Use of pesticides in Brandenburg.Photo: Patrick Pleul/archive/dpa
The farmers’ association sounds the alarm. The EU push to halve the use of pesticides will bring monocultures, higher prices and less domestic cultivation.
High food prices as a result of the Ukraine war and rising production costs in agriculture are driving inflation in Germany. This spiral could be further accelerated. The EU wants to halve the use of pesticides in agriculture by 2030. This is in the interest of species protection, as stated in the draft for the new “Regulation on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products” or “Sustainable Use Regulation” (SUR).
Political requirements continue to drive up prices for agricultural products
Above all, this will reduce domestic production of fruit and vegetables – and their diversity, warns Farmer President Joachim Rukwied. In addition to the higher minimum wage and the shortage of fertilizers, specifications drawn up on the drawing board represent further cost drivers to which farmers would have to react. Incidentally, as reported by the specialist media, these do not only affect arable farming. Also in the livestock industry, the regulations more and more closely meshed.
If the federal government supports the EU plans, “the cultivation of domestic fruit and vegetables will continue to decline significantly,” predicts Rukwied. Food prices would then continue to rise – not because the farmers wanted it that way, but to be able to sustain their businesses:
One thing is clear: our farmers also need these higher prices in order to be able to continue farming at all.”
The more political guidelines come from Berlin or Brussels, the more farmers are faced with the question: produce more expensively or not at all?
Total ban on pesticides not feasible
Experts had already warned of the EU plans at a hearing in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg in February. Crop protection expert Michael Glaser from the State Technology Center in Augustenberg fears major restrictions on local agriculture. The portal “BW Agrar” according to them, a blanket ban on pesticides would even jeopardize regional security of supply.
In addition, a structural change away from small, diversified family farms to large, specialized agricultural groups would be the result. Smaller and more diverse farms would not be able to handle the “bureaucratic monster” of crop-specific regulations, reporting requirements and documentation at all.
Elisabeth Böhnlein from the State Farmers’ Association in Baden-Württemberg even sees the cooperative path of the Biodiversity Strengthening Act in danger. This is recognised, strengthens species protection, but also gives family businesses room to breathe. The blanket ban on pesticides in protected areas proposed by the EU Commission, on the other hand, “poses an existential threat to our regional agriculture”.
Also Prof. Dr. Ralf Vögele from the University of Hohenheim made it clear that a complete ban on pesticides is neither feasible nor desirable. An increasing replacement of biological agents or mineral fertilizers is only realistic if new methods from genetic engineering can be used.
Genetic alternatives also undesirable
However, these are also undesirable in Berlin and Brussels. In the EU, for example, there is a ban on sowing genome-edited crops. In Germany, even the commercial cultivation of genetically modified maize varieties that are used in other EU countries is illegal.
In fact, there is no clear answer as to how best to ensure maximum agricultural yields while at the same time protecting biodiversity. This depends on various factors. These include specific local conditions, crop types, environmental factors and technology availability.
The use of advanced crop protection products helps to combat pests and diseases that affect the growth and health of plants. However, these preparations can also have negative effects on biodiversity. This is especially true if they are not used properly or are not selective enough to distinguish beneficial insects from harmful organisms.
EU wants to ban pesticides without allowing genetic engineering
Genetic modifications could in turn help to make plants more resistant to pests and diseases and thus increase yields. At the same time, the use of pesticides could be reduced with their help.
In other parts of the world will genetic optimization practiced by animals and plants. In Germany and other European countries, there is ongoing resistance. The role of the EU is ambiguous, he said press text to the “Arte” documentation “Gene Laboratory Africa – The Business of Bill Gates”: “While the international community was originally skeptical about the potential risks to health and the environment, they are now conducting experiments together with the Microsoft founder’s foundation that would be banned here in Europe.”
(With material from dts and AFP)
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