350,000 Tonnes of Pesticides Sold in EU Each Year – Still No Clear Picture of the Risks
The European Commission and Member States need to pull up their socks on pesticides says the European Court of Auditors. More than 10 years since the directive on the sustainable use of pesticides, it still isn’t doing enough to measure and reduce the risks, finds a report released last week. While integrated pest management (IPM) is in theory mandatory for farmers, record keeping about it is not. Moreover, IPM won’t be taken seriously unless it’s pegged to CAP payouts, warn the auditors.