Silent Death

Europe is stuck in a toxic relationship. For decades, farmers have relied on chemicals to produce the food that feeds the continent. The perils of pesticides are widely known, but their use remains largely unchecked. As a biodiversity crisis unfolds, can Europe address its silent pesticide problem?

June 2022

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“We are in a biodiversity crisis. Species are going extinct faster than they have for 65 million years, since the meteor wiped out the dinosaurs. And it is accelerating,” warns Dave Goulson, professor of biology at the University of Sussex in England. Insects are his main specialty. Not only do they make up two-thirds of all known species, but they are the ones that enable other living organisms, not least by pollination. 

Industrial-scale agriculture and monoculture crops are feeding the world, but at huge cost to the environment. A toxic mix of pesticides and fertilizers continue to be sprayed over vast areas, while swathes of natural land are razed for crops, causing widespread erosion of ecosystems and biodiversity. Chemicals and agribusiness are not the only culprits. Climate change is another key driver, according to scientists. Together, they form a looming disaster.

The science analysed by IE during our months-long research is crystal clear in showing how pesticides harm wildlife, plants and humans – they may cause cancers, mutations and reproductive difficulties. But Europe is yet to wake up to its deep-rooted pesticide problem. Today, over 400 different active pesticide substances are approved in the EU. Global pesticide sales have doubled in the last 20 years, to about €52 billion in 2019. The European market for agricultural pesticides is one of the largest in the world, with sales of around €12 billion in 2019.

The EU is also the global leader in pesticide exports. Since 2018, only China has exported more pesticides than Germany. Then comes France, the US, Belgium, Spain and the UK as the largest country distributors.

While many remain silent on the biodiversity crisis amid this booming trade, ordinary citizens have realized things must change. More than one million Europeans signed the “Save the bees and the farmers!” initiative, which called for a phase-out of chemical pesticides by 2035. Many local communities in Europe, several visited by IE, are trying to transform the way agriculture is done in their regions. And farmers interviewed by IE reporters, from Greece to Norway and from Portugal to Poland, say they would like to reduce their use of pesticides – if only alternatives were affordable.
The EU Commission is finally addressing the biodiversity breakdown at its doorstep. Two years ago, the Farm to Fork policy, the flagship EU strategy to make European agriculture green and sustainable, set a target to reduce pesticide use by 50 per cent by 2030. The Sustainable use of pesticides regulation (SUR), currently being wrangled over in Brussels, is central to this goal and will be the first binding EU law to tackle the problem. Whether the regulation succeeds on the ground remains to be seen.

The strategy, though, is up against a counter-alliance of chemical companies and agribusiness lobby groups, Investigate Europe research and disclosures by NGOs and other media shows. Together with conservative politicians and other vested interests, they are pushing to defend the status quo. The Ukraine war has handed opponents to regulation another argument: not to reduce pesticide use and risk lower agricultural yields at a time when global food security is at stake.

Others insist that the time to act on pesticides and biodiversity is now. Entomologist Josef Settele predicts that by continuing with the current agricultural system, we are ultimately “putting the food security of the entire human race at risk.”

Read more on the findings of our Silent Death investigation on our site or with our media partners below.

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Dagsavisen, Norway

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Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy

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Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy

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Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy

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Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy

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infoLibre, Spain

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infoLibre, Spain

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Pesticidas: guerra aberta na Europa sobre um perigo invisível
Pesticidas: guerra aberta na Europa sobre um perigo invisível

Público, Portugal

25 June 2022

Wie Österreich in Brüssel das neue EU-Pestizidgesetz torpediert
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Der Standard, Austria

25 June 2022

Koldo Hernández: “Los datos sobre uso de pesticidas en España no son reales”
Koldo Hernández: “Los datos sobre uso de pesticidas en España no son reales”

infoLibre, Spain

24 June 2022

La UE quiere reducir el uso de pesticidas, pero no se sabe si tendrá las herramientas para medirlo
La UE quiere reducir el uso de pesticidas, pero no se sabe si tendrá las herramientas para medirlo

infoLibre, Spain

24 June 2022

El negocio multimillonario de los pesticidas que se resiste a cambiar
El negocio multimillonario de los pesticidas que se resiste a cambiar

infoLibre, Spain

23 June 2022

El jefe de los agricultores europeos: “No se pueden prohibir los pesticidas si no hay una solución alternativa”
El jefe de los agricultores europeos: “No se pueden prohibir los pesticidas si no hay una solución alternativa”

infoLibre, Spain

23 June 2022

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23 June 2022

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Onet, Poland

23 June 2022

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Dagsavisen, Norway

23 June 2022

Halálos csapda: kiirtjuk az élővilágot, hogy legyen mit ennünk
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Telex, Hungary

23 June 2022

Wie Lobbys und rechte Politiker die Reduktion von Pestiziden behindern
Wie Lobbys und rechte Politiker die Reduktion von Pestiziden behindern

Der Tagesspiegel, Germany

23 June 2022

Pesticidas: hay una guerra abierta en Europa por un peligro invisible
Pesticidas: hay una guerra abierta en Europa por un peligro invisible

infoLibre, Spain

23 June 2022

Sjefen for EUs grønne skifte: «Gjør vi ikke noe nå, risikerer vi matkrise i Europa»
Sjefen for EUs grønne skifte: «Gjør vi ikke noe nå, risikerer vi matkrise i Europa»

Dagsavisen, Norway

22 June 2022

Pesticidi, a Bruxelles è già battaglia: Italia&C. contro la riforma
Pesticidi, a Bruxelles è già battaglia: Italia&C. contro la riforma

Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy

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Φρανς Τίμερμανς, Αντιπρόεδρος Κομισιόν: «Η επισιτιστική κρίση θα έρθει αν δεν μειώσουμε τα γεωργικά φάρμακα»
Φρανς Τίμερμανς, Αντιπρόεδρος Κομισιόν: «Η επισιτιστική κρίση θα έρθει αν δεν μειώσουμε τα γεωργικά φάρμακα»

Reporters United, Greece

20 June 2022

„Ohne Pestizidreduktion droht eine Nahrungskrise“
„Ohne Pestizidreduktion droht eine Nahrungskrise“

Der Tagesspiegel, Germany

20 June 2022

Frans Timmermans: “Sem redução de pesticidas teremos uma crise alimentar na Europa”
Frans Timmermans: “Sem redução de pesticidas teremos uma crise alimentar na Europa”

Público, Portugal

20 June 2022

EU vil kutte plantevernmidler, men møter en låvevegg av motstand
EU vil kutte plantevernmidler, men møter en låvevegg av motstand

Dagsavisen, Norway

20 June 2022

‘Without pesticide reduction, we’ll have a food crisis in Europe’
‘Without pesticide reduction, we’ll have a food crisis in Europe’

EUobserver, Belgium

20 June 2022

Frans Timmermans: “Si no se reducen los plaguicidas, tendremos una crisis alimentaria en Europa”
Frans Timmermans: “Si no se reducen los plaguicidas, tendremos una crisis alimentaria en Europa”

infoLibre, Spain

20 June 2022

Pesticidi, Frans Timmermans: “Non usiamo la guerra in Ucraina come alibi per tornare al passato”
Pesticidi, Frans Timmermans: “Non usiamo la guerra in Ucraina come alibi per tornare al passato”

Il Fatto Quotidiano, Italy

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