Germany: Bioland demands reduction of pesticides

By CnAgri Print

German agricultural union Bioland has uttered some harsh criticism against a recent government proposal outlining a national campaign for sustainable pesticides. “The campaign does not adequately contribute to a sustained reduction of the hazardous effects of pesticides,” says Bioland chairman Jan Plagge. "This proposal needs to go back to the drawing board.”

EU regulations mandated the German campaign, designed to mitigate the usage of pesticides, and to find environment-friendly alternatives. As is, the plan will be in effect early 2013. Bioland demands that the government comes up with a fundamentally different policy: only by ambitiously reducing the amount of pesticides in the sector will this proposal be a serious and acceptable campaign, says the union. If it were up to Bioland, the proposal would contain a levy on pesticides and a ban on particularly dangerous insecticides.