Citizens' initiative wants ban on all synthetic pesticides by 2035

The' Save bees and farmers' petition has been signed by more than 1m European citizens

The latest Citizens' Initiative calls on the commission to propose legal acts to phase out all synthetic pesticides by 2035, to restore biodiversity, and to support farmers in the transition.

EU farmers have only 13 years of pesticide use left if the 1m EU citizens who successfully launched the "Save bees and farmers" petition get their way.

It is the seventh European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) to have collected the required 1m signatures from at least seven member states, forcing the European Commission to propose legislation, take other non-legislative actions, or reject the petition.