EU Commission set to scrap plan to halve pesticide use after farmer protests
Favorites Print ForwardShare Feb. 7, 2024
By Jorge Liboreiro & Gerardo Fortuna
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday the withdrawal of a contentious law that aimed to reduce the use of pesticides across the European Union, marking the first defeat of the Green Deal.
The so-called Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR) was first tabled in June 2022 with the ambitious goal of slashing by half the use of pesticides by 2030. It also envisioned the total prohibition of these products in sensitive areas, such as urban green spaces and Natura 2000 sites, and promoted the uptake of low-risk alternatives.