Farming with far fewer chemical pesticides

How far are we from farming with far fewer chemical pesticides?

The EU's proposed legally binding 50% cut in chemical pesticide use and risk by 2030 was withdrawn in 2024. The UK has a minimum target of a 10% cut in pesticide environmental risk by 2030, based on arable sector data. The strongest new-tool results are narrow: laser weeders reduced weeds at three vegetable sites in 2024, one sprayable RNA product was registered in the US for a single potato pest, and gene-edited tomatoes showed subtle resistance to a bacterial disease in field trials at one location. The sources reviewed do not show any new tool cutting chemical use across a whole farm or region.

AI illustration · Illustrative scene, not a photograph of the specific device or experiment.
WHERE WE AREPilots

Close. Early pilots are running in the real world.

New tools have been tested in real fields and one has been registered, but none has been shown to cut chemical pesticide use across a crop, farm or region. The laser weeding result comes from one season at three sites, using a demonstration unit. The RNA spray is registered, but the sources opened give no published field results on how long it protects crops. The edited tomato result is from one field location, with subtle resistance. Field tests with limited scale fit the pilot stage.

The tech tree

Everything recorded on Vrulum that this future needs, oldest foundations at the top and the goal at the bottom. Lines show what each step requires.

What it takes: Farming with far fewer chemical pesticides Unlocked Being researched Locked
  1. 2017Gene-edited cropsPilot and early commercial Unlocked.
  2. 2020Sprayable RNA biopesticidesPilot and early commercial Unlocked.
  3. 2023Agricultural spray dronesPilot and early commercial Unlocked.
  4. 2024Laser and robotic weedingPilot and early commercial Unlocked.
  1. 2023Sprayable RNA biopesticide registered for one pestDone Unlocked.
  2. 2024Laser weeders tested against herbicides at three vegetable sitesDone Unlocked.
  3. 2024Gene-edited disease-resistant crop shown in a field trialDone Unlocked.
  4. 2024EU-wide legally binding 50% cut in chemical pesticide use and risk by 2030Not started Locked.
  5. 2025UK minimum national target for pesticide environmental riskIn progress Being researched.
  6. 2025Precision-bred plant rules in force in EnglandDone Unlocked.
  7. Date not recordedLaser weeding repeated over several seasons with commercial unitsNot started Locked.
  8. Date not recordedField duration and resistance data for the RNA sprayIn progress Being researched.
  1. GoalFarming with far fewer chemical pesticidesGoalRequires: Laser and robotic weeding, Sprayable RNA biopesticides, Gene-edited crops, Agricultural spray drones, EU-wide legally binding 50% cut in chemical pesticide use and risk by 2030, UK minimum national target for pesticide environmental risk, Laser weeders tested against herbicides at three vegetable sites, Laser weeding repeated over several seasons with commercial units, Sprayable RNA biopesticide registered for one pest, Field duration and resistance data for the RNA spray, Gene-edited disease-resistant crop shown in a field trial, Precision-bred plant rules in force in England. Locked.

The road so far

4 of 8 steps done, 2 in progress.

  1. Not started · Feb 2024EU-wide legally binding 50% cut in chemical pesticide use and risk by 2030

    The Commission proposed a regulation that would have made a 50% cut in the use and risk of chemical pesticides by 2030 legally binding. The Commission announced in February 2024 that it would withdraw the proposal, citing Parliament's rejection of the text and slow Council progress. The withdrawal decision was published in the Official Journal on 6 May 2024, according to the European Parliament's legislative observatory. No replacement target is in force. [1][2]

  2. In progress · 21 Mar 2025UK minimum national target for pesticide environmental risk

    The UK Pesticides National Action Plan sets a minimum domestic target to reduce each of 20 UK Pesticide Load Indicator metrics by at least 10% by 2030, against a 2018 baseline. The indicator measures pesticide environmental pressure. The target is based on arable sector data, and the plan says it will be kept under review. The plan does not say whether the target is legally binding. [3][4]

  3. Done · 2024Laser weeders tested against herbicides at three vegetable sites

    In 2024, a laser weeding demonstration unit was tested against pre- and post-emergence herbicides at three sites in New Jersey and New York, growing peas, spinach and beets. Compared with untreated plots, laser weeding reduced weed cover by at least 45%, weed density by at least 66% and weed biomass by at least 97% by the end of the season, with crop stunting not above 1%. The trial was a single season, and the abstract reports these figures as minimums. [7]

  4. Not startedLaser weeding repeated over several seasons with commercial units

    The authors state that the manufacturer decommissioned the laser unit in January 2025, so the 2024 experiment could not be repeated with identical equipment. The article states that economic data collection was not the purpose of the study. A 2026 review of robotic weeding reports that laser systems have moved from static prototypes to mobile robots. [7][8]

  5. Done · 22 Dec 2023Sprayable RNA biopesticide registered for one pest

    The US EPA registered biopesticide products containing the new active ingredient Ledprona, a sprayable double-stranded RNA, for three years. The product targets Colorado potato beetle, a major pest of potato crops in the United States. The EPA announcement does not mention field efficacy data. The EPA had issued an experimental use permit in May 2023 that allowed testing in 10 states. [5]

  6. In progressField duration and resistance data for the RNA spray

    The experimental use permit allowed further field testing from 2023. The sources opened do not report published field results on how long protection lasts. In a 2021 greenhouse study, Ledprona did not reduce survival of potato beetle larvae compared with untreated plants until about day 14, while spinosad reduced survival to 0% by day 3. The paper cites lab studies in which beetles were selected for resistance to dsRNA. [5][6]

  7. Done · 2024Gene-edited disease-resistant crop shown in a field trial

    Researchers at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Florida edited the tomato genes SlBs5 and SlBs5L. In three field seasons with high disease pressure, the edited lines showed reduced symptoms of bacterial spot. The authors call the resistance subtle and say it was tested at one location. The yield difference was not statistically significant, and no stunting was seen in the field. [9]

  8. Done · 13 Nov 2025Precision-bred plant rules in force in England

    Provisions of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for the release, marketing and risk assessment of precision-bred plants came into force in England on 13 November 2025. The commencement regulations were made on 13 May 2025 (SI 2025/575). The rules apply to plants in England only. [10]

Why it matters

Governments have set targets to reduce the risk pesticides pose to wildlife, water and people, so whether new tools can deliver large cuts shapes how those targets can be met. Targeted tools that remove weeds or pests without blanket spraying could change how farms work, but only if they hold up across crops, seasons and farm sizes. The answer also affects what regulators need to see before they approve a new product.

What stands in the way

  • Laser weeding is slow. The trial unit took 4 to 17 minutes per 30.5 metre row, against 15 to 30 seconds for herbicide application.
  • Equipment cost is high. A 2026 review cites high equipment cost and complex thermal and power management as limits on laser weeding for large-scale production of low-value crops.
  • The RNA spray acts slowly, and resistance is a risk. In greenhouse tests, it did not reduce survival until about day 14, and lab studies show beetles can develop resistance to dsRNA.
  • Gene-edited resistance has been shown for one bacterial disease at one field location, and the effect was subtle.
  • No binding target is in force. The EU's 50% proposal was withdrawn, and the UK target is based on arable sector data, is not described as legally binding, and is under review.
  • The evidence base is thin: one laser season at three sites, no economic data collected, and no published field duration results for the RNA spray in the sources opened.

Signals to watch

  • Multi-season laser weeding trials with commercial units, reporting costs and herbicide use over a whole crop cycle.
  • Published field results for the RNA spray on how long protection lasts and whether beetles develop resistance.
  • A replacement EU-level pesticide reduction proposal after the 2024 withdrawal.
  • UK Pesticide Load Indicator progress figures, which the plan says are not likely before 2026.
  • Field trials of gene-edited crops against fungal diseases, with multi-location yield and disease data.

Sources

  1. government report
    Sustainable use of pesticides: revision of the EU rules (legislative train)
    European Parliament (Legislative Observatory), 2024.
  2. news
    Commission announces U-turn on bill to slash pesticide use in EU
    AgNavigator, 7 Feb 2024.
  3. government report
    UK Pesticides National Action Plan 2025
    GOV.UK (Defra, with the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive), 21 Mar 2025.
  4. government report
    UK Pesticides National Action Plan 2025: Working for a more sustainable future
    GOV.UK (Defra), 21 Mar 2025.
  5. government report
    EPA Registers Novel Pesticide Technology for Potato Crops
    US Environmental Protection Agency, 22 Dec 2023.
  6. peer reviewed paper
    First Sprayable Double-Stranded RNA-Based Biopesticide Product Targets Proteasome Subunit Beta Type-5 in Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata)
    Thais B. Rodrigues, Shashi K. Mishra, Kalyan Sridharan et al.. Frontiers in Plant Science, 2021.
  7. peer reviewed paper
    Deep learning-based laser weed control compared to conventional herbicide application across three vegetable production systems
    Lynn M. Sosnoskie, Kylie Bill, Aleah Butler-Jones et al.. Pest Management Science, 24 Jun 2025.
  8. review article
    A Review of Robotic Weeding Modalities for Site-Specific Weed Management
    Feng Gao, Shugui Ding, Wenpeng Zhu et al.. Sensors, 7 May 2026.
  9. peer reviewed paper
    CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of Bs5 and Bs5L in tomato leads to resistance against Xanthomonas
    Arturo Ortega. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2024.
  10. government report
    The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025
    legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), 13 May 2025.

Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.