Activities of Edina TÓTH related to 2022/0196(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Sustainable use of plant protection products (debate)
Amendments (17)
Amendment 300 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The European Parliament resolution of 12 February 2019 on the implementation of Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides41 noted that the Union must act without delay to transition to a more sustainable use of pesticides and called on the Commission to propose an ambitious Union-wide binding target for the reduction of pesticide use. The European Parliament re-affirmed its call for binding EU reduction targets in its resolution of 20 October 2021 on a Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system42 . __________________ 41 P8_TA(2019)0082, 12 February 2019. 42 P9_TA(2021)0425, 20 October 2021.
Amendment 322 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The Commission Communication entitled ‘the European Green Deal’47 set out a roadmap of key measures, including legislative, to significantly reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides. In the Farm to Fork Strategy48 , EU Biodiversity Strategy for 203049 and the Zero Pollution Action Plan50 , the Commission committed to take action to reduce by 50% the overall use and risk from chemical pesticides by 2030 and reduce by 50% the use of more hazardous pesticides (plant protection products containing one or more active substances approved as candidates for substitution in accordance with Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council51 and listed in Part E of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/201152 , or containing one or more active substances listed in the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/40853 ) by 2030. The sustainable use of plant protection products is also complementary to the promotion of organic farming and achieving the Farm to Fork Strategy target of at least 25% of the Union’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030. It supports the objectives of the EU strategic framework on health and safety at work54 and thereby contributes to the implementation of principle 10 of the European Pillar of Social Rights on a healthy, safe and well- adapted work environment. __________________ 47 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The European Green Deal COM/2019/640 final. 48 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system, COM/2020/381 final. 49 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 Bringing nature back into our lives, COM/2020/380 final. 50 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Pathway to a Healthy Planet for All EU Action Plan: 'Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil', COM(2021) 400 final. 51 Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC (OJ L 309, 24.11.2009, p. 1). 52 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 of 25 May 2011 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the list of approved active substances (OJ L 153, 11.6.2011, p. 1). 53 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/408 of 11 March 2015 on implementing Article 80(7) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and establishing a list of candidates for substitution (OJ L 67, 12.3.2015, p. 18). 54 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, EU strategic framework on health and safety at work 2021-2027 Occupational safety and health in a changing world of work, COM/2021/323 final.
Amendment 334 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
Amendment 358 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Biological control agents are a sustainable control alternative to the use of chemical products for the control of harmful organisms. As noted in Council Decision (EU) 2021/110257 , biological control agents have a growing importance in sustainable agriculture and forestry and have an instrumental role to play in the success of integrated pest management and organic farming. Access to biological controls facilitates moving away from chemical plant protection products. It is appropriate to encourage farmers to switch to low input agricultural methods including organic farming. It is therefore appropriate to define the concept of biological control as a basis for Member States to set indicative targets to increase the percentage of crops on which biological control agents are used. __________________ 57 Council Decision (EU) 2021/1102 of 28 June 2021 requesting the Commission to submit a study on the Union’s situation and options regarding the introduction, evaluation, production, marketing and use of invertebrate biological control agents within the territory of the Union and a proposal, if appropriate in view of the outcomes of the study (OJ L 238, 6.7.2021, p. 81).
Amendment 368 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) The objective of the Farm to Fork Strategy is to make substantial progress in the reduction of the use of chemical plant protection products in an economically viable way. In order to achieve that aim, it is necessary to set quantified targets at Union and Member State levels for the reduction in the use and risk of chemical plant protection products and the use of more hazardous plant protection products to monitor progress. National targets should be established by national law in order to ensure adequate progress and accountability in relation to them. These binding national targets should also be achieved by Member States by 2030. The reduction in the use of chemical plant protection products is expected to significantly reduce occupational safety and health risks for professional userslevel.
Amendment 408 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) Member States should draft and publish national action plans. In order for the Member State national action plans to be effective, they should contain quantitative objectives, references to binding national 2030 reduction targets as set out in national law, together with related indicative targets set out in the national action plans, measures, timetables and indicators to reduce risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment. This will allow for a structured approach to the setting of quantitative objectives and targets, with a clear link to the national 2030 reduction targets. In order to monitor compliance with the provisions of this Regulation, Member States should also be required to report annually on targets and precise quantitative data relating to compliance with provisions on use, training, application equipment and integrated pest management.
Amendment 452 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Economic instruments, including those under the CAP that provide support to farmers, can play a crucialsignificant role in the achievement of objectives relating to the sustainable use of plant protection products and, in particular, reducing the use of chemical plant protection products. Member States have to show in their national CAP Strategic Plans that their implementation of the CAP contributes to and supports other relevant Union legislation and their objectives, including objectives under this Regulation.
Amendment 463 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) An approach to pest control that follows integrated pest management in ensuring careful consideration of all available means that discourage the development of populations of harmful organisms, while keeping the use of chemical plant protection products to levels that are economically and ecologically justified and minimising risks to human health and the environment is necessary for the protection of human health and the environment. ‘Integrated pest management’ emphasises the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems, encourages natural pest control mechanisms and uses chemical control only when all other control means are exhausted. To ensure that integrated pest management is implemented consistently on the ground, it is necessary to lay down clear rules in this Regulation. In order to comply with the obligation to follow integrated pest management, a professional user should consider and implement all methods and practices that avoid the use of plant protection products. Chemical plant protection products should only be used when all other control means have been exhausted. In order to ensure and monitor compliance with this requirement, it is important that professional users keep a record of the reasons why they apply plant protection products or the reasons for any other action taken in line with integrated pest management and of advice received in support of their implementation of integrated pest management from independent advisors. These records are also required for aerial applications.
Amendment 486 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) In order to facilitate compliance with integrated pest management, it is necessary to lay down crop-specific rulguidelines that a professional user must followtake into consideration in relation to the specific crop and region in which the professional user operates. Such rulguidelines should convert the requirements of integrated pest management into verifiable criteria that apply to the specific crop. To ensure that the crop-specific rules are in accordance with the requirements of integrated pest management, detailed rules should be laid down as to what they should contain and the Commission should verify their development, implementation and enforcement on the groundindicate the principles of integrated pest management that apply to the specific crop.
Amendment 495 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In order to verify compliance by professional users with integrated pest management, an electronic integrated pest management and plant protection product use register should be maintained with the aim of verifying compliance with the ruprinciples on integrated pest management set out in this Regulation and supporting the development of Union policy. Access to the register should also be granted to national statistical authorities for the development, production and dissemination of official statistics in accordance with Chapter V of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council66 . This register should record any preventative measure or intervention and the reasons for that preventative measure or intervention. This will provide the competent authorities with the information necessary to verify whether a professional user has carried out a decision-making process, in accordance with integrated pest management, before determining the specific preventative measure or intervention. The register should also contain details in relation to advice required annually in support of integrated pest management in order to verify that such strategic longer term planning in relation to integrated pest management is taking place. __________________ 66 Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics and repealing Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1101/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics, and Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom establishing a Committee on the Statistical Programmes of the European Communities (OJ L 87, 31.3.2009, p. 164).
Amendment 503 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
Amendment 562 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34
Recital 34
(34) Considering the possible risks to human health and the environment from the use of plant protection products, the public should have access to better information on the overall impacts of the use of such products through awareness- raising programmes, information passed on through distributors and other appropriate measureThe public should have access to full, balanced, objective and scientific based information on plant protection products.
Amendment 602 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 39
Recital 39
(39) For the moment, the only robust statistical data available at Union level relating to the marketing and use of plant protection products are the statistics on the quantities of active substances in plant protection products placed on the market, and the data on the number of authorisations for emergency situations in plant protection granted under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. Those statistics are used in the calculation of harmonised risk indicators 1 and 2 under Directive 2009/128/EC and in calculating progress towards the binding Union 2030 reduction targets and national 2030 reduction targets based on the Farm to Fork Strategy. The new harmonised risk indicator 2a will be calculated using statistics on the number of authorisations for emergency situations in plant protection, the properties of the active substances in plant protection products subject to these authorisations, and the areas treated under these authorisations to better quantify the risks arising from authorisations for emergency situations in plant protection.
Amendment 612 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 40
Recital 40
(40) For reasons of transparency, and to ensure uniform implementation by all Member States, the methodology for calculating progress towards achieving the two Union and two national 2030 reduction targets and the methodology for the calculation of harmonised risk indicators at Union and national level should be set out in an Annex to this Regulation.
Amendment 2201 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 a (new)
Article 18 a (new)
Amendment 2738 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 45 – paragraph 2
Article 45 – paragraph 2
It shall apply from … [OP: please insert the date = the first day of the month following … monthtwo years after the date of entry into force of this Regulation].
Amendment 2749 #
Proposal for a regulation
Annex I – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Annex I – paragraph 1 – introductory part
This Regulation is the instrument used to achieve the pesticide reduction targets contained in the Farm to Fork Strategy by requiring each Member State to contribute to achieving by 2030 a 50 % Union-wide reduction of both the use and risk of chemical plant protection products (‘Union 2030 reduction target 1’) and the use of more hazardous plant protection products (‘Union 2030 reduction target 2’). This Regulation also regulates the contribution of each Member State to these Union targets. Each Member State contribution, set in the form of a national target, to Union 2030 reduction target 1 is referred to as a ‘national 2030 reduction target 1’, while a Member State contribution to Union 2030 reduction target 2 is referred to as a ‘national 2030 reduction target 2’. The methodology for calculating progress towards achieving these targets is set out below: