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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Environmental Management

From Pesticide Pollution to Healthy Soils: Policy Assessment and Reform Options in Germany

  • Katharine Heyl1
  • Jessica Stubenrauch1
  • Felix Klickermann1
  1. 1Department of Environmental and Planning Law, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany
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Abstract

Soil pollution in the EU and Germany is a pressing environmental issue. Multiple stressors contribute to soil pollution, including the use of plant protection products (here: pesticides). Policy goals, however, demand that the EU and Germany protect biodiversity and soils. Against this background, the present article adopts a qualitative governance analysis to investigate the extent to which German pesticide policies contribute to reduced pesticide pollution risks as well as biodiversity and soil health goals. Results indicate that (1) pesticide use requirements have a very limited steering effect on reducing pesticide pollution risks because they lack precision and enforceability, (2) pesticide spatial measures suffer from enforcement and control issues, an extensive exception regime and poorly implemented restrictions. (3) Overarching soil and nature conservation policies are largely ineffective as pesticide policies (lex specialis) override overarching policies. Still, certain policy elements such as training and certification, as well as the expansion of water protection areas contribute to some extent to reduced pesticide pollution risks, biodiversity and soil health. These results indicate that effective soil protection not only requires incremental changes in existing policies but comprehensive amendments to the agricultural sector including the adoption of economic instruments and measures from the global to the local level.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{heyl2026from,
  title = {{From Pesticide Pollution to Healthy Soils: Policy Assessment and Reform Options in Germany}},
  author = {Katharine Heyl and Jessica Stubenrauch and Felix Klickermann},
  journal = {Environmental Management},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.1007/s00267-026-02605-y},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-026-02605-y},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - From Pesticide Pollution to Healthy Soils: Policy Assessment and Reform Options in Germany
AU  - Katharine Heyl
AU  - Jessica Stubenrauch
AU  - Felix Klickermann
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/03
JO  - Environmental Management
DO  - 10.1007/s00267-026-02605-y
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-026-02605-y
AB  - Soil pollution in the EU and Germany is a pressing environmental issue. Multiple stressors contribute to soil pollution, including the use of plant protection products (here: pesticides). Policy goals, however, demand that the EU and Germany protect biodiversity and soils. Against this background, the present article adopts a qualitative governance analysis to investigate the extent to which German pesticide policies contribute to reduced pesticide pollution risks as well as biodiversity and soil health goals. Results indicate that (1) pesticide use requirements have a very limited steering effect on reducing pesticide pollution risks because they lack precision and enforceability, (2) pesticide spatial measures suffer from enforcement and control issues, an extensive exception regime and poorly implemented restrictions. (3) Overarching soil and nature conservation policies are largely ineffective as pesticide policies (lex specialis) override overarching policies. Still, certain policy elements such as training and certification, as well as the expansion of water protection areas contribute to some extent to reduced pesticide pollution risks, biodiversity and soil health. These results indicate that effective soil protection not only requires incremental changes in existing policies but comprehensive amendments to the agricultural sector including the adoption of economic instruments and measures from the global to the local level.
SN  - 0364-152X
SN  - 1432-1009
ER  -