Silent Spring (2/3): Pesticide lobby in times of war

While in summer 2022, the EU Commission presented ambitious plans
to reduce pesticide use in Europe, it encounters massive resistance
by the pesticide industry and, very recently, the conservative EPP
group in Parliament. Even in the (re)approval process of
glyphosate, the arguments of the industry seem to impress the
authorities. In a clever way, economic arguments are being
highlighted, following typical public relations playbooks, in order
to prevent binding reduction targets. At the same time,
toxicologists are criticizing that still today – despite the
scandals around glyphosate in the past – authorities are using
studies that do not follow scientific standards and even contradict
OECD guidelines. Is all the progress being nullified due to the war
in Ukraine? A Podcast with: • Nina Holland - Researcher at
Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Brussels, Belgium • Peter
Clausing - Toxicologist at PAN Germany, Brandenburg, Germany •
Siegfried Knasmüller - PhD. Ao. Univ.- Prof. Mag. Dr. Medical
University of Vienna Center for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria •
Silvia Bender - State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Food and
Agriculture (BMEL), Berlin, Germany Shownotes: Many years of
original research; The conducted interviews and original sound
recordings come from Europe (Berlin, Brussels and the region of
Brandenburg). According to the "Farm to Fork Strategy" (as part of
the “European Green Deal"), the EU wants to reduce the use of
pesticides and their toxicity by 50% by 2030. Here is the proposal
from the EU Commission to the Sustainable Use Regulation:
https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides_…
The study by Viennese gene toxicologists examining the methodology
of the industrial studies (in German):
https://www.global2000.at/sites/global/files/Analyse-Glyphosat-Studien
  This podcast is an English adaptation of the German podcast
series "Stummer Frühling" published in December 2022.