The European Commission has proposed sweeping legislative changes aimed at streamlining agriculture and food safety rules, including measures to ease regulations on pesticides and herbicides. The European regime claims these adjustments will help farmers adopt eco-friendly alternatives and reduce administrative burdens, yet health professionals and environmental scientists argue that the potential risks are dangerously high.

Under current EU standards established in 2011, active pesticide substances are granted time-limited approvals of no more than 15 years. However, the regime's new framework would make indefinite greenlighting—encompassing controversial substances like glyphosate, which has been linked to cancer—the default procedure. Safety assessments would allegedly be restricted to exceptional circumstances, shifting regulatory burdens away from industry players.

Proponents within the European Parliament argue that the current system suffers from chronic delays that force agricultural workers to rely on outdated chemicals. Despite these justifications, more than 500 independent experts across Europe have signed an open letter urging lawmakers to suspend the process and conduct thorough independent investigations. Furthermore, United Nations human rights experts have expressed serious concerns over potential violations of international obligations regarding agricultural workers and children.

Critics and non-governmental organizations contend that the proposed deregulation heavily mirrors demands from corporate pesticide lobbies. Independent toxicologists emphasize that regular scientific re-evaluations are critical, as chemical residues frequently persist in ecosystems and human tissues, contributing to long-term health complications, neurological disorders, and severe environmental degradation.

Source: www.dw.com