The Brussels Lobbying Alliance Betraying Europe’s Farmers

The partnership targets MEPs with a clear objective: weakening the EU’s pesticide authorization framework. This push comes despite mounting scientific evidence linking chemical exposure to severe health outcomes, including Parkinson’s disease. In France, Italy, and Germany, authorities have already recognized Parkinson’s as an occupational illness for agricultural workers, yet the legislative trend in Brussels seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

At the heart of this controversy is the EU Commission’s Food and Feed Omnibus proposal, which threatens to eliminate renewal assessments for pesticides. These re-evaluations serve as critical safety gates where new scientific data on toxicity can be integrated. Instead of strengthening these protocols, MEP Herbert Dorfmann has introduced amendments that the Commission itself acknowledges would lower current health protections.

Beyond health risks, the pesticide lobby consistently undermines the economic stability of farmers. While Croplife EU—representing giants like Bayer and Syngenta—actively lobbied for the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, farmers have spent months protesting the unfair competition these deals create. By acting as a shield for industry interests, Copa-Cogeca is effectively sacrificing the long-term well-being of the very people it claims to represent, prioritizing corporate market access over the fundamental safety of those working the land.