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NGOs and scientists step up mobilisation as EU pesticide debate enters a decisive phase

Sep 22
4 min read

Updated: Oct 1

Language Note: this article was originally written in English. Automated translations may contain inaccuracies. For precise information, please refer to the English text. We appreciate your patience.


The debate over the European Commission’s Food and Feed Safety Omnibus is entering a crucial phase. As the European Parliament prepares to consider the proposal, environmental organisations, scientists, farmers and civil society groups across Europe are stepping up their mobilisation, calling for stronger safeguards for health, biodiversity and food systems.

The European Commission presented the proposal as a simplification exercise to reduce administrative burdens while maintaining high standards of food and feed safety, human and animal health, and environmental protection.

However, critics argue that some proposed changes could weaken important safeguards in pesticide legislation, including the way pesticides are reassessed and how the latest scientific evidence is taken into account.

For BeeLife and many civil society organisations, the priority questions are: 

  • Is this the right direction to simplify pesticide authorisations? 

  • What are the pros and cons of making procedures more uniform across Member States?

  • Can simplification move forward without weakening the protections on which people, farmers, pollinators and the entire ecosystem depend?





A key moment in the legislative process


The European Parliament is currently examining the proposed amendments to the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus (Omnibus X) with a view to reaching a compromise through its ENVI and AGRI committees. Their joint vote was scheduled for 5 October, but following the cancellation of a first negotiating meeting and the postponement of the one planned for 28 September, discussions have stalled.

Meanwhile, on 30 September 2026 the Council of the EU agreed its negotiating position (mandate) on the remaining part of the Omnibus X package, setting out its stance on simplified procedures, extended authorisation periods for plant protection products and biocides, and stricter rules for pesticide residues in imports, including a “technical zero” approach for substances posing risks to bees and groundwater. The Council’s press release is available here:https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2026/09/30/council-agrees-negotiating-stance-to-simplify-and-streamline-food-and-feed-safety-requirements/

This means that the coming weeks will be important for shaping the final direction of the legislation. Against this background, BeeLife has written to the ENVI and AGRI committees, calling for a full, science-based and balanced debate and for independent expertise on pesticide impacts to be properly represented. Read the full BeeLife letter to the European Parliament



Mobilisation is spreading across Europe


The debate is not confined to Brussels.

Civil society organisations are organising actions and public mobilisation in several European countries. France was among the first to mobilise, with demonstrations and public initiatives on 10 and 11 September as part of a broader European effort to draw attention to the potential consequences of the proposed changes.

Similar initiatives are emerging across Europe, bringing together environmental organisations, farmers, health professionals, scientists and citizens around a common concern: that regulatory simplification should not come at the expense of health and environmental protection.



Scientists call for a pause


The mobilisation is also gaining support from the scientific community.

More than 500 scientists, practitioners and public health and environmental officials have signed a letter addressed to the European Parliament and the Council, raising concerns about the speed of the legislative process.


The letter, submitted by Professor Martina Vijver of Leiden University and co-signed by 573 other scientists, calls for a pause in the political debate until a thorough and independent assessment of the proposal’s potential health, environmental and administrative impacts has been carried out.


The signatories argue that a reform of this scale would normally require a detailed assessment of its consequences before lawmakers take a final decision.

This call comes alongside other scientific concerns already raised during the parliamentary debate. In September, Professor Vijver was the only independent scientist addressing environmental toxicity and pesticide impacts during a joint public ENVI–AGRI hearing on the proposal in the European Parliament.



Why this matters for pollinators


For BeeLife, pesticide regulation cannot be considered separately from pollinator health and the ecosystems that depend on them.


Bees and other pollinators face multiple pressures, including exposure to a cocktail of pesticides and declining habitat quality. Changes to the regulatory framework can therefore have consequences that extend beyond individual pesticide authorisations, affecting biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and the sustainability of agriculture.


The concern is not simply about maintaining existing rules for their own sake. It is about ensuring that decisions affecting health and the environment remain based on science, independent assessment and adequate safeguards measures.



Staying informed matters

As the legislative process moves forward, understanding what is at stake will become increasingly important for everyone involved in agriculture, beekeeping, environmental protection and food systems.

BeeLife and PAN Europe are working together on a webinar to explain the political landscape around the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus, the next steps in the legislative process and what they could mean for pesticide regulation, pollinators and agriculture. We'll share more information about the webinar soon.



👉 Follow BeeLife for updates and discover the campaigns and resources available to stay informed and take action.



 
 
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