New rules are coming from November 2022 aimed at increasing the availability and access to organic plant protection products for use in European Union Member States, with the aim of supporting the EU's transition to sustainable food systems and the reduction of the use of chemical pesticides .
The new rules, adopted by the EU Commission as part of the "Farm to Fork" strategy, " will facilitate the authorization of micro-organisms for use as active substances in plant protection products - reads a note - and will offer EU farmers further options to replace chemical plant protection products with more sustainable alternatives ".
Pesticides, the objectives of the new EU rules
Under the new rules, the biological and ecological properties of each microorganism will be placed at the heart of the scientific risk assessment process, which must demonstrate safety before the microorganisms can be approved as active substances in plant protection products. The aim is to speed up the authorization of micro-organisms and biological plant protection products containing them.“ Transitioning to more sustainable food systems means finding alternatives to chemical pesticides that respect our planet and our health,” said Stella Kyriakides , Commissioner for Health and Food Safety . – The Commission is committed to facilitating this process by increasing the number of low-risk and organic alternatives on the market: we have already approved 20 low-risk alternatives since the start of our mandate.
Thanks to these new rules, we will ensure that organic alternatives can reach our farmers even faster. The more we collectively invest resources in evaluating plant protection products, the more safe alternatives we will have available to deliver on our commitment to reduce chemical pesticide use by 50% by 2030. ” (Source: https://www.helpconsumatori.it/ )