Remarks by Commissioner Kyriakides during the Agriculture and Fisheries (AGRIFISH) Council – to change course on pesticides.
Marc, Ministers,
Thank you for your intervention and non-paper.
We have been discussing pesticides since my first day in office.
In fact – much before my first day in office, as it was a capital issue for my hearing in the European Parliament.
You know very well that we are fully committed to presenting a proposal to change course on pesticides.
This change of course on pesticides is not about banning their use.
It is about making sure we make all efforts to avoid their overuse.
It is about protecting human health, the environment and biodiversity by reducing the use and risk of chemical pesticides, where possible.
This is a simple premise that I believe we will all agree on.
And it is a commitment that all of you, and farmers in your countries, have already undertaken, with efforts being made.
Now it is time to do more together. There is a very simple reason why.
And that is because our citizens have been very clear: they want to see less pesticides used. There have been successful European Citizen Initiatives on this issue, we have heard this repeatedly in the Conference on the Future of Europe and I know this issue is also raised vocally in your countries.
Now is the time for our ambition to become reality, and translated into concrete, tangible and measurable actions.
I know many of you are concerned about setting pesticide reduction targets.
I am confident that together we can do this.
I am sure that we you see our proposal, you will see that many of your proposals are already taken into account.
We will take into account the historical progress achieved in your countries.
We will take into account your national specificities and your different starting points.
And we will ensure that we don’t propose on size fits all solutions.
I want to be clear: we will all have to make efforts if we are to get to a 50% reduction at EU level.
I understand the concerns raised about restricting pesticide use in sensitive areas. However, there is clear evidence that this measure would deliver benefits for human health and the environment.
I know we are asking a lot from our farmers and we must give them the tools to be able to achieve these goals.
Having low-risk alternatives on the market is critical.
With your support, we will speed up the assessment process of safer pesticides and increase the availability of low risk substances across the EU.
We are also prioritising the faster delivery of effective, viable and affordable low-risk alternatives, for example by improving approvals systems for micro-organisms.
Ministers,
We face two challenges here.
First, to ensure that this transition only leaves behind unsustainable practices.
Not our consumers, and certainly not our farmers.
We have the instruments and means to make it so.
Second, to take action now, against a climate and biodiversity crisis that threatens our long-term food security.
We cannot continue business as usual.
Meeting both challenges requires concerted action from us all: national governments, the Commission, food producers, other actors in the food chain and consumers.
Now it’s time to take the tough decisions since we are answerable in the future for our children and grandchildren
