Europe’s new Farm to Fork strategy includes ambitious targets to reduce fertilizer and pesticide use, which should yield some skepticism. The goal is to slash fertilizer use by 20 percent and cut the amount of pesticides and antibiotics in use by 50 percent – all by 2030. There is also the target of tripling the amount of land in organic production to 25 percent of area. Officials clarify this is a “vision,” which means it is unlikely to be achieved.  Fertilizer use has already declined by 30 percent from its peak in 1985 but the application of potash and phosphate is forecast by the industry to increase. Most fertilizer is used for cereal and oilseed crops, so competitor producers in the Americas will be cheer...

TAGS – Europe