Unsurprisingly, in 2022, we witnessed the agribusiness lobby cynically use the invasion of Ukraine to try to derail significant steps towards sustainable farming at scale – for instance on pesticide reduction. We continued to campaign for a just and sustainable food system free from corporate capture, and based on food sovereignty, where production and distribution are radically localised and co-operative.

“Instead of expecting solutions from profit-driven polluters we need to redistribute the power in the food chain, reduce the number of industrially bred animals on the planet, strengthen local markets and incentivise a transition to food sovereignty”
Annelies Schorpion food, agriculture and biodiversity coordinator commented in Forbes on the solutions we need
© FoE Europe / Laure Geerts

More than 1 million Europeans say “Save Bees and Farmers!”

1 054 973 people signed the European Citizens Initiative Save Bees And Farmers, calling for an end to synthetic pesticides in agriculture, the restoration of nature and biodiversity, and support for farmers to switch to agroecology. The signatures pushed the European Commission to present the first legally binding pesticide reduction proposal, the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), calling for a 50% reduction in pesticide use. We have kept building pressure to make sure a strong SUR will be adopted.

“The evidence is staggering; the current food system based on the heavy use of poisonous chemicals is gravely failing farmers and consumers and feeding biodiversity collapse. The EU needs to stop shutting its eyes to the agribusinesses’ increasingly toxic trade and listen to its citizens instead.”
Clara Bourgin food, agriculture and nature campaigner in The Guardian
© Christopher Glanzl / GLOBAL 2000

Keep new GMOs strictly regulated

Together with more than 50 other organisations we hammered home the dangers of the planned deregulation of new genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Our petition to keep them safety-checked and labelled ran in 18 countries and collected 420,000 signatures in just a few months. Events, webinars and calls on decision makers shaped the debate about the benefits of GMO regulation. We explained that new GMOs are not a solution to fight the climate crisis and reduce pesticide use – they will only increase the power of agribusiness.

“There is no reason to deregulate gene editing. It is a new technology developed in the last 10 years. We don’t know how it might impact on nature, on agriculture and how the consumer interest will be affected.”
Mute Schimpf food and farming campaigner in Financial Times
Action in Pl. du Luxembourg, Brussels © POLLINIS

Our Campaigns

Corporate power

Food & Farming

Resource justice

Climate Justice

Solidarity Work

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