Luxembourg will not go the Danish way: rumours of a new tax denied
Ante Hamersmit, Unsplash
The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Martine Hansen, and the Minister of Environment, Climate and Biodiversity have responded to a parliamentary enquiry by MPs Gusty Graas and Fernand Etgen on the possibility of implementing the Danish model for reducing the use of plant protection products in Luxembourg.
The Danish model implies strict regulation and reduction of pesticide use at the legislative level, including the introduction of additional taxes on chemicals and strict control over their use. However, Luxembourg does not intend to follow this example.
Instead of coercive measures, the government is focusing on phased reduction of pesticide use through voluntary initiatives. The National Strategic Plan includes programmes to encourage farmers to adopt more environmentally friendly farming practices. Among them:
- Environmental schemes (Echoschemes) - payments to farmers for meeting environmental standards.
- Agri-environmental and climate measures - programmes to support farmers willing to adopt less environmentally damaging technologies.
- Incentivising organic farming - financial assistance to farmers switching to organic farming.
The Government emphasises that this approach is already in place and there are no plans to introduce alternative models.
Thus, unlike in Denmark, Luxembourg does not rely on hard restrictions, but on financial incentives for farmers to help them switch to more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming methods.
