Research has shown that lobbyists for pesticide and fertiliser manufacturers are working “behind the scenes” to oppose stronger protection for species and ecosystems at the ongoing COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal, Canada,
The conference is aimed at finalising a new framework for “living in harmony with nature”, in order to preserve Earth’s forests, oceans and species.
However, a think tank that monitors communications by companies and industry associations, InfluenceMap, said it “tracked lobbying between 2020 and 2022 that has sought to weaken both the targets themselves and steps toward their implementation in the EU and the US.”
InfluenceMap programme manager Rebecca Vaughan, who authored the research that tracked the lobbying, said: “As COP15 gets underway to finalise new biodiversity goals, major industry lobbyists are working behind the scenes to try to water down policy ambition.”
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“We’ve tracked efforts from industry associations representing some of the world’s biggest pesticide and fertiliser producers… strongly resisting global and EU targets for reducing the use of biodiversity-harming agrichemicals,” she added.
Alzbeta Klein, Director-General of the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA), which the report said opposed targets for reducing losses of nutrients linked to crop production, said “This report misrepresents the activities of the fertiliser industry in the area of biodiversity and in particular, the adoption of global targets.
“The industry recognizes the critical importance of biodiversity protection for the well-being of people and the future of the planet, and is mindful of its role and responsibility in helping to avoid and reverse global biodiversity losses.”
In a separate statement, IFA said it was “actively involved” in the CBD negotiations by providing expertise and information on agricultural practices to set a “realistic, achievable” target for sustainable resource management.
One of the companies named in the report, German chemicals giant BASF, said it took part in “constructive dialogues” at the request of policymakers, advising on ways to limit environmental impact and aid biodiversity.
“BASF supports the preservation of ecosystems and promotes the sustainable use of natural resources.” “We believe that crop protection can go hand in hand with biodiversity in agriculture,” a BASF communications executive, Christian Zeintl, was quoted as saying.
Story was adapted from PHYS.ORG
