During the third week of November, the European Parliament rejected an E.U. Commission proposal to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides.  Effectively, this vote is a rejection of organic farming as an approach to satisfy food requirements for E.U. domestic consumption and for export.  Opponents of pesticides and herbicides have failed to convince legislators that adequate quantities of food would be produced applying organic principles and at an acceptable cost. 

Predictably, the 299 to 207 rejection of the Commission proposal by the European Parliament elicited condemnation by environmental activists.  A spokesperson for one organization stated, “the majority in the Parliament has decided to side with the agro-industry and its allies who have lobbied against this proposal over the past two years, ignoring the consensus for the need to transform our current foods system”.  Proponents of organic agriculture involving crop rotation and questionably inefficient biocontrol note that synthetic pesticides represent a significant burden on the health of citizens of Europe and are responsible for pollution of rivers and the disappearance of birds and insects. 

The decision by the European Parliament closely follows the ten-year extension for glyphosate as a herbicide albeit with specific restrictions to protect non-target species.