Industrial farming, which relies on pesticides, is heavily subsidised by EU agricultural funding which has, to-date, favoured this large-scale production. In other words, pesticides don’t make food cheaper in and of themselves, but they do prop up a system of industrial farming which is designed to churn out masses of food for low prices. Whilst initially farmers see an increase in yields, this intensive approach exhausts the soils and more and more synthetic fertilisers are needed to maintain high production levels.
Most now recognise that this system is unsustainable. Not least because the world is facing its sixth mass extinction. For instance, studies suggest that more than 40% of global insect species are declining, with a third of insects facing extinction and scientists pointing to the systematic use of pesticides as one of the main reasons for this. Ecosystems are not only valuable in their own right, but they are essential for food production. Around 75% of the global food supply is dependent on insects.
Since leaving the EU, the UK has slightly shifted the subsidy bias in favour of long term gains by passing a new Agricultural bill which aims to help and reward small sustainable food growers – ultimately contributing to making local pesticide-free produce cheaper.