Brussels wants to lift restrictions on pesticides. ‘Dangerous’

An open letter recently arrived at the cabinet's office. The alarming message: the European Commission wants to weaken the assessment system for pesticides. According to the signatories, this is unacceptable; it poses a threat to public health. Berthe Brouwer of Natuur & Milieu: “Perhaps the most disturbing thing is that science is being sidelined.”

The letter, signed by the Parkinson's Alliance Netherlands, Natuur & Milieu, the Parkinson's Association, and scientists from Radboudumc and Leiden University, has a clear reason. Namely: a bill in which Brussels proposes to take a much less critical view of the authorization of pesticides than is currently the case. It is as if someone is loosening the safety valve of the European system, while scientists have been issuing increasingly urgent warnings in recent years about the effects of pesticides on nature and water quality, as well as public health. There is a strong suspicion that the use of certain pesticides may increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, among other things.

According to Brouwer, program leader for Agriculture & Biodiversity at Natuur & Milieu, the proposal fits into a broader shifting political climate. “Things have really changed in Brussels since the elections. Far-right parties have grown in popularity, and the Christian Democrats are now working with them. The cordon sanitaire (the political barrier against the far right, ed.) has disappeared. I think the pesticide industry sees an opportunity to get the rules relaxed.”

‘Worrying’

One of the biggest concerns is PFAS. When these substances break down, they produce TFA (trifluoroacetic acid), a highly persistent substance that accumulates in the environment. “It is so small that it slips right through existing purification systems,” explains Brouwer. “Drinking water companies add an activated carbon filter to capture pesticides, but TFA hardly adheres to it. You then have to switch to membrane technology. And that means every groundwater well has to be converted. That is extremely expensive.”

Science sidelined

Perhaps the most disturbing part of the proposal, according to Brouwer, is that independent science is largely excluded from the assessment. Only knowledge provided by the industry itself would still be included as standard. “That is very unfortunate,” says Brouwer. “It was precisely independent science that repeatedly demonstrated why certain substances had to be banned.”

Is new scientific knowledge about a substance emerging? According to the proposal, this may no longer be taken into account in a Member State's assessment of a substance. “So if there is new knowledge about the toxicity of a substance that was approved in 2018, for example, a Member State may not take that new knowledge into account when approving a pesticide.”

This is particularly distressing because, as Brouwer points out, the European Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that current scientific insights are indeed mandatory. “Independent research from universities and research institutes is thus at risk of being completely sidelined.”

Motion passed

There is some cautiously positive news, however. Last week, the organizations involved entered into discussions with the House of Representatives, and a motion by Podt and Bromet was passed. With this motion, the House of Representatives calls on the cabinet to oppose the European proposal in Brussels to significantly weaken the assessment of pesticides.

Innovation: future-proof solutions

“An important warning signal,” says Brouwer about the motion that was passed. She believes that this story should not only be about things that go wrong. “In agriculture, promising solutions are also emerging that give hope.” Greenhouses are increasingly working with natural predators such as bumblebees and hoverflies. “With so-called banker plants, plants that provide useful insects with food and shelter, you can keep those populations stable. That works very well.”

Technology is also developing rapidly. For example, a strawberry grower in the Netherlands uses UVC light to combat fungi. This is just one example. “With the right guidance and incentives, you see growers embracing innovative methods,” concludes Brouwer.