A new report from the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) on glyphosate usage highlights the wide range of non-chemical alternatives to herbicides that are readily available.
It also details that techniques are already widely used by organic farmers and those practising integrated weed management (IWM).
The PAN report also considers the perceived critical need for mainstream farmers and growers to make much wider use of these tools, and the need to expand and improve current non-chemical tools, while also developing novel approaches.
Analysis outlined in the report – using glyphosate-based herbicides as a reference – presents a wide variety of weed management approaches that achieve highly effective weed control without the use of herbicides.
As a result, it is envisaged that large-scale herbicide reduction, as part of the European Union’s (EU’s) effort towards pesticide use reduction targets, can be achieved.
However, the point is also clearly stated in the latest PAN report that while this is technically feasible, it is already in play but that “mainstreaming” of these approaches is needed.
According to the report, the vast majority of weeds do not harm the yield of food-producing crops. In fact these other plants (aliae plantae) should not be defined as weeds at all.
Agro ecosystems
Instead they should be viewed as being beneficial to agro ecosystems and food security and not systematically destroying them would prevent waste of money and resources and in turn help reverse the biodiversity crash.
The PAN report calls on the EU and specific member states to put a new funding stream in place to support farmers to transition away from to new production regimes.
The document specifically outlines that current advisory services for farmers would have to be fundamentally changed.
According to the report the droughts Europe experienced in 2022 confirm that multispecies’ systems are the most resilient and that the only remaining green in pasturelands was weed cover.
Alternatives to the use of glyphosate
It also puts forward that with a new definition of what is a weed and by relaxing the zero tolerance – everything-must-die approach – it is envisaged that a new and sustainable future for EU farming can be generated.
Such a scenario could represent a win:win for farmer autonomy and bringing an end to the days of input dependency.
The report points out that a greater focus on IPM-driven production systems will turn around the biodiversity crash.
It also highlights that such an approach will climate-proof agro-ecosystem and secure food security into the future.
A key message contained in the PAN Europe suggests that sticking with the status quo – for example continuing to use glyphosate – is not an option and that opposing the EU’s Green Deal and pesticide reduction goals could be a recipe for disaster and future hunger.