Copa Cogeca’s Lobbying Undermines EU Pesticide Reform

Internal documents reveal that Copa Cogeca, the EU farming lobby claiming to represent 22 million farmers, orchestrated a multi-year campaign that delayed, weakened and ultimately caused the withdrawal of the EU’s Sustainable Use of Pesticides regulation – a flagship Green Deal measure intended to cut pesticide use by 50 percent. The lobby’s strategy, outlined in a September 2022 memo, explicitly linked the timing of delays to the 2024 European Parliament elections and called for forcing the European Commission to abandon its objectives.

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide ReformsThe GuardianEU Observer

The Green Deal, launched in 2020, set ambitious targets to protect biodiversity and public health by halving pesticide applications. Early 2021, Copa Cogeca’s secretary-general Pekka Pesonen directed members to defend controversial animal products “in the same way as tobacco” and to protect bee-harmful pesticides and glyphosate, which the WHO’s IARC classifies as a probable carcinogen.

The Guardian

• Pekka Pesonen – former secretary-general of Copa Cogeca, author of the 2022 delay-tactic memo.

The Guardian

• Delara Burkhardt – German MEP, environment committee, critic of the lobby’s agenda.

The Guardian

• Marco Contiero – agriculture policy director, Greenpeace EU, highlighted the lobby’s protection of a small, highly polluting operator group.

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• Thomas Waitz – Austrian Green MEP, agriculture committee, condemned the sabotage of pesticide regulation.

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• Copa Cogeca – lobbying federation for European farmers, partnered with pesticide-industry group Croplife EU.

EU ObserverThe GuardianLeaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• Target: halve EU pesticide use to safeguard biodiversity.

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• Regulation withdrawn: February 2024, weeks before the 2024 elections.

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• Estimated loss of health benefits from weakened farm-size thresholds: €1.8 billion per year.

The Guardian

• Dust samples from conventional farms contained an average of 80 different pesticides, far exceeding levels in organic-farm homes (EU-funded SPRINT project).

EU Observer

The European Commission stated its decisions are taken “on Europe’s terms, under Europe’s rules, and in the European interest.” A Commission spokesperson confirmed the Food and Feed Omnibus proposal would remove periodic safety reassessments for pesticides already on the market, arguing the move reflects the “needs of farmers.” Copa Cogeca declined to comment when approached for a response.

The Guardian

Environmental lawmakers argue the lobby serves large agro-chemical multinationals rather than small-scale farmers. Delara Burkhardt warned, “Big agri’s interest is not in simplifying the green deal. It wants to dismantle it.” Marco Contiero said Copa Cogeca “chose to shield a small group of highly industrialised operators responsible for a disproportionate share of pollution.” Thomas Waitz accused the group of “sabotaging, delaying and ultimately killing the Sustainable Use of Pesticides regulation.”

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• “The European parliament elections are in 2024. Perhaps it is worth delaying until then. We must force the [European] Commission to abandon its objectives.” — Pekka Pesonen, internal memo, September 2022

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

• “Pressurise permanent representations to support” glyphosate’s licence renewal. — Copa Cogeca secretariat, internal directive, 2022

The Guardian

• “If meat is treated in this way there, it will spread to other policies as well.” — Copa Cogeca officials, meeting minutes, January 2022

The Guardian

• “Lobbying has borne fruit.” — Copa Cogeca internal assessment, 2023

The Guardian

• “Big agri’s interest is not in simplifying the green deal,” — Delara Burkhardt, German MEP, environment committee

The Guardian

• “Copa Cogeca focused on sabotaging, delaying and ultimately killing the Sustainable Use of Pesticides regulation. They are acting in the interest of large agrichemical multinationals and against the wellbeing of small and medium farmers.” — Thomas Waitz, Austrian Green MEP

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

Sources differ on the projected health-benefit loss: the Guardian analysis cites €1.8 billion per year, while EU-Observer does not quantify the impact. No public data confirm whether the proposed removal of safety reassessments will be adopted after the 2024 elections, leaving the final regulatory outcome uncertain.

Leaked Documents Expose How EU Farming Lobby Sabotaged Radical Pesticide Reforms

The European Parliament faces a deadline this week to propose amendments to the Food and Feed Omnibus proposal. The outcome will determine whether periodic pesticide safety reassessments are retained or eliminated, shaping the EU’s ability to respond to new scientific evidence on pesticide risks.

EU Observer