Towards a bee-friendly agriculture for a healthy environment! Pesticide Action Network (PAN) was founded in 1982 and is a network of over 600 non-governmental organisations, institutions and individuals in over 60 countries worldwide working to minimise the negative effects of hazardous pesticides and to replace their use with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives. Its projects and campaigns are coordinated by five autonomous Regional Centres. PAN Europe is the regional centre in Europe. It was founded in 1987 and brings together 38 consumer, public health, and environmental organisations, trades unions, women’s groups and farmer associations from across Europe. They work to eliminate dependency on chemical pesticides and to support safe sustainable pest control methods. PAN Europe is committed to bringing about a substantial reduction in pesticide use throughout Europe. Pesticide (including biocides) reduction is a prerequisite for improvements of public and workers’ health, protection of the environment, and its strict implementation is in line with the precautionary principle. PAN Europe’s vision is of a world in which high agricultural productivity is achieved by truly sustainable agricultural production systems in which agrochemical inputs and environmental damage are minimised, and where local people control local production using local varieties. PAN Europe’s vision is of a world in which agricultural productivity is achieved by truly sustainable agricultural production systems in which agrochemical inputs and environmental damage are minimised, and where local people control local production using local varieties. PAN Europe strives to eliminate hazardous pesticides in Europe, reduce dependency on pesticides, and promote ecologically sound alternatives to chemical pest control. In order to achieve this vision, PAN Europe carries out advocacy, policy analysis, networking and campaigning activities on pesticides. It serves as the focal point for NGO advocacy and public participation in EU pesticide policy and work closely with representatives of the European Parliament, the Commission, and the Council to engage key decision-makers in reducing the use of hazardous pesticides. Our initiatives also include working with farmers, scientists, academics, retailers and trades unions. Because developments in agriculture, human health and the environment are often complex, the availability of up-to-date scientific information is paramount. To meet this demand, PAN Europe commission’s regular reports focussing on key aspects of the debate. These are essential in informing a diversity of external stakeholders on change. The more people know about hazardous pesticides, the more people understand the need for action. That’s why PAN Europe works to engage a wider audience on the presence of hazardous pesticides in our food, water systems, soil and air. PAN Europe prepares and disseminates regular information briefings on specific policy topics and issues press releases on a wide range of pesticide related issues. PAN Europe regularly provides informed comments to journalists writing on pesticides issues. PAN Europe – Save the Bees and Farmers – They are coming together from across the whole European Union to call for a bee-friendly agriculture to the benefit of farmers, health and the environment!

With the European Citizens’ Initiative, they call on the European Commission to support an agricultural model that allows farmers and biodiversity to thrive in harmony. To protect bees and people’s health, they call on the Commission to propose legal acts to phase out synthetic pesticides by 2035, to restore biodiversity, and to support farmers in the transition. Main objectives include phasing out synthetic pesticides in EU agriculture by 80% by 2030, starting with the most hazardous, to become free of synthetic pesticides; restore natural ecosystems in agricultural areas so that farming becomes a vector of biodiversity recovery; reforming agriculture by prioritising small scale, diverse and sustainable farming, supporting a rapid increase in agro-ecological and organic practice, and enabling independent farmer-based training and research into pesticide-and GMO-free farming.