IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/fan/ecaqec/vhtml10.3280-ecag2025oa18762.html

Reconsidering EU Pesticide Policy to Address Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Francesco Zecca
  • Livia Romani

Abstract

In January 2024, widespread farmer protests across Europe exposed growing tensions between the socioeconomic realities of agricultural production and environmental policy ambitions. Among the most contested issues, pesticide use emerged as a critical friction point, symbolizing broader dilemmas at the intersection of environmental sustainability, food security, and farmers? livelihoods. In response, the European Commission launched the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, a participatory platform aimed at fostering consensus among diverse stakeholders and redefining the direction of EU agricultural policy. This paper explores the Strategic Dialogue?s contribution to shaping EU pesticide policy through a qualitative content analysis of its final report, triangulated with official stakeholder statements and EU policy documents. Focusing on the discourse on pesticide reliance reduction, sustainability trade-offs, and policy implementation challenges, the analysis applies a deductive-inductive coding framework to investigate the Dialogue?s effectiveness in promoting deliberative governance and how the competing priorities were negotiated within the participatory process. The findings indicate broad stakeholder support for synthetic pesticide use reduction and restoring ecological balance, alongside recognition of the knowledgebased, structural, and economic barriers that hinder the transition. The report advocates a phased reduction strategy, supported by targeted financial support for small-scale farms and an increased investment in sustainable alternatives such as biocontrol and Integrated Pest Management. Furthermore, the analysis underscores the importance of ensuring balanced stakeholder representation and addressing power asymmetries in participatory policymaking. The paper contributes to understanding the potential of the Strategic Dialogue?s initiative to generate cooperative responses to complex agrienvironmental challenges by situating pesticide policy within the wider framework of deliberative sustainability governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesco Zecca & Livia Romani, 2025. "Reconsidering EU Pesticide Policy to Address Sustainability," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2025(2), pages 225-245.
    • Handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2025oa18762
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/Scheda_Rivista.aspx?IDArticolo=78362&Tipo=ArticoloPDF
    Download Restriction: Single articles can be downloaded buying download credits, for info: https://www.francoangeli.it/DownloadCredit
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Muyesaier Tudi & Huada Daniel Ruan & Li Wang & Jia Lyu & Ross Sadler & Des Connell & Cordia Chu & Dung Tri Phung, 2021. "Agriculture Development, Pesticide Application and Its Impact on the Environment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Mack, G. & Finger, R. & Ammann, J. & El Benni, N., 2023. "Modelling policies towards pesticide-free agricultural production systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    3. Newig, Jens & Jager, Nicolas W. & Challies, Edward & Kochskämper, Elisa, 2023. "Does stakeholder participation improve environmental governance? Evidence from a meta-analysis of 305 case studies," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 82.
    4. Matthews Alan, 2024. "Farmer Protests and the 2024 European Parliament Elections," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Sciendo, vol. 59(2), pages 83-87, March.
    5. Boix-Fayos, Carolina & de Vente, Joris, 2023. "Challenges and potential pathways towards sustainable agriculture within the European Green Deal," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    6. Chèze, Benoît & David, Maia & Martinet, Vincent, 2020. "Understanding farmers' reluctance to reduce pesticide use: A choice experiment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    7. Bakker, L. & Sok, J. & van der Werf, W. & Bianchi, F.J.J.A., 2021. "Kicking the Habit: What Makes and Breaks Farmers' Intentions to Reduce Pesticide Use?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Finger, Robert & Sok, Jaap & Ahovi, Emmanuel & Akter, Sharmin & Bremmer, Johan & Dachbrodt-Saaydeh, Silke & de Lauwere, Carolien & Kreft, Cordelia & Kudsk, Per & Lambarraa-Lehnhardt, Fatima & McCallum, 2024. "Towards sustainable crop protection in agriculture: A framework for research and policy," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    2. Mwambi, Mercy & Depenbusch, Lutz & Bonnarith, Uon & Sotelo-Cardona, Paola & Kieu, Khemrin & di Tada, Nicolas & Srinivasan, Ramasamy & Schreinemachers, Pepijn, 2023. "Can phone text messages promote the use of integrated pest management? A study of vegetable farmers in Cambodia," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    3. Hongpeng Guo & Fanhui Sun & Chulin Pan & Baiming Yang & Yin Li, 2021. "The Deviation of the Behaviors of Rice Farmers from Their Stated Willingness to Apply Biopesticides—A Study Carried Out in Jilin Province of China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-17, June.
    4. Cornée, Simon & Rousselière, Damien & Thelen, Véronique, 2025. "The environmental benefits of grassroots cooperatives in agriculture," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    5. Arsene Mushagalusa Balasha & Aganze Mulume Dominique & Weremubi Mwisha Sage & Sharufa Mukonde Shadya & Janvier Zirhumana Mugisho, 2023. "Pesticide Choice and Use Patterns Among Vegetable Farmers on Idjwi Island, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    6. Zachmann, Lucca & Christen, Lionel & Finger, Robert, 2025. "Location matters: A geospatial analysis of fungus-resistant grapes in Switzerland," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    7. Jérôme Faure & Sabrina Gaba & Jean-Luc Gautier & Antonin Leluc & Vincent Bretagnolle, 2025. "Economic viability of reduced agricultural inputs in farmer-co-designed large-scale experimental trials in western France," Post-Print hal-05364219, HAL.
    8. Meunier, Clémentine & Martin, Guillaume & Barnaud, Cécile & Ryschawy, Julie, 2024. "Bucking the trend: Crop farmers' motivations for reintegrating livestock," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    9. Weituschat, Chiara Sophia & Pascucci, Stefano & Materia, Valentina Cristiana & Caracciolo, Francesco, 2023. "Can contract farming support sustainable intensification in agri-food value chains?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    10. Eileen Ziehmann & Niklas Möhring & Robert Finger, 2024. "Economics of herbicide‐free crop production," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 46(4), pages 1692-1716, December.
    11. Fabian Klebl & Peter H. Feindt & Annette Piorr, 2024. "Farmers’ behavioural determinants of on-farm biodiversity management in Europe: a systematic review," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(2), pages 831-861, June.
    12. Chiaverina, Pierre & Drogué, Sophie & Jacquet, Florence, 2024. "Do Farmers Participating in Short Food Supply Chains Use Less Pesticides? Evidence from France," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    13. Do, Huu-Luat & Cherry, Todd L., 2025. "Ghost fishing and the voluntary adoption of biodegradable gear," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    14. Marianne Lefebvre & Laure Latruffe & Maxime Colin & Adeline Alonso Ugaglia & Julie Borg & Yann Desjeux & Gaëlle Leduc & Aurélien Milliat & Laure Perchepied & Yann Raineau, 2026. "Criteria for Choosing Crop Protection Strategies: Comparative Perspectives from Farmers, Advisors, and Researchers," Post-Print hal-05426595, HAL.
    15. Ma, Wanglin & Zheng, Hongyun & Nnaji, Amaka, 2023. "Cooperative membership and adoption of green pest control practices: Insights from rice farmers," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 67(03), April.
    16. Bjørnåvold, Amalie & David, Maia & Bohan, David A. & Gibert, Caroline & Rousselle, Jean-Marc & Van Passel, Steven, 2022. "Why does France not meet its pesticide reduction targets? Farmers' socio-economic trade-offs when adopting agro-ecological practices," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    17. Canessa, Carolin & Venus, Terese E. & Wiesmeier, Miriam & Mennig, Philipp & Sauer, Johannes, 2023. "Incentives, Rewards or Both in Payments for Ecosystem Services: Drawing a Link Between Farmers' Preferences and Biodiversity Levels," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    18. Min Chen & Jie Zhang & Hongtao Wang & Lingyun Li & Meizhen Yin & Jie Shen & Shuo Yan & Baoyou Liu, 2024. "Preparation of Nanoscale Indoxacarb by Using Star Polymer for Efficiency Pest Management," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, June.
    19. Ke Liu & Zhenhong Qi & Li Tan & Caiyan Yang & Canwei Hu, 2023. "Mixed Use of Chemical Pesticides and Biopesticides among Rice–Crayfish Integrated System Farmers in China: A Multivariate Probit Approach," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, August.
    20. Tianheng Jiang & Maomao Wang & Wei Zhang & Cheng Zhu & Feijuan Wang, 2024. "A Comprehensive Analysis of Agricultural Non-Point Source Pollution in China: Current Status, Risk Assessment and Management Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:fan:ecaqec:v:html10.3280/ecag2025oa18762. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Stefania Rosato (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.francoangeli.it/riviste/sommario.aspx?IDRivista=214 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.