© Reuters. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen takes part in a press conference on the day of a European Union summit in Brussels, Belgium February 1, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/ File Photo
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday proposed withdrawing the EU’s plan to halve the use of pesticides, calling it a “symbol of polarisation” as regional farmers protested over rising costs and other factors.
“Our farmers deserve to be listened to,” Von der Leyen told the European Parliament.
“I know that they are worried about the future of agriculture and their future as farmers. But they also know that agriculture needs to move to a more sustainable model of production so that their farms remain profitable in the years to come.”
European farmers have protested in recent weeks against rising costs, taxes, cheap food imports and constraints due to the EU’s drive to fight climate change.
European farmers’ lobby COPA-COGECA welcomed Von der Leyen’s remarks.
“The EU Commission finally acknowledges that its approach was not the right one, and so strengthens the credibility and importance of the current strategic dialogue”, the lobby’s president Christiane Lambert said in a post on social media platform X.
Last week, following the protests, the EU proposed an exemption on rules requiring farmers to leave part of their land fallow.
Belgian’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo welcomed the proposal in a post on X, saying it was “crucial we keep our farmers on board to a more sustainable future of farming, as part of our determination to get the Green Deal done.”
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