MEPs delay vote on EU pesticides bill amid backlash
Members of the European Parliament have postponed a vote on a European Commission proposal to extend approvals for pesticide active substances. The Parliament’s environment and agriculture committees had been expected to vote on a compromise text on 5 October, but no new date has been set. The delay follows mounting opposition from scientists and UN health experts.
More than 500 scientists signed an open letter to the Commission on 16 September, demanding a pause pending “an independent assessment, whether carried out by parliament’s own research service or by an equivalent independent body.” Last week, five UN health experts wrote to the EU executive, warning that the plan would extend grace periods for products withdrawn on safety grounds and widen derogations for hazardous substances. The experts said the measures “seem difficult to reconcile with the precautionary principle and with obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights, including the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas.” The proposal has also revealed divisions among member states.
