Massive pesticide violations in Salzburg: Greens demand quick action!

Massive pesticide violations in Salzburg: Greens demand quick action!

In the past few weeks, the problem about the use of pesticides in Salzburg has hit high waves. During the on-site controls of the Federal Environmental Office, worrying results were found: Around 25% of the controls showed violations of applicable regulations. This not only causes discussions in politics, but also employs the population, which is increasingly concerned about their health. The Salzburg Greens demand clear measures to protect the residents, while the state parliament also puts the problem on the agenda. Sn.at reports that…

The focus is particularly on the results of the controls in Wals-Siezenheim and St. Koloman, where numerous, sometimes even forbidden substances have been identified. This situation is vehemently criticized by Martina Berthold, the club chairwoman of the Greens. She sees the environmental councilor Marlene Svazek (FPÖ) as the responsibility and calls for a quick action instead of excuses on the federal government. "Responsibility must finally be taken over here," says Berthold.

EU plans for reducing pesticides

However, the topic goes beyond the borders of Salzburg. At European level, there are efforts to reduce the use of pesticide by 50% by 2030. This initiative is driven as part of the * sustainable use regulation (SUR) *, which was coordinated on October 24, 2023 in the environmental committee of the EU Parliament. UBA President Dirk Messner emphasizes the importance of this regulation for the preservation of biodiversity. However, there are critical voices on the measurement methodology, the Harmonized Risk Indicator (HRI), which is unsuitable from the perspective of the Federal Environment Office. It is feared that this indicator incorrectly portrays the use of pesticides, which does not have sufficient effects against species death. Environmental Bundesamt.de explained…

The difficulties in the evaluation of the pesticide use can also be seen in the considerations of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030. Here, the EU demands that at least 30% of the land and sea areas are protected and 10% of these areas should remain largely untouched. Only with such measures can the decline in pollinators, which represents a serious threat to biological diversity and food security, are really effectively combated. Europarl.europa.eu emphasizes that…

measures for a sustainable future

The Salzburg Greens and other environmental organizations are committed to a radical rethinking process. A bypassing the pesticide strategies at local and regional level is required in order to ensure ecologically sustainable agriculture and lifestyle in the long term. There is a lot of the implementation and the will of the decision -makers to set the course correctly.

summarized the pressure on politics and agriculture is noticeably increasing in order to finally ensure clear, transparent and, above all, effective measures to reduce the use of pesticide. This is the only way to protect the health of the population and preserve the environment.