Why improving the data on pesticides’ use is key to delivering the Farm to Fork Strategy

BeeLife co-organized (with PAN Europe and ClientEarth) a webinar on the importance of data on pesticide use in the EU.

As national governments, the Parliament and the Commission gear up to decide on a crucial reform of agriculture statistics (SAIO) in an upcoming trilogue, this webinar gives an overview of the current state of play regarding the collection and publication of data of pesticide use in the EU.

The EU is much lagging behind when it comes to knowing which pesticides and other chemicals are used in agriculture, in which quantities, where and how.

With the Farm to Fork strategy, the European Commission has announced actions to reduce the overall use and risk of chemical pesticides by 50% and the use of more hazardous pesticides by 50% by 2030. This is promising. However, what is the value of these targets if there is no precise public data to assess progress towards them? If we don’t know what happens on the ground, we can't monitor progress towards these goals.

Evidence-based politics should be the norm, but currently, in the EU, no one has a clear picture of which pesticides are used where, in which quantities, and how.

This blind spot means trouble for everyone -- except maybe for the chemical industry.

You can watch the recording of the event here.

NGOs, scientists, and the Commission all agreed on the importance of improving the Statistics on Agriculture Inputs and Outputs (SAIO).

Date: 9 December 2021 12:30 PM

Agenda of the webinar

• Welcome

• Presentation by Alice Bernard, Lawyer at ClientEarth entitled ‘The legal state of play re. pesticides use data in the EU’

• Presentation by Researcher Edward Straw entitled ‘A scientists view on improving pesticides use data for the EU’

• Speech of MEP Petros Kokkalis (GUE), rapporteur in the legislative reform of agriculture statistics.

• Intervention of a representative from the European Commission, Johan Selenius, Team Leader - Task Force "Modernisation of agricultural & fisheries statistics" in the European Commission (Eurostat)

• Questions & Answers