyen, focusing at length in his speech on the farmers' protests. “Many of them feel cornered. Farmers are the first to feel the effects of climate change. Drought and floods have destroyed crops and threatened livestock. Farmers are feeling the impact of the Russian war, inflation, the increase in the cost of energy and fertilizers. Nonetheless, they work hard every day to produce the quality food we eat. For this, we owe them appreciation, thanks and respect,” she underlined.
“Public subsidies can provide incentives”
“Farmers need a valid business argument for nature improvement measures, and perhaps we have not done so convincingly. Of a real incentive that goes beyond the simple loss of yield. Public subsidies can provide such incentives“, added von der Leyen, who launched the idea of “premium labelling, for example in collaboration with retailers and processors”.
“Fertile soil has always been the backbone of a farmer's livelihood. But from 60 to 70% of soils in Europe are now in poor condition. We can reverse these trends. And many farmers are doing it. But we must do more", underlined the president of the EU commission, adding: "nature conservation can only be successful through bottom-up and incentive-based approach. Because only if our farmers can live from the land will they invest in the future,” he concluded.
Michel: “Farmers must be respected”
"Farmers deserve to be respected for the gigantic work they do in our service and for the role they play in the fight against climate change", said the President of the European Council Charles Michel, also speaking at the Plenary of the European Chamber and focusing on the tractor protests across the continent .
It must be addressed."the question of fair incomes", we need to put in place "efforts to reduce bureaucracy, to have fair rules of the game", explained Michel.
But the withdrawal of the law on pesticides is not the only result achieved by farmers today, the Commission Communication on EU environmental objectives for 2040, which will be this afternoon, Tuesday 6 February, will no longer contain the indication of specific targets for agriculture, which is however considered a key sector for decarbonisation because it is responsible for 10% of emissions. In the latest draft it is The 30% emissions cut for the sector also disappeared to 2040 compared to 2015 initially included.
