European citizens are "highly concerned" about the use of pesticides and their effect on health and the environment, according to the results of an opinion poll released today (Thursday, October 5) by Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe.

The survey was conducted by the European Public Affairs team for countries: Denmark; France; Germany; Poland; Romania; and Spain.

It showed that as many as 81.8% of respondents are concerned about the environmental impact of pesticide use.

A total of 77.7% of respondents agree that the use of pesticides is harming the environment, with the highest agreement in France (82.5%) and Poland (80.3%). 

The participants in the survey expressed a "strong preference" for a precautionary approach, instead.

Three in five respondents agree that farmers should always use methods of preventing or controlling pests and diseases that carry the least risks for human health and the environment or else lose access to EU financial support.

A total of 73.2% of respondents are in favour of making Integrated Pest Management rules (IPM) mandatory for farmers in the EU. 

The majority of respondents (61.9%) believe that glyphosate should be banned in the EU.

Based on survey findings, the report recommends policymakers to:

Apply the precautionary principle, as requested by EU law;
Preserve and strengthen the key provisions of the proposed Sustainable Use Regulation of Plant Protection Products, including binding provisions on IPM and crop-specific rules;
Protect sensitive areas by buffer zones made as wide as possible;
Address current gaps in EU pesticide authorisation.

Respondents in Poland (80.4%) and Romania (84.1%) expressed the highest level of concern about the health impact of pesticides, while those in Denmark (62%) and Germany (69.8%) showed a lower level. 

Executive director of PAN Europe, Dr. Martin Dermine said: “These results are a clear call to policymakers to reduce pesticide use and to be much stricter in authorising pesticides."