Insects are in decline across the world because of industrial farming and heavy pesticide use which are threatening food production, according to the Insect Atlas released today in English by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and Friends of the Earth Europe.
Insects keep the planet's ecological system running, and ensure our food supply - 75% of our most important crops depend on pollination by insects. Insects also improve soil quality and reduce plant pests by decomposing manure and dead plant matter.
The Insect Atlas shows that insect species and pollinators are in severe decline because of pesticide-dependent industrial farming. It reveals that:
- 41% of insect species are in decline, and one-third of all insect species are threatened with extinction.
- Pollinators, which contribute directly to around one-third of global food production, are under threat: at least one in ten bee and butterfly species in Europe is threatened with extinction.
- Pesticide use has risen five-fold since 1950, with over 4 million tonnes sprayed on fields worldwide every year. Two-thirds of the pesticides market is dominated by four companies: BASF, Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva.
- The explosion in factory farming has led to insect-dense areas of land in Argentina and Brazil being cleared for pesticide-heavy soybean plantations. Worldwide, they now cover 123 million hectares – an area 3.5 times the size of Germany.
Barbara Unmüßig, President of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung said: "The global loss of insects is dramatic. Industrial monocultures with energy or fodder plants for our factory farming are driving, in countries such as Brazil or Indonesia, deforestation, monotonous agricultural deserts and the unlimited application of pesticides. In Argentina alone, the use of pesticides has increased tenfold since the 1990s. Pesticides from major chemical companies such as Bayer and BASF, which have long been banned or are no longer licensed inthe EU, continue to be traded globally almost without restriction. As a result, nearly 50 percent of the pesticidesin Kenya and over 30 percent in Brazil are highly toxic tobees. The Mercosur agreement too negotiated a tariff reduction for chemical products, including pesticides. The goal of exporting even more pesticides to the world's most biodiverse regions mocks all national sustainability effort.“
Mute Schimpf, food and farming campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe said: “The evidence is clear: pesticide use is wiping out insect populations and ecosystems around the world, and threatening food production. A handful of corporations control the bulk of pesticide supply, and if left unchecked will continue to use their immense politicali nfluence to lock in a system of industrial farming which will continue to wipe out nature and destroy rural communities."
The Insect Atlas also shows how the EU can support sustainable models of farming which prevent insect collapse and guarantee food production and good livelihoods for farmers and farmworkers. These include:
- Reducing the use of synthetic pesticides by 80% in agriculture by 2030, with a just transition for farmers. [2]
- Radically reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to remove harmful untargeted direct payments, setting aside at least 50% of the CAP budget for environmental, nature and climate objectives and supporting farmers in the transition to agroecology.
- Phasing out farming methods which increase pesticide use,such as growing genetically modified plants.
- Taking urgent actions to achieve the targets suggested in the European Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies to increase organic farming, as well as cutting pesticide and fertilizer use by 2030.
- Reducing the production and consumption of factor-farmed meat and other animal products and supporting plant-based options.
- Cutting the overall EU demand for agro-commodities in order to reduce global deforestation.
Barbara Unmüßig continued: “The Biodiversity Strategy and Farm to Fork initiative are first steps into a sustainable transition of the European agricultural sector. But it is not sufficient - in order to protect insects we not only need good intentions, but very specific and targeted strategies. The CAP has to be reshaped to finally contribute tangibly and decisively to an insect- and climate-friendly agriculture. Just 20 percent of all producers in Europe get 80% of CAP subsidies – this cannot be justified any longer. Large area subsidies from which only a few big farms benefit have to be redirected into supporting small, environmentally and socially viable farming.“
In order to achieve the fundamental shift needed to save insect populations, the European Parliament and Council mustdrastically increase the ambition of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. [3]
The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung and Friends of the Earth Europe are calling for a new law to cut pesticide use by 80% by 2030, as well as other measures to prepare the way towards fairer and greener food systems.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Alvarez, press officer at Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: alvarez@boell.de |+49 30 28534 2022 or+49 160 365 77 222
Mute Schimpf, food and farming campaigner at Friends of theEarth Europe: mute.schimpf@foeeurope.org |+32475 70 34 755
Paul Hallows, communications officer at Friends of the EarthEurope: paul.hallows@foeeurope.org
Notes:
[1] Insect Atlas – facts and figures about friendsand foes in farming:
https://www.boell.de/en/insectatlas
[2] So far, over 350,000 EU citizens have signed the Save Beesand Farmers ECI, which calls on the European Commission to cutpesticide use by 80% by 2030, with a full phase-out by 2035 andsupport for farmers to make the change in a just transition. https://www.savebeesandfarmers.eu/eng
[3] Friends of the Earth Europe - Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies: small steps forward instead of a giant leap http://www.foeeurope.org/farm-fork-biodiversity-strategies-small-steps-giant-leap-200520