The report finds that while the UK has not significantly weakened its environmental standards since Brexit, it has failed to keep pace with the EU’s ambitious agenda. The divergence is largely passive – or “divergence by default” – as the EU moves ahead with new laws on issues ranging from air pollution and chemicals to nature restoration and circular economy.
Following this backlash and intense internal negotiations, the Commission scaled back its approach in the proposal presented today. Targeted re-assessment would now be required for substances where uncertainties or data gaps have emerged from their risk assessment
Are you suggesting that rechecking the data and risks of pesticides is wrong?
And has already come under criticism from the European Court of Auditors:
criticised the deceptive nature of HRI-1. According to the auditors, the HRI-1 shows “a risk reduction that is mainly due to lower sales of the substances in the category ‘not approved’” and should be replaced by “better risk indicators”.
From the blog post you’ve linked:
“If an organic farmer treats aphids with a plant protection product based solely on rapeseed oil, the HRI-1 calculates a risk over 1,000 times higher than if a conventional farmer treats the same area with a synthetic neurotoxin that is highly toxic for bees. This not only presents dangerous substances as harmless – and vice versa, but it is also a form of misinformation about organic farming”
So, for or against reviewing the data on pesticides (natural Vs synthetic for example)?
The wheels are turning, and progress is being made in the EU. How are the sunny uplands treating you?
The CLA played an important role in shaping the Agriculture Act.
The success of the Agriculture Act depends on the perspective. Overall, as a piece of legislation it has provided a stable framework on the priority areas at the time, and has proven robust in the face of global and domestic disruptions.
The UK government has seemingly “lost its shepherd for agriculture and rural development” in the form of the EU Commission, a farming union has told the Welsh affairs select committee.
Please enlighten us, how has brexit been of any benefit to us?
Got us out of the environmental disaster that is the corrupt CAP. It takes the largest share of the budget and just rewards rich landowners to pollute
The EU has lowered green standards on farming since Brexit, while we’ve increased ours. That delta is the benefit.
Restored common law to primacy. Common law is more flexible and better for regulating innovation. Roman civil law is prescriptive and dull.
Erm…
https://ieep.uk/news/news-uk-falling-behind-eu-on-environmental-regulation-warns-new-ieepuk-report/
Looks like we arent keeping up woth EU standards.
And what new laws are there that we are benefitting from?
Seems fairly balanced
Nice blog post.
Meanwhile
https://www.pan-europe.info/press-releases/2025/12/eu-commission-retreats-worst-plan-still-opens-door-unlimited-pesticide
Are you suggesting that rechecking the data and risks of pesticides is wrong?
I’m suggesting that claiming you are reducing pesticides when all that’s happened is the toxicity has increased is the worst kind of greenwashing
https://www.organicseurope.bio/news/ifoam-organics-europe-and-european-citizens-initiative-condemn-fake-pesticide-reduction/
Looks like the Harmonised Risk Indicator is relatively new https://food.ec.europa.eu/plants/pesticides/sustainable-use-pesticides/harmonised-risk-indicators_en?hl=en-GB
And has already come under criticism from the European Court of Auditors:
From the blog post you’ve linked:
So, for or against reviewing the data on pesticides (natural Vs synthetic for example)?
The wheels are turning, and progress is being made in the EU. How are the sunny uplands treating you?
The wheels are turning? Lol. Only if they get greased.
The UK is reforming it’s entire agriculture policy, not tinkering around with bullshit metrics
Source: trust me bro
https://www.standrewslawreview.com/post/brexit-s-detrimental-impact-on-environmental-law-and-protection-in-the-uk
The point is we can make new laws that suit a small island farming industry, not the monoculture Bayer shite.
The EU actually weakened their rules, twice now. Your source talks about possible outcomes, not policy change.
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/eu-weaken-more-environment-reporting-rules-draft-document-shows-2025-12-08/
Did the big Boris make lots of promises and then fail to deliver whilst retiring on his nice state pension, book deals, and speaking opportunities.
If only a Tory govt had been given a chance to deliver all the benefits …
Agriculture Act 2020
I don’t give a shit about Boris, I’m more of a Tony Benn fan https://medium.com/@WhiteWednesday/tony-benn-on-democracy-and-the-eu-20th-november-1991-2f734f163ddf
Just not a fan of an inept undemocratic EU with fucked agriculture and fishing policies
I bet you won’t be such a big fan when you get the right wing in charge of the EU
https://www.cla.org.uk/news/five-years-on-has-the-agriculture-act-delivered/
https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/eu-referendum/uk-government-has-lost-its-shepherd-for-agriculture
I know nothing of farming, but it doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement 5 years on.
Yeah, let’s undo 50 years of moronic monoculture in 5 years.