Eleven EU countries – Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – are proposing to the European Commission to abolish national targets for reducing pesticide use, reports manoukis.lt.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania – (ŽŪM), the draft Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides is currently being discussed in the EU Council working groups. One of its articles provides for mandatory pesticide reduction targets for Member States, with a specific percentage of reduction.
Lithuania, together with 10 other EU countries, is therefore proposing to the Commission that it should be adjusted by removing the binding clause and the specific figures, and by setting out a series of actions to contribute to the EU’s target of reducing the use of chemical and more hazardous plant protection products by 50% by 2030.
What could those actions be?
According to the Lithuanian Ministry (ŽŪM), promoting compliance with the requirements set out in the Strategic Action Plan, as well as Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) requirements, such as crop rotation, etc.
The lack of choice of plant protection products in Lithuania, which makes it difficult to abandon some of them or to replace them with lower-risk products, which are also in short supply at the EU level, has prompted the proposal, along with other countries.
No alternative methods
“The most difficult thing is that there are not even alternative methods to replace certain plant protection products. We also believe that actions to reduce the use of plant protection products should be based on sound scientific and statistical principles,” the Ministry (ŽŪM) stated.
The draft Regulation is currently being discussed by the legislators of the Council of Europe and the Parliament, and a common position is expected before the final vote in November.