Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1467738
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 MAY 2022 3 NEWS Send and receive payments instantly. Create a virtual Mastercard and order a physical one. Trade thousands of stocks, bonds, ETFs and funds. CCTrader is now moneybase. Make money simple. Get started today! Download the app. Investment services are provided through Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd (CCIS) C13729 which is licensed by the MFSA. Payment Services are provided by Moneybase Limited (MB) C87193 which is licenced by the MFSA to transact the business of a Financial Institution in terms of the Financial Institutions Act, Cap 376. CCIS and MB are both subsidiaries of the CC Finance Group plc with registered address situated at Level 0, Ewropa Business Centre, Dun Karm Street, Birkirkara, BKR 9034, Malta. ic research showing a strong link between pesticides and cancer, as well as brain damage leading to diseases like Parkinson's. "We urgently need far more ambitious actions to reduce the use (and risk) of synthetic pesti- cides to combat the biodiversity and health crisis and ensure sus- tainable production of healthy food," they said. The organisation, which is cur- rently holding an outdoor pho- tography exhibition showcasing 10 Maltese farmers using envi- ronmentally friendly practices (page 16) is far from insensitive to the plight of local farmers. In fact the organisation argues that Common Agricultural Pol- icy subsidies and additional fi- nancial resources should also be directed "to support farmers in making the necessary transition towards a toxic-free agricul- ture". But they insist that the ulti- mate goal should be a full phase out of pesticides, as demanded by 1.2 million EU citizens in the Save Bees and Farmers ECI (European Citizens Initiative), who asked for an 80% reduction by 2030 and a full phase-out of synthetic pesticides by 2035 to address biodiversity and health crises. In the wake of the report, Friends of the Earth Malta is al- so calling on the authorities to increase and improve the effi- ciency of enforcement measures and penalties in the field of pes- ticide use. The NGO also pointed out that there seems to be a worry- ing lack of information on what happens with the disposal of un- authorised products. FOE Malta has long been ask- ing for an increase in agro-eco- logical farming practices. "The agricultural policies in Malta need to align with the Europe- an Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy, EU Biodiversity Strat- egy 2030 and other EU policies." This includes increasing the share of organic farming by a minimum of 25% by 2030 and supporting current farmers wishing to undergo the tran- sition from pesticides-based farming towards agro-ecologi- cal farming practices. FOE also expressed disap- pointment that the European Commission has postponed the proposals for a European Pesti- cide Reduction Regulation that should have been presented on March 23, together with bind- ing Nature Restoration targets. "They are too weak to address the urgent health and biodiver- sity crises we are in. We need better and more ambitious reg- ulation to ensure healthy food in the long term where synthetic chemical pesticides are used on- ly as a last resort." jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt