Press release
German state sued over absence of key pesticides law, as insect numbers drop
20 September 2024
Environmental lawyers ClientEarth have launched legal action to push the German government to put in place a vital EU law to limit pesticides in farming – a move which is already 13 years late.
The failure to implement the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (SUD) in national law, the non-profit organisation says, is putting people’s health, nature and the future of food production in “avoidable jeopardy”.
The move comes as alarming new research has found dropping insect counts are having an impact on crop yields worldwide – and further evidence about pesticides’ toxicity to humans emerges.
Germany’s flying insect populations dropped by 76% between 1989 and 2014.
The legal case has been filed at the Higher Administrative court of Berlin-Brandenburg, against the German government and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
ClientEarth lawyer Dr. Jennifer Seyderhelm said: “Pesticides are insect-killing chemicals: they’re designed to wipe out insect life. But this endangers the very ecosystems we rely on to secure a stable food supply. That’s why the intensive use of pesticides cannot continue, and we need laws to help manage a transition away from this approach.”
Pesticides have been under scrutiny for decades over their health impacts beyond the field. Further research on the extent of those impacts on people, and on nature, is continually emerging. This month, a groundbreaking study showed that increased use of pesticides in the US directly correlated with a surge in infant mortality; and links have newly been drawn between on-the-job use of pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease, adding to known links with cancer and respiratory disease.
However, Europeans broadly do not know to what extent they are being exposed to these dangerous chemicals because of major gaps in data on their use.
What is clear is that Germany is one of the most intensive users of pesticides in the EU, with sales consistently high. In recent years, pesticide use has got higher, despite the land mass used for cultivation decreasing. That means pesticides are being used more intensively over less surface area.
Insects are central to an environment in which it’s possible to grow food. Pollination is the most obvious service, essential for most crops. But insects and other soil-level wildlife threatened by pesticides are also the creators of quality soil – soil that’s capable of growing nutritious food, resisting erosion and drought, and locking away carbon. Meanwhile, food chains also hinge on diverse and healthy insect populations.
Alternatives to pesticides exist, are widely available, and are being used to great effect by many. One of those alternatives is ‘integrated pest management’, which uses an ecosystem-based approach of natural predators, with chemical intervention only as a last resort.
Dr. Seyderhelm said: “We all want the same thing here – to guarantee a future for food and farming. Right now, unchecked use of pesticides is undermining that future. This law is designed to protect farmers. Germany urgently needs to support the people who grow the nation’s food, and put it into action.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
What is the SUD?
The Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (SUD) is designed to reduce the use pesticides in farming across the EU, to protect ecosystems, farmers, EU citizens and consumers, and the future of farming itself.
The law follows the principle “as much as necessary, as little as possible” – so pesticides should only be used when other, safer options are exhausted. One of its core provisions is about Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which prioritise natural predators and ecosystem-friendly solutions, with chemicals as a last resort.
The SUD should have been in force in Member States by 2011. But implementation of the Directive remains poor across the EU.
Health news on pesticides
A groundbreaking study has just showed that when farmers increased their use of pesticides (specifically after a disease reduced the population of bats that normally policed insect numbers), there was a noticeable surge in infant mortality in surrounding areas.
This complements existing research on elevated cancer risk in children who live in industrial agricultural areas.
Occupation health risks are high for farmers using pesticides, even using protective equipment – pesticides are designed to penetrate plant and animal cells and have an “exceptional” ability to do so. Cases of young farmers developing rare cancers are reported.
Pesticides and nature
Both pesticides and herbicides have devastating impacts on the target populations, and other soil fauna. A study revealed significant detrimental effects on soil fauna diversity across a range of functional groups, including when pesticides were used at their recommended application rates. Pesticides also affect water quality and reduce biodiversity in aquatic environments.
Scientists from the Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants (also known as the Julius Kühn Institute) found that the biodiversity of wildflowers in Germany is reduced by 97% if the field in question is farmed conventionally using herbicides.
Pesticides and the law
ClientEarth teamed up with Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe this year to start legal action against the European Commission, after it relied heavily on industry data to re-approve renowned weedkiller glyphosate for market.
Brussels is set to ban synthetic pesticides by 2030.
Further resources
More information can be found in the Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s ‘Pesticide Atlas’ and via the European Environment Agency.
About ClientEarth
ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account, and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. From our offices in Europe, Asia and the USA we shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.