Officials have failed to block a single pesticide under EU laws supposed to protect crashing insect populations, according to an independent review published today. Over more than two decades, officials in Brussels sidestepped the law and authorised dozens of pesticide compounds by following guidelines written with the help of major agrochemical firms, the review by the Pesticide Action Network Europe found. Read the full press release here.
This was a strong investigation that combined ingrained corruption causing ecosystem collapse with freshly obtained internal documents showing that worse is to come. But with so much to cover and with COP29 a major distraction, the report got less attention than it deserves, even when distilled down into a relatively simple takeaway line. The best way to overcome this is to have materials finished really early and allow plenty of time for media pitching. Despite the headwinds, excellent reporters at Die Presse, VIF, El Pais, De Standaard and elsewhere did great work and editors placed the story prominently.
