It has been just reported that the farmers in Europe are seeing a victory following the protests. Check out the latest reports abut this below.
Europe’s farmers mark a victory
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has recently declared her intention to withdraw a proposal that aimed to reduce pesticide use by half throughout the EU.
This decision appears to be a concession to farmers who have been demonstrating in various EU countries against regulations, including the proposed reduction in pesticide use.
Ms von der Leyen stated that the proposal had become a “symbol of polarization.” However, the reversal still requires formal approval.
Reducing pesticide use is one of several concerns that farmers in countries such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have been protesting against in recent weeks.
They argue that reducing the amount of pesticide they are allowed to use will negatively impact their crops and, therefore, put food production in the EU at risk.
“Our farmers deserve to be listened to,” Ms Von der Leyen told the European Parliament on Tuesday.
“I know that they are worried about the future of agriculture and their future as farmers.”
During a recent announcement, Ms Von der Leyen mentioned that the issue of pesticide use is not yet resolved, and further discussions will be needed before a new proposal can be put forward to reduce their use.
The EU had previously aimed to reduce the use of pesticides by 50% by 2030 as part of its Green Deal initiative, which is aimed at addressing climate change.
The proposal also involved a ban on pesticide use in public parks and gardens, schools, and sports fields. However, the plan faced opposition and was rejected by the European Parliament in November.
As of Tuesday, the plan has been scrapped, which has been welcomed by some, including the European farmers’ lobby COPA-COGECA.
The group’s president, Christiane Lambert, said that the EU Commission – the bloc’s executive arm – had “finally acknowledging that the approach was not the right one”.
“This top-down proposal…was poorly designed, poorly evaluated, poorly financed, and offered little alternatives to farmers,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Some Green MEPs, like Bas Eickhout, disagreed with the U-turn taken by the EU. Eickhout suggested that the EU should create a new strategy to decrease the use of pesticides, which would benefit everyone, including farmers.
There is mounting pressure on the EU from member states to change their stance on climate change after recent farmer protests.
The EU recommended on Tuesday that net greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 90% by 2040, compared to 2015 levels. However, the specific demands on the agricultural sector were reduced.
“We need to make sure we have a balanced approach,” said European Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, who unveiled the proposal.
