European scientists warn proposed pesticide deregulation as a dangerous step back
Scientists and doctors have denounced the EU's Omnibus X pesticide proposal, saying it would weaken safety rules. They have called for a pause until an independent impact study is done.
The EU’s Omnibus X legislative bundle aims to streamline rules to improve economic competitiveness, but it also proposes major changes to the pesticide approval system, including the removal of regular re-evaluation for substances deemed low-risk. A coalition of scientists and physicians, coordinated by ecotoxicologist Martina Vijver of the Institute of Environmental Sciences at Leiden University, has labeled the move a "dangerous regression" in food safety.
On 17 September, they sent an open letter, signed by 573 researchers from leading European institutions, to the presidents of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, demanding that negotiations be halted until an independent study of the proposal’s health and environmental impacts is completed. The Council of the EU failed to reach a compromise, with countries such as France rejecting the principle of unlimited pesticide authorisations. The scientists’ appeal highlights growing resistance within the scientific community to the proposed deregulation.
