Agri MEPs vote against pesticide ban on EFAs

Environmental groups have hit out at attempts to allow pesticide use on land set aside for nature conservation under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
 

The Commission had proposed to ban the use of pesticides on so-called “ecological focus areas”, parcels of land for which farmers receive EU subsidies.
 

But agriculture MEPs voted against the ban last week, a move previously supported by Ireland and 17 other EU member states.
 

The decision will be put to all MEPs in a vote next week.
 

The news came the same week MEPs from Parliament’s Green group filed a case with the EU’s top court demanding access to studies used to assess the safety of the controversial herbicide, glyphosate.