Revision of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Legislation – “Reduce Use” Proposal (RUP)

In this position paper, the EEB  call on the European Commission to publish the revision of the directive on the sustainable use of pesticides as soon as possible. The new legislation must have three main objectives:

• Ensure that the Member States finally comply with EU law, this is, that they reduce their dependence on the use of chemical pesticides and that integrated pest management (IPM), which is mandatory since 2014, is applied at the farm level across Europe.

• Introduce strong legally binding targets on the reduction of the use and risk of chemical pesticides, in line with the Farm to Fork Strategy, both at the EU and national level, and solid indicators to measure progress. Otherwise, it will not be possible to achieve the above-mentioned objectives.

• Be based on the available science showing clear links between pesticide use and severe damage to the environment, biodiversity and human health.