The Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR), moving forward but slowly

The legislative process of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR) proposed by the European Commission back in June 2022 is moving forward but slowly.  

On the Council side, Member States are waiting for the complementary data to the existing impact assessment carried out by the European Commission they requested by vote on 19 December¹. Data requested focus on quantitative aspects of food production, food and feed affordability and accessibility, competitiveness of small and medium farms, availability of alternatives to synthetic pesticides. EU Member States are still discussing the SUR in working group parties but focus on technical aspects to avoid touchy political aspects such as national pesticides reduction targets, the ban of all pesticides in sensitive areas and the Harmonized-Risk Indicator HRI-1.  

On the European Commission side, there are two deadlines: end of March to answer the Member States’ request for additional data and end of June to provide the requested data. 

On the European Parliament side, the rapporteur  Sarah Wiener (Greens/EFA group from Austria) has published her report in January 2023, and presented it in the Environment Committee on 2 March 2023. Overall, she is in favour on a 80% reduction for the most hazardous pesticides and proposes an in-between solution for sensitive areas by authorizing substances used in organic and biocontrol products. (Read our reaction to the report here) 

Furthermore, the Parliamentary committees for agriculture and environment (AGRI and ENVI)  finally reached an agreement on the timetable. The deadline  to table amendments is fixed on 30 March. Then the AGRI Committee will vote in July, followed by a vote in the ENVI Committee in September and a vote in Plenary in October. We can expect vivid debate before the votes. 

What does the organic sector do? 

• In January, IFOAM Organics Europe has published its position paper gathering the recommendations of the organic movement to enhance the SUR proposal. We believe, the EU needs to:
  • Elaborate a better indicator than the proposed Harmonised-Risk Indicator 1 (HRI-1) to assess pesticides use and risk.HRI-1 is a volume-based indicator which discriminates against natural substances used in large quantities because generally less harmful; 
  • Better define plant protection products (PPP) to differentiate between synthetic pesticides and natural substances; 
  • Authorize natural substances in agricultural sensitive areas (the proposal foresees a ban of all PPPs) to enable food production in a sustainable manner. 

• In February, IFOAM Organics Europe was present during the European Parliamentary plenary sessionwe were present to showcase organic approaches to plant health care during the IPMWorks exhibition; 
• The same month, our director Eduardo Cuoco spoke at a panel at the hybrid event “The Revision of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive: Challenges and opportunities” organised by the European Food Forum and gathering several Members of the Parliament. He recalled how organic farming practises contribute to reducing the use of synthetic pesticides. 
• In March, we organised a policy workshop, as part of BIOFRUITNET to discuss the Farm to Fork Strategy, the SUR & organic fruit growing. Read the main outcomes here; 
• We continue meeting Members of the European Parliament, and their staff as well as officials of EU Member States’ Permanent Representations in Brussels to share our recommendations; 
• We collaborate with like-minded NGOs (read the joint letter signed by 69 organisations to support Sarah Wiener’s report and the joint letter 32 organisations signed calling on Ministers and Members of the Parliament to support the SUR reform). 

Take a deep dive in this topic 

• Press release Scientific study shows synthetic pesticides significantly more dangerous than natural ones (February 2023) 
• Press release Bold pesticide reduction plan faces attack on Saturday, 6 December 2022 (also available in German) 
• Press briefing: EU’s first legally binding pesticide reduction targets under threat (also available in German) 
• Video recordings of our press conferences are available on our YouTube channel

Additionally, you can also learn more about: 

Scientific community’s demands 

• Open letter signed by more than 600 scientists (December 2022) stressing that pesticides reduction objectives remain of utmost importance to stop and reverse the decline of biodiversity, as well as affirm the Potsdam Statement published in March 2022 is still very relevant. They stated “a food system transition is non-linear and disruptive by definition. While current modes of impact assessment may provide insights into short-term market impacts, they are incapable of projecting longer-term innovation and disruption, which the Green Deal aims for.” 

Civil society’s demands: 

• European Citizens’ Initiative’s Save the bees & Farmers: 1.2 million EU citizens demanding an end to pesticides and organised a hearing at the European Parliament 
• ECI Save the bees & farmers’ arguments against dubious claims from several MEPs  
• ECI Save the bees and Farmers’ letter to ask MEPs to stop blocking the SUR Corporate influence on the EU’s green targets & pesticides 
• Corporate Europe Observatory’s article on Chemical romance, how politicians fall for BASF, 13 March 2022  
• DeSmog article Flagship EU Green Farming Reforms in Peril as Lobbyists Exploit Ukraine War 9 December 2022 
• Corporate Europe Observatory’s work on the EU Farm to Fork Strategy and its targets October 2021 
• GLOBAL 2000 & Pesticide Action Network’s report: Pesticide Paradise September 2022 
• The new Pesticides Regulation receives cautious welcome by environmental groups 22 June 2022 

Organic and its approach to healthy plants: 

• Get informed about organic’s approach to plant health care 
• Deep dive into organic’s approach to plant health care 
• Have a look at all documents us and like-minded organisations have issued 

For more information on pesticides and IFOAM Organics Europe’s work on this issue, please visit our website , or contact [email protected]. Do note that we prioritise our members’ requests.