85 organisations – including environmental, health, and human rights groups, as well as farm worker unions and farmer organisations – have created a Roadmap for Pesticide Phase-Out for EU policy-makers. This document outlines key demands and actionable steps to reduce pesticide use and risk across Europe, advocating for an agricultural future that prioritises human health, environmental protection and a fair, secured future for farmers. It is essential that the recommendations are represented in the upcoming EU Vision for Agriculture and Food.
The organisations remind the European Commission of Farm to Fork and post-2020 Global Biodiversity targets, and of the loud and repeated calls of civil society and scientists to ambitiously reduce pesticides [1].
Enrico Somaglia, EFFAT General Secretary said: “Farm workers require a just transition away from pesticides, alongside targeted measures to ensure enhanced protection against pesticide exposure and handling. These measures must be grounded in real-world conditions, offering access to comprehensive training, clear and practical worker information, stricter enforcement of occupational health and safety standards, and proactive prevention initiatives to raise awareness among workers. Furthermore, occupational diseases resulting from pesticide exposure should be officially recognised by social security systems across Europe and compensated fairly and appropriately.”
The Roadmap comes ahead of the publication of the EU Commission’s upcoming Vision for Agriculture and Food, which is expected to be presented on the 19 of February. It urges the Commission to make pesticide reduction a reality. It is of the utmost importance for the EU to actually start implementing existing legislations, and take real steps to phase out toxic pesticides. Implementation of Integrated Pest Management, mandatory since 2014, has been largely absent. The organisations also point at the currently used Harmonised Risk Indicator I, which is unfit for purpose, misleading and should be urgently replaced. Also the need for the right supportive framework to transition away from toxic pesticides is among the key demands, including high-expert independent advisory systems.
The Roadmap refers to the outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture [2], which highlights the need to reduce pesticides, and the need for urgent and ambitious action to transition to sustainable food systems.
A Roadmap for a Pesticide Phase-Out – January 2025 (Full Version)
A Roadmap for a Pesticide Phase-Out – January 2025 (Summary)
