We need glyphosate, it is as simple as that, without it we can’t grow enough food, excuse me?
We never really know what is going on behind the scenes, what is decided and talked about behind the closed doors. We are told things and we need to figure out if it is in our best interests to believe what we are told. For instance, we are told we need glyphosate to produce all the food that is produced in the world. That there would be real trouble if it was banned.
This was exactly the case in 2024, when an exceptionally strong agricultural lobbying group COPA-COGECA successfully lobbied the EU Commission to throw out their pesticide reduction target, this new law part of the EU green deal was formally withdrawn by the Commission in February 2024.
The EU green deal for farmers was going to cut pesticide use in half.
Thomas Waitz A green MEP from Austria said “Copa Cogeca focused on sabotaging, delaying and ultimately stopping the sustainable use of pesticide regulation. They are acting in the interests of large agrichemical and multinationals against the wellbeing of small and medium famers.” The pesticide regulation was withdrawn in 2024.
This organisation set out to protect in particular the use of Glyphosate and the bee harming pesticides neonicotinoids.
This union does represent the rights of farmers, but it represents the rights of some more than others, bigger industrial groups for one.
This same lobbying group (insert link 2) that got an agreement on the extension of the use of cages for chickens for another 10 years. In fact, behind the scenes files captured by “Grilled” (the investigative journalist website) show this organisation receiving support from EU commissioners in blocking parts of the EU effort to beat cancer, pressuring ministers to weaken protections for wild animals, securing emissions exemptions for factory farms, and prolonging the use of cages for livestock. Using the tactics of large tobacco to lobby, cajole and convince that it is in our best interests as farmers and consumers to do things such as this. (insert link 1)
One analysis found the EU’s agricultural promotion programme had spent €252 million over four years advertising meat and dairy products, making up a third of its budget. Imagine if that budget was used for promoting vegetables!
The EU is now debating a proposal to remove the periodic safety reviews of pesticides always on the market, effectively giving pesticides a carte blanche for ever.
It is safe to say that organic farming is not a perfect system, but it represents a system that attempts to bring farmers back to being guardians of the planet and in so doing creating a more sustainable food system without the use of glyphosate.
Thank you for supporting a different way of growing food.
Kenneth
PS please continue to support us during the difficult summer months if you can, it makes all the difference to our farm, and if you haven’t got your ticket yet for the sustainability festival please click here to get yours.
Link 1
https://www.grilled.media/inside-copa-cogeca-plot-to-kill-eu-green-deal
link 2