Activities of Mathilde ANDROUËT related to 2022/0196(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Sustainable use of plant protection products (debate)
Amendments (22)
Amendment 280 #
Proposal for a regulation
Citation 1
Citation 1
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Articles 39(1) and 192(1) thereof,
Amendment 288 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1a) Article 39 TFEU lays down the objectives of the CAP, in particular to increase agricultural productivity, to ensure a fair standard of living for farmers, to stabilise markets, to assure the availability of supplies and to ensure that supplies reach consumers at reasonable prices.
Amendment 290 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1 b (new)
Recital 1 b (new)
(1b) This Regulation must take account of the effects of the global geopolitical climate on Europe’s agricultural production chain in order to adapt its provisions with a view to guaranteeing the food sovereignty of the Member States and to ensuring reasonable food prices for consumers.
Amendment 293 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council37 established a framework to achieve a sustainable use of pesticidelant protection products by reducing the risks and impacts of their use of pesticides on human health and the environment. The evaluation38 of that Directive found that it has not achieved its overall objectives and that the Member States did not implement it in a satisfactory manner. This conclusion was confirmed in reports from the Commission to the European Parliament and Council in 201739 and 202040 . __________________ 37 Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides (OJ L 309, 24.11.2009, p. 71): 38 [Reference to be inserted.] 39 Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Member State National Action Plans and on progress in the implementation of Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides COM(2017)587 final. 40 Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the experience gained by Member States on the implementation of national targets established in their National Action Plans and on progress in the implementation of Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides COM(2020) 204 final.
Amendment 325 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The Commission Communication entitled ‘the European Green Deal’47 set out a roadmap of key measures, including legislative, to significantly reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides. In the Farm to Fork Strategy48 , EU Biodiversity Strategy for 203049 and the Zero Pollution Action Plan50 , the Commission committed to take action to reduce by 50% the overall use and risk from chemical pesticides by 2030 and reduce by 50% the use of more hazardous pesticides (plant protection products containing one or more active substances approved as candidates for substitution in accordance with Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council51 and listed in Part E of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/201152 , or containing one or more active substances listed in the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/40853 ) by 2030. The sustainable usage of plant protection products in an environmentally friendly manner that in no way harms people’s health and guarantees of a fair standard of living for farmers, is also complementary to the promotion of organic farming and achieving the Farm to Fork Strategy target of at least 25% of the Union’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030. It supports the objectives of the EU strategic framework on health, food security and safety at work54 and thereby contributes to the implementation of principle 10 of the European Pillar of Social Rights on a healthy, safe and well- adapted work environment. __________________ 47 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The European Green Deal COM/2019/640 final. 48 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system, COM/2020/381 final. 49 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 Bringing nature back into our lives, COM/2020/380 final. 50 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Pathway to a Healthy Planet for All EU Action Plan: ‘Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil’ COM(2021) 400 final. 51 Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC (OJ L 309, 24.11.2009, p. 1). 52 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 of 25 May 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the list of approved active substances (OJ L 153, 11.6.2011, p. 1). 53 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/408 of 11 March 2015 on implementing Article 80(7) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and establishing a list of candidates for substitution (OJ L 67, 12.3.2015, p. 18). 54 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, EU strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027 Occupational safety and health in a changing world of work, COM/2021/323 final.
Amendment 329 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7 a (new)
Recital 7 a (new)
(7a) In 2020 EU Member States used an average of 3.30 kg of plant protection products per hectare of cultivated land (versus 3.13 kg per hectare in 2019). However, the country with the highest use consumes twenty times the amount of these products as the country with the lowest use. It would therefore appear necessary to provide for an intermediate stage between now and 2030, taking as a reference value the EU average in 2020 of 3.30 kg of plant protection products used per hectare of cultivated land, to enable the Member States with the highest use to achieve this value; the objective of a 50% reduction in the use of plant protection products will subsequently apply in order to achieve a plant protection product- neutral agriculture by 2050, as proposed in the vision paper published in March 2023 by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE).
Amendment 390 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) Given the different levels of historical progress and differences in intensity of pesticide use between Member States, it is necessary to allowfford Member States somthe requisite flexibility when setting their own binding nato set their own national reductional targets (“national 2030 reduction targets”)by 2030 at the earliest, in order to guarantee there is sufficient output to ensure food sovereignty for Member States, food safety for consumers and fair remuneration for farmers. Intensity of use is best measured by dividing the total quantity of active substances placed on the market, and therefore used, in the form of plant protection products in a particular Member State by the surface area over which the active substances were applied. Intensity in the use of chemical pesticides, and in particular of the more hazardous pesticides, correlates with greater dependency on chemical pesticides, greater risks to human health and the environment and less sustainable farming practices. It is therefore appropriate to allow Member States to take their lower intensity of use of chemical pesticides than the Union average into account in setting their national 2030 reduction targets. It is also appropriate to require them to take their higher intensity of use of chemical pesticides than the Union average into account in setting their national 2030 reduction targets. In addition, in order to give recognition to past efforts by Member States, they should also be allowed to take into account historical progress prior to the adoption of the Farm to Fork Strategy when setting national 2030 reduction targets. Conversely, where Member States have increased, or made only limited reductions in, their use and risk of chemical plant protection products, they should now make a greater contribution to the achievement of the Union 2030 reduction targets, while also taking account of their intensity of pesticide use. In order to ensure a fair and collective effort towards the achievement of Union-wide targets and an adequate level of ambition, minimum limits should be laid down for national 2030 reduction targets. The EU’s outermost regions, as listed in Article 349 of the Treaty, are located in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Indian Ocean. Due to permanent constraints such as their remoteness to the European continent, insularity and high exposure to climate change, it is appropriate to allow Member States to take into account the specific needs of these regions as regards the use of plant protection products and measures tailored to specific climatic conditions and crops. In order to ensure a fair and collective effort towards the achievement of Union-wide targets, where a Member State reaches the level of its 2030 national reduction target before 2030, it should not be required to undertake additional reduction efforts, but it should closely monitor annual fluctuations in the use and risk of chemical plant protection products and in the use of more hazardous plant protection products to ensure progress towards meeting the respective 2030 national reduction target. In the interests of transparency, Member State responses to any Commission recommendations in relation to the level of ambition of national targets and the annual progress made towards them should be publicly accessible.
Amendment 441 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) The implementation of policies and measures in the areas of sustainable use of plant protection products has an impact on the environment, public health and working conditions. Member States should therefore ensure that the public, farmers’ representatives and social partners are given sufficient opportunities to participate in and to be consulted on the preparation of Member State national action plans in accordance, where applicable, with Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council58 . __________________ 58 Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p. 30).
Amendment 468 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) An approach to pest control that follows integrated pest management in ensuring careful consideration of all available means that discourage the development of populations of harmful organisms, while keeping the use of chemical plant protection products to levels that are economically and ecologically justified, pending reliable alternative solutions, and minimising risks to human health and the environment is necessary for the protection of human health and the environment. ‘Integrated pest management’ emphasises the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems, technically and financially encourages natural pest control mechanisms and uses chemical control only when all other control means are exhausted or where no reliable alternative solution is available. To ensure that integrated pest management is implemented consistently on the ground, it is necessary to lay down clear rules in this Regulation. In order to comply with the obligation to follow integrated pest management, a professional user should consider and implement, where their reliability has been scientifically and technically approved, all methods and practices that avoid the use of plant protection products. Chemical plant protection products should only be used when all other control means have been exhausted. In order to ensure and monitor compliance with this requirement, it is important that professional users keep a record of the reasons why they apply plant protection products or the reasons for any other action taken in line with integrated pest management and of advice received in support of their implementation of integrated pest management from independent advisors. These records are also required for aerial applications.
Amendment 514 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) Use of plant protection products may have particularly negative impacts in certain areas that are frequently used by the general public or by vulnerable groups, communities in which people live and work and ecologically sensitive areas, such as Natura 2000 sites protected in accordance with Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council67 and Council Directive 92/43/EEC68 . If plant protection products are used in areas used by the general public, the possibility of exposure of humans to such plant protection products is high. In order to protect human health and the environment, the use of plant protection products in sensitive areas and within 3 metres of such areas, should therefore be prohibited. Derogations from the prohibition should only be allowed under certain conditions and on a case-by-case basis by each Member State. __________________ 67 Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds (OJ L 20, 26.1.2010, p. 7). 68 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7).
Amendment 532 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27
Recital 27
(27) Precision farming refers to agricultural management systems carefully tailoring crop management to fit localised conditions such as those found within land parcels. The application of existing technology, including the use of Union space data and services (Galileo and Copernicus), has the potential to significantly reduce pesticide usage. It is therefore necessary to provide for a legislative framework that incentivises the development of precision farming. Application of plant protection products from an aircraft, including application by planes, helicopters and drones, is usually less precise than other means of application and may therefore potentially cause adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Aerial application should therefore be prohibited, with limited derogations on a case-by-case basis by each Member State where it has a less negative impact on human health and the environment than any alternative application method or there is no viable alternative application method. It is also necessary to record the numbers of aerial applications carried out on the basis of permits granted for aerial application in order to have clear data on how many aerial applications for which permits were granted actually took place.
Amendment 580 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 38
Recital 38
(38) Statistical data on plant protection products collected in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council74 should be used in calculating these harmonised risk indicators and progress towards achieving binding Union and national targets based on the Farm to Fork Strategy. Given that pesticide use fluctuates between years depending, in particular, on the weather, a three year baseline period is appropriate to take account of such fluctuations. The baseline period for the calculation of harmonised risk indicators 1 and 2 is 2011–2013, as this was the first three year period for which data was received by the Commission under Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 and coincides with the entry into force of Directive 2009/128/EC. The baseline period for the calculation of progress towards the Union 2030 reduction targets for 2030 at the earliest is 2015– 2017, as this was the three most recent years for which data was available at the time of the announcement of the Farm to Fork Strategy. The 2015–2017 baseline period must be subject to a prior weighting to take account of the upheavals resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, the new geopolitical context and the risks of global food shortages, and the baseline period for the calculation of a new harmonised risk indicator 2a is 2022–2024, as this will be the first three year period for which data on the areas treated under each authorisation for an emergency situation in plant protection will be available. __________________ 74 Regulation (EC) No 1185/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 concerning statistics on pesticides (OJ L 324, 10.12.2009, p. 1).
Amendment 648 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 48 a (new)
Recital 48 a (new)
(48a) Sufficient funding must be provided to farmers and all stakeholders in the agricultural sector in order to support the gradual transition towards rational and sustainable agriculture. The loss of income will have to be objectively compensated in order to avoid any repercussion on the selling prices of agricultural materials. Industry and suppliers will need to be fully involved to contribute to this funding so that the profits made on the sale of plant protection products are reinvested in research into reliable and innovative solutions that safeguard public health and food safety. The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) could be used to support national and regional research organisations.
Amendment 653 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 49
Recital 49
(49) The implementation of this Regulation by Member States will result in new and enhanced obligations for farmers and other pesticides users. Some of them constitute statutory management requirements and standards of good agricultural and environmental conditions of land as listed in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council78, which, in accordance with that Regulation, farmers must comply with to receive CAP payments, whereas other requirements, which go beyond the baseline of mandatory requirements, may be rewarded with additional payments under voluntary regimes like eco-schemes pursuant to Article 31 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. Article 31(5), points (a) and (b), and Article 70(3), points (a) and (b), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 provide that the CAP funding is only available for practices implemented under an eco- scheme or agri-environmental-climate commitment which go beyond the relevant statutory management requirements and the standards of good agricultural and environmental conditions of land established under that Regulation and the relevant minimum requirements for the use of fertiliser and plant protection products, animal welfare, as well as other relevant mandatory requirements established by national and Union law. Since farmers and other users need to be financially supported in their transition toward a more sustainable use of pesticides which fully compensates for the loss of productivity, Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 needs to be amended to allow the financing of requirements imposed in accordance with this Regulation during a transitional period and beyond if necessary. This exceptional option for Member States to provide additional funding for measures taken in implementing this Regulation should apply to any obligation for farmers and other users resulting from the application of this Regulation, including compulsory farming practices imposed by the crop-specific rules for integrated pest management. Further, pursuant to Article 73(5) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, investments by farmers to comply with new requirements imposed by Union law may be supported for a maxinimum of 24 months from the date on which they become mandatory for the holding. Similarly, a longer transition period should be set out for investments complying with requirements imposed on farmers in accordance with this Regulation. Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 should therefore be amended accordingly. In addition, structural funding must be put in place to support agronomic research organisations in order to ensure that reliable alternatives to the most dangerous plant protection products are rapidly made available. __________________ 78 Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013, OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 1.
Amendment 661 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 50
Recital 50
(50) The application of this Regulation should be deferred in order to allow competent authorities and operators to prepare for the requirements introduced by it, and to take into account the impact of the new global geopolitical situation on the Member States’ food sovereignty,
Amendment 2322 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 1
Article 24 – paragraph 1
1. A distributor shall only sell a plant protection product authorised for professional use to a purchaser or his or her representative when that distributor has checked, at the time of purchase, that the purchaser or representative is a professional user and holds a training certificate for following courses for professional users issued in accordance with Article 25 or has a proof of entry in a central electronic register for following such courses in accordance with Article 25(5)as been made fully aware of all the risks associated with its use.
Amendment 2332 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 2
Article 24 – paragraph 2
2. Where a purchaser is a legal person, a distributor may sell a plant protection product authorised for professional use to a representative of the purchaser of the plant protection product when that distributor has checked, at the time of purchase, that the representative is the holder of a training certificate for following courses for professional users issued in accordance with Article 25 or has a proof of entry in a central electronic register for following such courses in accordance with Article 25(5)has been made fully aware of all the risks associated with its use upon delivery of the product, either by having signed a leaflet detailing these health risks and providing instructions for safe handling or by having been issued a training certificate.
Amendment 2380 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 3
Article 25 – paragraph 3
3. The training referred to in paragraph 1 could form part of the training interventions set up by Member States according to Article 78 of Regulation (EU) No 2021/2115. Member States should offer distance training, using appropriate digital materials, and in-person training to make it easier for the relevant audiences to participate.
Amendment 2564 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 2
Article 30 – paragraph 2
2. Each Member State shall carry out official controls to verify compliance by operators with the provisions of this Regulation relating to application equipment. Member States shall take appropriate follow-up measures to remedy any specific or systemic shortcomings identified through controls performed by the Commission experts in accordance with paragraphs 3 and 4. They shall give the necessary assistance to ensure that the Commission experts have access to all premises or parts of premises, and goods, and to information, including computer systems, relevant for the execution of their duties.
Amendment 2567 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 3
Article 30 – paragraph 3
Amendment 2572 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 4
Article 30 – paragraph 4
Amendment 2685 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 36 – paragraph 2 – point c
Article 36 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) specify available non-chemical methods to combat those pests that are proven to be technically and economically efficient;