Romanian farmers are urging interim President Ilie Bolojan to ease restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides banned in the EU since 2018.
The appeal comes after a recent court ruling suspended Romania’s national derogation allowing the use of neonicotinoid-treated seeds, sparking concerns over the upcoming spring agricultural season.
On Tuesday, the Cluj Court of Appeal suspended the derogation, which had permitted the use of neonicotinoids in seed treatments. The Romanian Ministry of Agriculture now has five days to appeal the decision.
Ramona Duminicioiu, president of EcoRuralis, one of the associations that filed the lawsuit against the Romanian state over annual exemptions for neonicotinoids, described the situation as evidence of “the disorder” in the country’s pesticide control system.
There is no methodology or system of collaboration between state control institutions to ensure monitoring and traceability.
Ionel Arion, president of the Pro Agro Federation, warned during a radio interview on Thursday that the court’s decision could disrupt the entire spring agricultural campaign.
We have 3.9 million hectares unsown. The losses will reach 3 billion euros.
Duminicioiu stressed that the Cluj court’s decision is “enforceable and immediate.” She doubts the Ministry of Agriculture will succeed with its appeal, given that it did not comply with the law, especially since there is also a CJEU decision from December 2022 prohibiting derogations.
The National Phytosanitary Authority announced on Thursday that legal steps are being taken, but filing an appeal “does not suspend the effects of the Cluj Court of Appeal’s decision.”
