Glyphosate can still be sprayed on fields in Germany until December 31, 2023. After that it’s over. The federal government decided on Wednesday with the “insect protection action program”. From January 2024, the environmental toxin may no longer be used. The program also includes measures to curb insect mortality.
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What’s the problem with glyphosate?
Glyphosate is a broad spectrum herbicide and is the most commonly used crop protection product worldwide. According to BUND , glyphosate is used on 40 percent of arable land in Germany.
The crop protection product will destroy any plant it comes into contact with. Only plants that have been genetically modified are resistant to the pesticide. The pesticide also kills all other plants around the field, so insects lose their food and habitat. The insect die-off also endangers small animals that feed on the insects. Another problem is that pollination no longer takes place.
Glyphosate is also suspected of being carcinogenic.
How to prevent insect deaths?
The federal government is planning several measures to curb insect mortality:
- The federal government will invest 100 million euros per year in the promotion of insect protection measures and insect research.
- There should be more green spaces and meadow orchards in which the use of pesticides is restricted or banned altogether.
- Farmers should be promoted for environmentally friendly and insect-friendly agriculture, for example by providing areas for insects.
- Forests should be managed sustainably to create habitats for insects.
- Municipalities are to be supported by the federal government in designing green spaces to be insect-friendly. Plant protection products are also to be dispensed with on state-owned properties from 2020.
- Light pollution from street lamps or building lighting should be reduced in order to attract fewer insects.
