THE EU’S EXECUTIVE has put forward new rules to slash pesticide use and restore damaged ecosystems, despite concerns over the impact of the war in Ukraine on food supplies.
The proposals – which have faced opposition from some disgruntled EU nations – are part of the bloc’s ambitious environmental push as it seeks to make agriculture more sustainable.
The European Commission wants legally binding targets to halve the use of pesticides across the EU and restore 20 percent of its land and seas by 2030.
As part of the plan, it aims to halt the startling decline in the number of bees and other pollinators across its 27 nations by the end of the decade.
“The ongoing Russian brutal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine creates deep concerns about global food security,” said EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
“These concerns are valid. But they don’t make action on pesticides any less urgent.”
Russia’s assault on agricultural powerhouse Ukraine has stoked a global food crisis and forced Brussels to delay unveiling its proposals in the face of calls not to risk EU production by curbing pesticides.
The rules, which need to be approved by the European parliament and member states, face fierce hostile lobbying from the powerful agricultural sector.
The plan aims to make chemical pesticides a “last resort” for farmers and would ban them totally from protected areas and urban green spaces such as parks and gardens.
In a bid to win over skeptical national governments, farmers will be offered financial support for five years to cover the costs of making the switch.
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