What is the Sustainable Use Regulation put forward by the Commission?

The EU has long sought to have a more sustainable food system and to protect the environment, and adopted the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive way back in 2009.   This is now being overhauled to bring it into line with the more ambitious goals set in the EU Green Deal, Biodiversity and Farm to Fork Strategies, primarily with new rules on the sustainable use of pesticides.

Pesticides help increase crop yield but despite strict regulations for their authorisation and use, they also contribute to the loss of biodiversity and may jeopardise human health.  he Commission aims to reduce the use and risks associated with chemical pesticides to protect both the planet and its people.

What will this Regulation aim to achieve exactly?

The Commission’s proposal for a new Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR) sets the EU’s targets to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of more hazardous pesticides, by 50% by 2030.  

Member States must establish their own targets under their national laws to help meet the EU targets.

But farmers cannot be left high and dry without any means to combat pests that eat away at their crops and their livelihoods. That is why the EU promotes alternative pest control techniques, especially biological pesticides like microorganisms that can control pests safely. New technologies and precision agriculture can also help reduce the use of pesticides. For example, they can make it possible to spray only the plant or just the part of the plant affected by pests, rather than the entire field.

Organic farming as promoted in the Farm to Fork strategy also cuts down on the use of chemical pesticides.

And as pesticides aren’t only used on farms, but also in public parks and playgrounds, recreation or sports grounds, the EU proposes a total ban on their use in these areas.

How will this new Regulation protect the food we eat and the environment?

Reducing the use of pesticides does both. The SUR will promote the application of Integrated pest management (IPM), an environmentally friendly approach to controlling pests.

Farmers using IPM will go through a process to determine the most appropriate means to control harmful organisms, with chemical pesticides considered as a last resort. Farmers will also be obliged to use advisors to help them identify and use effective alternatives to chemical pesticides.

Taking these measures is necessary. Biodiversity losses, including a loss of pollinators such as bees, pose direct threats to food security.  In March, the Commission presented a range of short- and medium-term actions to enhance global food security and to support farmers and consumers in the EU in light of rising food prices.  Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlights the need to make EU agriculture and food supply chains more resilient and sustainable, as outlined in the Farm to Fork strategy. This Regulation will help meet that aim.

Will the Regulation support famers and the push towards more organic farming?

Yes, the EU will respond to the urgent need to change the course on pesticides and support farmers in their actions to do so. Most importantly, under the new CAP, Member States will have a specific exemption, which will allow them fund compliance with all SUR obligations on farmers for 5 years.  This comes in addition to the significant support already foreseen under the new CAP, for example, Member States can use: eco-schemes (minimum budget Euro 48.5 billion 2023-27); and rural development environmental interventions (minimum budget Euro 21.14 billion 2023-27) to support environmental farming practices, such as organic farming. 

The CAP can also be used to fund investments in machinery equipment and risk management tools as well as for training and sharing knowledge. Through the CAP’s farm advisory services, Member States will advise farmers on the sustainable use of pesticides, innovation, digital technologies, and sustainable management of nutrients.

Everyone wins, from the bees to the farmers to the consumers - for generations to come.  Pesticide companies are also looking to take advantage of new market opportunities in low risk and alternatives to chemical pesticides. Just as nature hates pesticides, it also abhors a vacuum.  There will always be ways for innovation and know-how to be put to new uses for the public good.

For more information of the Sustainable Use Regulation, please visit https://ec.europa.eu/food/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides_en