BASF

Background

BASF SE is one of the worldโ€™s largest chemical companies. BASF Agricultural Solutions is a division of BASF, representing around 13 percent of the Germany-based parent companyโ€™s $67 billion in overall sales in 2019.1โ€œBASF Report 2019 โ€“ Economic, Environmental and Social Performance,โ€ BASF. Archived Sept. 24, 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

BASFโ€™s overall sales in 2021 were approximately $78.6 million.2โ€œBASF Report 2021,โ€ BASF. Archived Jan. 18, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IHIjY. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. BASF has seen rising profits in 2022, in part due to its majority ownership of fossil fuel company Wintershall.3โ€œBASF profits rise despite looming gas crisis,โ€ Expatica, July 11, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/44zTC Wintershall is said to be โ€œearning record sums from Russian gas,โ€ as well as sales in other countries due to rising energy prices.4Von Herbert Kordes, Petra Blum, Jan Schmitt und Frank Konopatzki, WDR. โ€œPutins langer Arm nach Deutschland?,” Tagasschau, July 28, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, BASF was the largest beneficiary of the Bank of Englandโ€™s emergency loan program, borrowing ยฃ1 billion.5Richard Partington. โ€œChemicals Firm BASF Biggest Beneficiary of UK Coronavirus Loan Scheme,โ€ The Guardian, June 4, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/ibTBd

BASF AG is the third largest of the big five pesticide firms, the other four of which are Bayer, Syngenta, DowDuPont, and FMC Corporation. BASF AGโ€™s sales are heavily concentrated in North America, followed by Europe, the combined South America-Africa-Middle East markets, and Asia Pacific.6โ€œPesticides: Competitive Analysis & Leadership Report 2018 โ€“ Bayer Ranks Number One, Followed by Syngenta, BASF, DowDuPont, and FMC Corporation,โ€ PR Newswire, February 3, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/3PDoU

According to 2022 research by InfluenceMap, BASF is the third most โ€œnegativeโ€ and โ€œinfluentialโ€ corporation globally when it comes to lobbying on climate policy. The findings reflect BASFโ€™s โ€œintense policy engagement, including widely supporting expanded oil and fossil gas production.โ€7โ€œCorporate Climate Policy Footprint: The 25 Most Influential Companies Blocking Climate Policy Action Globally,โ€ InfluenceMap, November 2022. Archived November 15, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Stance on Climate Change

On its website, BASF claims that it works โ€œcontinuously to further reduce emissions from our production.โ€ The firm claims a goal of reducing emissions โ€œ25โ€ฏpercent by 2030 compared with 2018โ€ while increasing production levels.8โ€œOur Climate Protection Goal,โ€ BASF. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/0io8H

The company also supports the Paris Agreement and, according to its web pages on sustainability, has been a member of the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, which โ€œcalls for more corporate engagement to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.โ€9โ€œBASF Advocates Globally For More Climate Protection,โ€ BASF. Archived November 12, 2020, Archive URL:  https://archive.fo/xFzuT

BASF lists examples of its โ€œclimate protectionโ€ products. Under agriculture, the company says it uses a nitrification inhibitor which โ€œensures that the ammonium contained in fertilizers is metabolized more slowly by bacteria in the soil, thus resulting in a reduction in nitrous oxide.โ€ BASF also claims to support wind power.10โ€œOur Solutions: Products For Climate Protection,โ€ BASF. Archived November 11, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/1aOSF

Reacting to the Paris Agreement in 2015, Brigitta Huckestein, BASFโ€™s senior manager of energy and climate policy, said, โ€œWe support the United Nationsโ€™ goals for achieving a global, long-term and reliable agreement to reduce emissions — preferably with an internationally binding price for CO2.โ€11โ€œExecutives From BASF & Others React to Paris Conference,โ€ SBC Magazine, December 15, 2015. Archived November 11, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/uYNkN

In a 2019 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) disclosure, BASF described itself as a company that creates โ€œchemistry for a sustainable future,โ€ writing that โ€œwe combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility.โ€12โ€œCDP Disclosure โ€“ 2019,โ€ BASF. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The company went on to disclose that from 2019 onwards it has pursued a new goal: โ€œCO2-neutral growth until 2030.โ€ CDP recognized BASF as a โ€œglobal leader in corporate climate action and water security,โ€ awarding the company an A rating in the 2018 Climate Change List.13Martin Menachery. โ€œCDP Recognises BASF As Global Leader in Corporate Climate Action and Water Security,โ€ Refining & Petrochemicals, January 24, 2019. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/GAyf3

In February 2020, BASF became the first โ€œCarbon Literate Organizationโ€ in the UK chemical sector, after working with the Carbon Literacy Project to develop an โ€œaccredited, company-specific course which allows participants to be certified as โ€˜Carbon Literateโ€™.โ€14Tony Heslop. โ€œBASF in the UK Accredited as Carbon Literate,โ€ Carbon Literacy, February 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/lRNPO

U.S.-based nonprofit the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in 2019 described BASF as one of โ€œa number of leading companiesโ€ that has reversed the trend of American businesses staying silent on climate policy, using its โ€œinfluence to build momentum for Congressional action on climate change.โ€15Tom Murray. โ€œThe Businesses That Are โ€“ And Are Not โ€“ Leading on Climate Change,โ€ Environmental Defense Fund, November 9, 2019. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/mBJL9

But a 2017 report by Influence Map, tracking 50 large corporations most influential in shaping climate policy globally, found that 35 of the firms were actively lobbying against climate policy. BASF was listed as the sixth worst in terms of โ€œincreasing opposition to Paris Aligned Climate Policy.โ€ The company sat alongside other environmentally destructive and anti-climate policy corporations including Koch Industries, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and Dow Chemical.16โ€œCorporate Carbon Policy Footprint,โ€ InfluenceMap, September 2017. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

A 2011 Greenpeace report titled โ€œWhoโ€™s holding us back? How carbon-intensive industry is preventing effective climate legislation,โ€ likewise revealed how โ€œmajor polluting corporationsโ€ like BASF, Shell, Eksom, and Koch Industries were โ€œinfluencing governments and the political process on climate legislation.โ€ The report also noted that during the 2010 U.S. elections, โ€œBASF strategically donated US$61,500 US dollars to ‘Senatorial candidates who have been outspoken in their opposition to comprehensive climate policy in the U.S., and candidates who actively deny the scientific consensus that climate change is happening and is caused by people.’โ€17โ€œWhoโ€™s Holding Us Back?,โ€ Greenpeace. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2007, then-BASF CEO Jurgen Hambrecht said in an interview for Der Spiegel that he had โ€œa problem with the term โ€˜climate changeโ€™,โ€ adding that it was โ€œladen with fearโ€ and that the climate โ€œhas always changed.โ€18Kate Sheppard. โ€œBASF CEO Questions Whether Climate Change is a Problem,โ€ Grist, June 28, 2007. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/NSWKl

Regarding solutions within the agriculture sector that could help the industry adapt to climate change, BASF CEO Martin Brudermรผller told Politico Europe in a sponsored piece that โ€œinnovative seed breeding is needed to develop crops that are resilient to climate changeโ€ and that achieving sustainable farming would only be possible if โ€œpolicymaking and regulatory requirements support the necessary levels of investmentโ€ to โ€œincrease innovation in biological and chemical plant protection products with more sustainable profiles.โ€19Martin Brudermรผller, โ€œSuccess of the EU Green Deal will depend on tech,โ€ Politico Europe, November 16, 2020. Archived October 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5jrsY 

In response to a question about whether EU policies with climate implications for the agriculture sector, including the European Green Deal and the Farm-to-Fork Strategy, would threaten BASFโ€™s crop protection business, Brudermรผller said that the groups want to help transform European agriculture using innovation by โ€œactively reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting biodiversity and minimizing the use of natural resourcesโ€ but added that the success of those goals would depend on โ€œrealistic targets that are based on scientific evidence.โ€20Martin Brudermรผller, โ€œSuccess of the EU Green Deal will depend on tech,โ€ Politico Europe, November 16, 2020. Archived October 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5jrsY

Majority ownership of oil and gas company linked to Russian operations

BASF holds 67 percent of shares in oil and gas company Wintershall Dea AG, according to BASFโ€™s 2021 Annual Report.21โ€œ10. Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Other Financial Assets – Annual Report 2021,โ€ BASF. Archived October 25, 2022. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/Pitx9 In 2020, Wintershall derived roughly a fifth of its pre-tax profit from operations in Russia, according to the Financial Times.22Joe Miller. โ€œWintershall Dea to receive no Russian revenues until sanctions lifted,โ€ Financial Times, March 2, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aeTNj 

Wintershall is a joint venture with LetterOne, a global investment company.23โ€œ10. Investments Accounted for Using the Equity Method and Other Financial Assets – Annual Report 2021,โ€ BASF. Archived October 25, 2022. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/Pitx9 Co-Founders of LetterOne, Mikail Fridman and German Khan, were sanctioned by the UK and the EU following Russiaโ€™s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.24Ludwig Burger and Thomas Escritt, โ€œSanctioned Russian oligarch steps down from board of BASF’s oil joint venture,โ€ Reuters, March 15, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archived URL: https://archive.ph/N5zgJ 25โ€œConsolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK,โ€ Gov.uk, July 26, 2022. Archived August 2, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 26โ€œFourth package of sanctions in view of Russiaโ€™s military aggression against Ukraine: 15 additional individuals and 9 entities subject to EU restrictive measures,โ€ European Council, March 15, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/8WNuB 

The EU Sanctions report stated that Khan, who resigned his board positions at LetterOne and Wintershall after being sanctioned, is โ€œbelieved to be one of the most influential persons in Russia,โ€ and that he โ€œcontinues to trade significant favorsโ€ and maintain a โ€œclose relationshipโ€ with Russian president Vladimir Putin.27โ€œCOUNCIL DECISION (CFSP) 2022/429 of 15 March 2022 amending Decision 2014/145/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine,โ€ Official Journal of the European Union, March 15, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 28โ€œChange in the Supervisory Board of Wintershall Dea AG,โ€ Wintershall Dea, March 15, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SPTY7 29Rupert Neate. โ€œThree more Russian billionaires resign from LetterOne board,โ€ March 7, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/1CoWE 

In March 2022, Wintershall announced that it was stopping all payments in and out of Russia with โ€œimmediate effect,โ€ which Financial Times described as โ€œone of the largest corporate casualties of the invasion of Ukraine so far.โ€30Joe Miller. โ€œWintershall Dea to receive no Russian revenues until sanctions lifted,โ€ Financial Times, March 2, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aeTNj 

In July 2022, German news program Tagesschau published an article stating that โ€œenergy producer Wintershall Dea is currently earning record sums from Russian gas.โ€ The article suggested that Wintershallโ€™s profits were helping to โ€œfill Russiaโ€™s war chestโ€ at a time when German industry was โ€œsounding the alarmโ€ on threats to German gas supply due to the war, โ€œwith the chemical giant BASF leading the way.โ€31Von Herbert Kordes, Petra Blum, Jan Schmitt und Frank Konopatzki, WDR. โ€œPutins langer Arm nach Deutschland?,โ€ Tagesschau, July 28, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The article stated: 

โ€œCritics see the company from Kassel [Wintershall] as a lobbyist for the Russian energy giant Gazprom. โ€ฆ Internal documents belonging to the ARD magazine monitor available show how Gazprom has tried to use Wintershall to pursue its interests: โ€˜Wintershall is our biggest supporter in Europeโ€™, it says there. Gazprom expects the cooperation to result in โ€˜a stronger lobbyโ€™ in Germany and โ€˜better protection against sanctionsโ€™ for Russia.โ€ 

Wintershall stated that it did not know of such a communication strategy, and that its own communication strategy was never shaped by Gazprom.  

BASF has indicated that it wishes to sell its stake in Wintershall. In January 2022, Reuters reported that BASF was hoping to sell its stake on the stock market.32โ€œBASF presses for Wintershall Dea IPO in dispute with co-owner,โ€ Reuters, January 31, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/0ZFSS In May 2022, Bloomberg reported that BASF was โ€œexploring a plan to offload energy assets in Russia belonging to its Wintershall Dea AG unit to its Russian billionaire joint venture partner.โ€33William Wilkes, Laura Hurst, and Eyk Henning. โ€œBASF Studies Splitting Wintershall Into Russia, Other Assets,โ€ Bloomberg, May 3, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/4IKBw 

Digital and precision agriculture

BASF promotes precision agriculture strategies, which proponents say will allow farms to use high-tech gear to increase their resilience to the impacts of a changing climate.34โ€œPrecision Agriculture in the Digital Era,โ€ BASF. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/BvupE On its website, BASF describes some of the activities involved in precision agriculture and compares its technical complexity to drilling for oil.35โ€œPrecision Farming: Farming with maps, GPS and mobile devices,โ€ BASF. Archived April 11, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/vBxwe

BASF has promoted precision farming in the context of the EU Farm to Fork deal. In a 2022 BASF press release published by Danish website Via Ritzau, BASF Nordicโ€™s head of agricultural services stated:36BASF A/S. โ€œNye digitale redskaber kan minimere brug af plantevรฆrn og gรธdning, men mere end hver tredje landmand er ikke i gang,โ€ Via Ritzau, August 31, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

โ€œIn light of the EU’s Farm to fork strategy, where farmers must reduce the use of plant protection by 50% by 2024, it is thought-provoking that so many farmers do not use precision technology today. Precision technology makes it possible to treat the soil with exactly what it needs, and this typically means spraying and fertilizing less. …the technology will also make it possible to introduce CO2 improvements where it makes sense.โ€ 

Speaking at a forum on climate change and agriculture, Luke Bozeman, BASFโ€™s director of North American crop protection, said that agriculture will need to change as the climate changes, referring to precision agriculture and digitization. โ€œWhat weโ€™re going to see is a lot more collaborations to share the costs and the risks of investing in some innovations for future potential changes,โ€ he said.37John Hart. โ€œAg Must Adapt to Climate,โ€ South East Farm Press, March 10, 2019. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/IcFlN

In early 2020, BASF announced an increased sales projection for its agricultural innovation products to more than โ‚ฌ7.5 billion. The firm declared that by 2029, it would launch over 30 key projects in line with its agricultural strategy.38โ€œBASFโ€™s New Focused Approach Boosts Agricultural Innovation Pipeline by 25%,โ€ Seed World, February 28, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/Tndo4

In September 2020, BASF sponsored an article in Crop Production Magazine that promoted the transition towards regenerative agriculture as a path that โ€œcan take us to net zero without any loss in productivity.โ€39Tom Allen-Stevens. โ€œClimate Change Champions โ€“ Each Plant is Important,โ€ Crop Production Magazine, September 7, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/lPNL9

On a webpage titled โ€œThe future farm,โ€ BASF wrote that โ€œwater stress, rocketing energy and production costs will drive innovation solutions,โ€ claiming that farming in the future will โ€œdemand better soilโ€ and โ€œmore advanced crop protection solutions.โ€40โ€œThe Future Farm,โ€ BASF. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/vEXKn

In 2019, BASF Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director Geoff Mackey spoke on an Innovation Forum podcast about the importance of precision agriculture now and in the future. โ€œWe need to look at the benefits of having technology and bringing innovation,โ€ he said, adding that โ€œI think drone technology is a very interesting and developing area.โ€ When asked about the future of precision agriculture, Mackey said, โ€œPerhaps I could talk about the use of drone technology applying products, planting, harvest without the use of human feet. Perhaps we set technology loose and actually control it from a different view.โ€41โ€œBASF on Why Precision Agriculture is the Future,โ€ Innovation Forum, February 20, 2019. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/scuaQ

In a Friends of the Earth report which looked at whether digital farming can address the causes of agricultureโ€™s environmental impacts, BASF was mentioned as among the โ€œBig Fourโ€ agrochemical giants that want to โ€œmaintain their market share.โ€42Mute Schimpf. โ€œDigital Farming,โ€ Friends of the Earth Europe, February 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The report referenced a separate report by the Konkurrenz Group stating that the agricultural race โ€œwill be to increase the farmersโ€™ dependence on the Big Fourโ€™s digital platforms, where based on the data collected, farmers will rely more (rather than less) on the Big Fourโ€™s traits, seeds and pesticides for their increasingly automated precision farming.โ€43โ€œAn Updated Antitrust Review of the Bayer-Monsanto Merger,โ€ The Konkurrenz Group, March 6, 2018. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.


Read more: Digital and Precision Agriculture โ€“ Criticisms and Concerns


Role in Pesticides Controversy

Roughly a third of BASF AGโ€™s 2019 sales were herbicides, 30 percent fungicides, and 10 percent insecticides. The remaining 27 percent were other agricultural products such as seeds.44โ€œBASF Report 2019 โ€“ Economic, Environmental and Social Performance,โ€ BASF. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

A February 2020 investigation by Greenpeaceโ€™s Unearthed journalism project found that โ€œclose to half (41 percent) of the leading products of the agrochemical giants BASF, Bayer, Corteva, FMC and Syngenta contained at least oneโ€ highly-hazardous pesticide.โ€ This included glufosinate, a chemical manufactured by BASF that can impair fertility and harm human fetuses.45Crispin Dowler. โ€œRevealed: The pesticide giants making billions on toxic and bee-harming chemicals,โ€ Unearthed, February 2, 2020. Archived August 20, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.fo/lPZS5

BASF has been the target of lawsuits alleging that BASF and Bayer knew that their dicamba pesticides would spread from farms where they were sprayed, but predicted that other farmers would then be driven to buy dicamba-resistant seeds โ€” allegations that the company has denied.46Jef Feeley, Tim Bross, Bloomberg. โ€œBayer Is Facing A New Wave of Herbicide Lawsuits โ€“ And This Time Itโ€™s Not Over Monsantoโ€™s Roundup,โ€ Fortune, February 17, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/l3erd โ€œA federal jury determined that German agribusiness giants Bayer and BASF will have to pay US$250 million in punitive damages to Bader Farms, the largest peach farm in Missouri, for damage caused by their dicamba-related products,โ€ Investigate Midwest reported in February 2020.47Johnathan Hettinger. โ€œJury Orders Monsanto, BASF To Pay Peach Farmer $250 Million in Punitive Damages,โ€ Investigate Midwest, February 15, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/Xlvaa โ€œBader Farms is among thousands of farms, comprising millions of acres of crops, that have alleged dicamba damage since 2015,โ€ the story said.48Virginia Gewin. โ€œBeyond Damaging Crops, Dicamba is Dividing Communities,โ€ Civil Eats, November 8, 2018. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/Hdy07

A 2020 investigation by the Guardian revealed that BASF and fellow agriculture giant Monsanto โ€œwere aware for years that their plan to introduce a new agricultural seed and chemical system would probably lead to damage on many U.S. farms,โ€ with some internal emails showing BASF and Monsanto employees joking about hoping to stay โ€œout of jail.โ€49Carey Gillam. โ€œRevealed: Monsanto predicted crop system would damage US farms,โ€ The Guardian, March 30, 2020. Archived November 10, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/bJx9C

Lobbying against EU Farm to Fork

BASF has lobbied against targets to halve pesticide use in Europe included in the EUโ€™s Farm to Fork strategy. 

In response to the announcement of the Farm to Fork strategy, BASF published a document titled โ€œFeedback on the Farm to Fork Roadmap Strategyโ€ on its website. The document stated that BASF supported the European Green Deal and the โ€œambitious and holistic approachโ€ of the Farm to Fork strategy, and that โ€œplant sciences, agricultural technologies, including Climate Smart Agriculture as well as innovative animal feed additives have an important role to play in meeting these objectives.โ€50โ€œBASF โ€“ Feedback on the Farm to Fork Strategy Roadmap,โ€ BASF. Archived December 5, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

The document also stated that BASF โ€œacknowledge[d] the Commissionโ€™s objective to reduce both risk and use of pesticides based on societal concerns and demands,โ€ but argued that โ€œresearch in plant science has enabled production of safe and sustainable food, increased yields, reduced food loss, and extended the shelf life of agricultural products,โ€ and suggested that โ€œadvancesโ€ in pesticide technologies have โ€œreduced application volumes by 95%โ€ while โ€œreducing naturally occurring health risks, such as carcinogenic mycotoxins in food.โ€ 

However, pesticide use in Europe was largely โ€œstableโ€ between 2011 and 2020, according to Pesticide Action Network,51โ€œPesticide Use in Europe,โ€ Pesticide Action Network Europe. Archived December 5, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wtLZL and worldwide use of pesticides has increased by 80 percent since 1990, according to Friends of the Earth Europe.โ€œ52Heinrich-Bรถll-Stiftung, Friends of the Earth Europe and Pesticide Action Network Europe. โ€œEurope must slash pesticide use to protect peopleโ€™s and planetโ€™s health,โ€ EU Boell, October 18, 2022. Archived December 5, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/roWJV 

BASFโ€™s response to Farm to Fork also argued that โ€œmoving to 100% organic farming would result in an increase of greenhouse gas emissionsโ€ if the total area of land used for agricultural production โ€œhad to be increased to compensate for reduced productivityโ€ that could result if pesticide use was reduced.53โ€œBASF โ€“ Feedback on the Farm to Fork Strategy Roadmap,โ€ BASF. Archived December 5, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The document also claimed that โ€œfor every kilogram of CO2 equivalent invested in the manufacture and use of plant protection products [pesticides and herbicides], at least 10 kilograms of the gas is removed from the atmosphere thanks to [crop] yield increase.โ€ 

While the EU has set targets to increase the amount of organically farmed land in the EU to 25 percent by 2030, it currently has no targets to transition to 100 percent organic agriculture.54โ€œBASF โ€“ Feedback on the Farm to Fork Strategy Roadmap,โ€ BASF. Archived December 5, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 

2022

In March 2022, Livio Tedeschi โ€“ BASFโ€™s senior vice president of agricultural solutions for Europe, Africa, Middle East, and CIS countries โ€“ wrote a sponsored article for Brussels Times which questioned the first steps of the Farm to Fork strategy and European Green Deal (which includes the EUโ€™s Biodiversity strategy), writing: โ€œare they going in the right direction to bring the vision into reality?โ€55Livio Tedeschi. โ€œFarm to Fork โ€“ setting the right policy direction in times of change,โ€ Brussels Times, March 6, 2022. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/GsSuw 

Tedeschi added: 

โ€œVarious impact assessments on the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies have shown that the implementation of reduction targets alone without alternative solutions such as the introduction of innovative technologies would have detrimental effects on productivity and competitiveness of the whole agri-food system in Europe. Moreover, the war in Ukraine has made us painfully aware that food security and safe supply chains cannot be taken for granted.โ€  

Of seven impact assessments on the European Green Deal, five have been funded by the industry, including one by CropLife Europe, of which BASF is a member.56โ€œA loud lobby for a silent spring: The pesticide industryโ€™s lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, March 17, 2022. Archived July 26, 2022. Archive PDF: https://archive.ph/hpFb3 Academics,57Alice Poiron. โ€œWhy Attacks Against the EU Farm to Fork Strategy Completely Miss the Point,โ€ Slow Food, February 9, 2022. Archived October 25, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/hwUqD. campaigners, and the European Commission itself58โ€œGreen Deal targets for 2030 and agricultural production studies โ€“ Fact Sheet,โ€ European Commission, February 2022. Archived August 4, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. point out that the studies are โ€œincomplete and partial,โ€ fail to fully account for positive impacts that could result from more sustainable food production, and do not consider what will happen if no action is taken to avoid climate breakdown and biodiversity loss that could lead to a global crisis in food production.59โ€œA loud lobby for a silent spring: The pesticide industryโ€™s lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, March 17, 2022. Archived July 26, 2022. Archive PDF: https://archive.ph/hpFb3

Tedeschi also argued that policies to support sustainable food production should โ€œshift the focus from [agrochemical] reduction to innovation,โ€ writing: โ€œLooking back at the two years, we see some initial steps in the right direction, however the main focus of the Farm to Fork strategy and its first implementation measures is still more on reduction targets than on new technologies. I believe that producing enough food sustainably cannot be achieved by simply reducing the solutions available to farmers.โ€60Livio Tedeschi. โ€œFarm to Fork โ€“ setting the right policy direction in times of change,โ€ Brussels Times, March 6, 2022. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/GsSuw 

In March 2022, corporate watchdog group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) released a report that stated BASF was one of the pesticide companies involved in โ€œa counter-lobby of huge proportionsโ€ against the EU Farm to Fork strategy.61โ€œA loud lobby for a silent spring: The pesticide industryโ€™s lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, March 17, 2022. Archived July 26, 2022. Archive PDF: https://archive.ph/hpFb3 

The report questioned whether the industry was โ€œco-optingโ€ Integrated Pest Management (IPM, an integrated system for managing pests, diseases, and weeds favored by the EU) โ€œas a route for agri-industry false solutions.โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory wrote: โ€œIn a lobby meeting of CropLife Europe (attended by BASF, Corteva, Bayer, and Syngenta) with the Commission, the option was even raised that EU member states would approve IPM crop-specific guidelines designed by industry.โ€ CEO commented that โ€œit would be a recipe-for-failure if vested pesticide interests were allowed to draft any IPM guidelines.โ€ 

BASF and others have also lobbied on the 2022 revision of the EUโ€™s Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (SUD), which was reviewed in order to align it with Farm to Fork targets. 

In BASFโ€™s response to the public consultation on the revision, it indicated that it โ€œstrongly disagreedโ€ with the a statement in the consultation that read: โ€œIt is necessary to reduce the use of chemical pesticides in the EU.โ€62โ€œContributions: Pesticides โ€“ sustainable use (updated EU rules)โ€, European Commission, January 18, 2021 โ€“ April 12, 2021. Archived September 6, 2022. Archived .csv on file at DeSmog. 

According to Corporate Europe Observatory, representatives from Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, and Corteva spoke at the March 2022 CropLife Europe Conference.63โ€œA loud lobby for a silent spring: The pesticide industryโ€™s lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, March 17, 2022. Archived July 26, 2022. Archive PDF: https://archive.ph/hpFb3 The event, which was scheduled in the run-up to the European Commission’s expected publication of its proposal for the revised SUD, involved high-level commission officials and covered topics including the SUD revision, the target to reduce pesticide use by 50 percent, and standards and trade policies pertaining to pesticides. 

2021

In an interview published ahead of the 2021 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, an annual conference for the โ€œglobal agtech industry,โ€64โ€œAbout Us,โ€ World Agri-Tech Summit. Archived January 12, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/x6Izf Tedeschi stated: โ€œCurrently, the Farm to Fork strategy focuses more on reduction targets than on new technologies. For BASF, innovation is the foundation of sustainable transformation.โ€65โ€œInterview: Livio Tedeschi, SVP Agricultural Solutions, EMEA & CIS Countries, BASF,โ€ World Agri-Tech Summit. Archived December 5, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Ptspa 

In June 2021, Dirk Voeste, senior vice president at BASF, published an article on LinkedIn titled โ€œChanging The Agricultural Food System For The Better,โ€ which stated that the company โ€œacknowledge[s] societyโ€™s desire to reduce reliance on pesticidesโ€ and โ€œunderstand[s] why the EU Commission published its intention to achieve a 50% reduction in use and risk of pesticides by 2030.โ€66Dirk Voeste. โ€œChanging The Agricultural Food System For The Better,โ€ LinkedIn, June 10, 2021. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DTS2l However, the post also called on the European Commission to conduct impact assessments and develop indicators to evaluate the โ€œimpact associated with all available farming solutions, including: land-use efficiency, productivity, quality and food security, water protection, and operator, consumer and environmental safety,โ€ and argued that it was โ€œa prerequisite that any reduction target will be preceded by a holistic impact assessment considering all relevant EU strategies.โ€ 

Multiple industry members have made calls for a โ€œholistic impact assessmentโ€ of Farm to Fork measures, with Politico calling it โ€œa key lobbying objective of Farm to Fork skeptics.โ€67Eddy Wax. โ€œMEPs vote on EUโ€™s green food plan amid lobbying blitz,โ€ Politico, October 17, 2021. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/6sAeB According to campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory, โ€œsuch assessments tend to favour economic factors over social and environmental ones, only delaying progress towards tackling the climate emergency.โ€68Vicky Cann. โ€œExploiting the Ukraine crisis for Big Business,โ€ EU Observer, July 27, 2022. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XnQF0

In October 2021, AmCham Hungary posted about an online plenary session regarding Farm to Fork, in which Anja Klatt, senior manager of government affairs at BASF, spoke alongside Dr. Zsolt Feldman, Hungaryโ€™s State Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, at the Ministry of Agriculture. Discussing Klattโ€™s keynote speech, the article stated, โ€œany type of reduction target must be preceded by a holistic impact assessment, forecasting the pros and cons of its impact.โ€69โ€œFarm to Fork: EU Green Deal WG Discusses Sustainable Agriculture,โ€ AmCham Hungary, October 12, 2021. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DTxuu  

Dr. Forman was said to have emphasized โ€œthe need to keep a delicate balance between environmental measures and their economic impactโ€ and that โ€œit is important that farmers are not forced to become eco-friendly by way of reprimands. Rather, they must be encouraged to do so with measures that also benefit them in the long term.โ€70โ€œFarm to Fork: EU Green Deal WG Discusses Sustainable Agriculture,โ€ AmCham Hungary, October 12, 2021. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DTxuu 

2020

In an interview with Politico in November 2020, BASFโ€™s CEO Martin Brudermรผller argued for โ€œrealistic targets that are based on scientific evidenceโ€ in the Farm to Fork strategy.71Martin Brudermuller. โ€œSuccess of the EU Green Deal will depend on tech,โ€ Politico, November 16, 2020. Archived June 22, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/5jrsY He added: โ€œIt will also be necessary to strike the right balance between the need to develop world-class productive farming systems and the need to preserve biodiversity. Economic viability is also part of the sustainability equation.โ€ 

In a June 2020 article in Ag News, which discussed the Farm to Fork pesticide reduction target,  Livio Tedeschi wrote: โ€œchemical crop protection products are one of the biggest drivers of agricultural productivity. Such a reduction would lead to considerably lower productivity per hectar of land, if not replaced by alternative solutions. Better management of the food supply chain and food waste will help, but certainly not close the gap.โ€72Livio Tedeschi. โ€œWhy the EUโ€™s Farm to Fork Strategy is a unique chance to radically change agriculture and food production,โ€ Ag News, June 4, 2020. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pQcxi

Tedeschi also argued that โ€œtechnologies such as precision farmingโ€ can โ€œlead to a reduction of risk and use of pesticides, contribute to a lower CO2 footprint and increase biodiversity,โ€ but cautioned that the EU would have to โ€œcreate the regulatory and legal environment for them to thrive.โ€

He added: “Regulatory restrictions slowing down the introduction of new-generation crop protection products or high hurdles for advanced breeding techniques, for example, will have to be reconsidered if we want a realistic path towards the Farm to Fork goals.โ€73Livio Tedeschi. โ€œWhy the EUโ€™s Farm to Fork Strategy is a unique chance to radically change agriculture and food production,โ€ Ag News, June 4, 2020. Archived December 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/pQcxi 

Lobbying for trade deal to increase pesticide exports

In April 2022, environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Europe and EU-focused NGO Seattle to Brussels Network published a report on the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal, which would affect trade between the EU and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.74Larissa Mies Bombardi, Audrey Changoe. โ€œToxic Trading: The EU pesticide lobbyโ€™s offensive in Brazil,โ€ Friends of the Earth Europe and Seattle to Brussels Network, April 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DHPVz 

The report stated that if ratified, the deal โ€œwill heavily increase crop exports to Europe, and imports of dangerous agrochemicals to South America, particularly Brazil,โ€ and that the potential for increased agricultural exports โ€œrisks aggravating existing problems with the conversion of forests and other important ecosystems for agriculture, and adds to the toxic burden of pesticide-intensive agriculture on nature and local communities.โ€ 

The report also highlighted that European agrochemical giants including BASF and Bayer โ€œhave been promoting the EU-Mercosur trade deal through lobby groupsโ€ and โ€œsought to increase market access for some of their most harmful pesticides by joining forces with Brazilian agribusiness associations.โ€ The report claimed that European companies work with agribusiness lobby groups like CropLife Brasil (which was founded by Bayer and is associated with BASF) to water down environmental policies, writing: โ€œTheir joint lobby efforts have borne fruit: pesticide use has multiplied sixfold over the last 20 years and a record number of new pesticides has been approved in Brazil since Jair Bolsonaro came to power.โ€ 

The report added that Bayer and BASF have benefitted from the proposed deal and government support for pesticides, writing: โ€œTogether, Bayer and BASF have got 45 new pesticides approved over the last three years, 19 of which contain substances prohibited in the European Union.”75Larissa Mies Bombardi, Audrey Changoe. โ€œToxic Trading: The EU pesticide lobbyโ€™s offensive in Brazil,โ€ Friends of the Earth Europe and Seattle to Brussels Network, April 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DHPVz 

A September 2020 report by Public Eye likewise found that: “In 2018, some 30 companies exported banned pesticides from European soil, including German giants Bayer and BASF.โ€76Laurent Gaberell and Gรฉraldine Viret, โ€œBanned in Europe: How the EU exports pesticides too dangerous for use in Europe,โ€ Public Eye, September 10, 2020. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HStYl 

Lobbying

In 2021, BASF SE and its subsidiaries spent US$1,680,000 on U.S. lobbying according to OpenSecrets.org.77โ€œBASF SE,โ€ OpenSecrets.org. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/jU2bu Most of the budget, US$1,440,000, went to in-house staff, with the remaining funds going to two lobbyists with the firm McLarty Inbound, which represented โ€‹โ€‹Wintershall Holding (majority owned oil and gas company).78โ€œClient Profile: BASF SE,โ€ OpenSecrets.org. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/EUKcZ 

BASF spent โ‚ฌ3,000,000-3,399,999 in 2021 on EU lobbying, according to its entry on the EU Transparency Register. Main targets included: โ€œEU Green Deal, Circular Economy, Sustainable Finance, Energy & Climate Policy, Innovation & Research, Trade Policy, Health & Environmental Policy, Chemicals Policy, Construction, Crop Protection Policy, Biotechnology, Internal Market, Competitiveness, Industrial Policy, Social and Employment Policy.โ€79โ€œBASF,โ€ European Union Transparency Register, March 18, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Dzl7W 

BASF has had 37 meetings since 2014 with the European Commission, according to its Transparency Register entry.80โ€œMeetings โ€“ BASF,โ€ European Union Transparency Register, September 5, 2022. Archived September 5, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. According to the EU Transparency Register, BASF SE spent between โ‚ฌ3,000,000 โ€“ โ‚ฌ3,249,999 on lobbying in 2020.

An archive of lobbying disclosures compiled by ProPublica shows that BASF has lobbied on climate change in the US. โ€œBASF supports legislation on climate change that ensures that reduction targets are economically feasible and technologically reasonable,โ€ BASFโ€™s lobbying disclosure reads. โ€œPolicies must allow energy-intensive and trade-exposed (EITE) companies to remain globally competitive (carbon leakage protection).โ€81โ€œBASF Corporation,โ€ ProPublica. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/ZR13x

Among the lobbying on bills disclosed by BASFโ€™s lobbyists is โ€œEnvironmental Justice and Role of Sustainable Chemistry, S. 3296โ€.82โ€œBASF Corporation โ€“ 1/21/2019,โ€ Lobbying Disclosure Act Database. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. That bill, according to the American Chemistry Council, โ€œwould direct the president to establish an interagency sustainable chemistry entity to promote and coordinate federal sustainable chemistry research, development, demonstration, technology transfer, commercialization, education and training activities.โ€83โ€œACC Announces Support for Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act,โ€ American Chemistry Council, July 31, 2018. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/yPMCW The bill failed to progress in 2018. It was reintroduced for the 2019-2020 session as S. 999.84โ€œS.999 โ€“ Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019,โ€ Congress.Gov. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/8ig0w According to Gov Track, provisions of the bill were incorporated into H.R. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.85โ€œS. 999 (116th): Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019,โ€ GovTrack. Archived December 8, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/NL0DQ 

A 2010 report by the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-E) revealed that a number of large companies, including BASF, Bayer, and BP, had disproportionately donated funds to U.S. Senate candidates who were either โ€œknown climate change deniers,โ€ or to senators who voted against the Obama administrationโ€™s cap-and-trade legislation, seen by activists as a major contribution to the fight against climate change.โ€86Michael Lawton. โ€œEuropean Companies Back Climate Skeptics in US Senate Race, Report Says,โ€ Deutsche Welle, October 26, 2010. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/q4bc0

BASF was given an overall โ€œCโ€ grade by NGO Transparency International in its 2018 Corporate Political Engagement Index, with the company given a โ€œDโ€ for its โ€œresponsible lobbyingโ€ practices.87โ€œCorporate Political Engagement Index 2018,โ€ Transparency International UK. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In August 2020, Norwayโ€™s largest private asset manager, Storebrand, divested its US$2.7 million stake in BASF, as well as its stakes in ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Rio Tinto, โ€œciting their lobbying practices regarding climate.โ€ Storebrand CEO Jan Erik Saugestad told Reuters that โ€œIf you have corporates that are spending a lot of resources and energy to try to avoid that regulation that is required, that is clearly not supportive and not in the long-term interest of anybody, if you want to reach the climate goals or the [United Nations] sustainable development goals.โ€88Gwladys Fouche, Simon Jessop. โ€œStorebrand Divests Out of Exxon, Others Over Climate Lobbying,โ€ Market Screener, August 24, 2020. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/wXxIL

In May 2019, BASF responded to investor pressure and committed to undertaking a review of its climate lobbying activities.89โ€œWe, BASF Commit To Review Climate Lobbying After Investor Pressure,โ€ Energy Central, May 3, 2019. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/gKhqB It was also one of 13 U.S. companies to launch the โ€œCEO Climate Dialogueโ€ in May 2019,  an initiative that was created with the aim of lobbying President Trump and the United States Congress to pass new legislation that would address climate change by introducing a price on carbon, with the goal of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Other founding members of the โ€œCEO Climate Dialogueโ€ included DuPont, Shell, BP, Unilever, and Dominion Energy.90โ€œBASF And DuPont Call On US Congress To Enact Business-Led Climate Change Legislation,โ€ Global Insulation, May 17, 2019. Archived November 12, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/gKhqB

In February 2021, Corporate Europe Observatory reported that BASF had invited Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to an online wine-tasting to discuss the Farm to Fork strategy.91โ€œBASF wining MEPs in COVID times,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, February 22, 2021. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/UiIGO BASF reportedly offered to send MEPs “six small bottles” of wine to “celebrate Portugalโ€™s unique wines.” Corporate Europe Observatory scrutinized BASF for the event over concerns that transparency rules were not being properly applied. Politico Europe reported that a BASF spokesperson said the event was “in accordance with the spirit and the letter of the European Parliamentโ€™s lobbying rules.”92Lili Bayer. โ€œBrussels lobbying business picks up despite pandemic,โ€ Politico Europe, March 10, 2021. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/0ZTCX

In June 2021, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), a network of over 140 European environmental NGOs, reported that BASF had been among ten companies lobbying to water down draft legislation on the regulation of polymers, the main ingredient in plastic, resin and paint and an ingredient of many products.93โ€œFirst laws to tackle serious polymer health threat being crippled,โ€ European Environmental Bureau, June 21, 2021. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/UxUOY 

BASF engages in media partnerships with Brussels-based media outlets, mainly Politico Europe and EURACTIV, where it promotes and supports content,94โ€œHow is chemistry helping cars shift gears and reach the EUโ€™s 2050 goals?,โ€ Politico, September 27, 2021. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Qbf2n organizes events and sponsors newsletters targeted towards EU policy makers and stakeholders.95Florian Eder. โ€œPOLITICO Brussels Playbook, presented by Cefic: No Trump for Warsaw โ€” Battle for Brandenburg โ€” Save the saunas,โ€ Politico. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/bAsKX 

BASF has been a client of several public affairs consultancies registered within the European Union. In 2020, BASF spent less than โ‚ฌ9,999 on the services of FIPRA International SRL,96โ€œFIPRA International SRL,โ€ Transparency Register. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/1byOV and between โ‚ฌ24,000 – โ‚ฌ49,999 on the services of EPPA S.A.97โ€œEPPA SAโ€ย  European Transparency Register.Archived November 25,ย  2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/wip/FBpaB

In February 2024, BASF held a closed event for over 60 chemical and other industrial companies and political leaders in its chemical plant in Antwerp.98Nikolaus J. Kurmayer, โ€œVon der Leyen heads to Antwerp for closed-door meeting with chemicals industry,โ€ Euractiv, February 20, 2024. Archived June 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UFpC This event was co-organised by the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) and its Belgian member Essenscia.ย 
In an open letter, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) criticised the Prime Minister for attending this event, arguing that by participating in the event, he was โ€œrewarding big polluting industries with privileged access to high-level decision-makers and the expectation of even more political and policy supportโ€.99โ€œCorporate capture wonโ€™t solve environmental crises,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, February 20, 2024. Archived June 26, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qAtyV

Affiliations

BASF is a member of CropLife International, which the firm describes in its 2019 sustainability report as โ€œa global trade association of agrochemical companies representing the plant science industry.โ€ CropLife International has six member companies: FMC, BASF, Bayer, Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta and Sumitomo Chemical.100โ€œMembers,โ€ CropLife International. Archived November 9, 2020. Archive.fo URL: https://archive.fo/PSOBu

Bayer, BASF, Corteva and Syngenta are the four members of the Agricultural Biotechnology Council (ABC), which claims to โ€œprovide factual information and education about the agricultural use of GM technology in the UK.โ€101โ€œAbout ABC,โ€ Agricultural Biotechnology Council. Archived January 21, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qB0XO 

In a 2019 โ€œIndustry Associations Review,โ€ BASF acknowledged that the American Chemistry Councilโ€™s position on climate policies was โ€œ alignedโ€ with BASFโ€™s view.102โ€œIndustry Associations Review โ€“ 2019,โ€ BASF. Archived November 12, 2020. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2019, Politico reported that four of Europeโ€™s biggest agrochemical companies โ€” Corteva, Bayer, Syngenta and BASF โ€” were ending their involvement in EuropaBio, a trade group which represents companies involved in biotechnology.103Cristina Gonzalez. โ€œPOLITICO EU Influence, presented by Deutsche Bรถrse: The vape debate โ€” Top job vacancy โ€” Hungarian transparency flap,โ€ Politico, December 13, 2019. Archived November 29, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/8TDiF However, as of September 2022, a representative of BASF was still listed as a โ€œregular memberโ€ of EuropaBio on the groupโ€™s website.104โ€œAbout us,โ€ EuropaBio. Archived December 1, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.fo/g4F7u

BASF is a partner of BusinessEurope, which describes itself as โ€œthe leading advocate for growth and competitiveness at European level.โ€105โ€œASGroup – our partner companies,โ€ BusinessEurope. Archived September 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/t7MzU 106โ€œMission and prioritiesโ€, BusinessEurope. Archived September 12, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/aAaXZ 

In July 2022, Corporate Europe Observatory accused BusinessEurope of โ€œdeploy[ing] the Ukraine crisis to serve their agenda,โ€ because the organization sent a letter to the European Council in March 2022 which called on the EU to “impose new requirements only when absolutely necessary” and to avoid “burdensome requirements” in light of the invasion.107Vicky Cann. โ€œExploiting the Ukraine crisis for Big Business,โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, July 28, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/llm7Y 108โ€œBusinessEuropeโ€™s message to the Spring European Council on 24-25 March 2022,โ€ BusinessEurope, March 22, 2022. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZSGLo 

BASF is a member of the Sustainable Productivity Growth Coalition (SPG), which was launched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the United Nations Food Systems Summit in 2021.109โ€œSPG Coalition Members and How to Join,โ€ US Department of Agriculture. Archived September 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/PWDlI The USDA describes the coalition as a โ€œchannel for cooperation to foster more sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, while ensuring the availability and affordability of food around the world.โ€110โ€œSustainable Productivity Growth Coalition,โ€ Foreign Agriculture Service. Archived September 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SLTjr 

Its members include states (such as the EU, the U.S., and Brazil), academic and research institutions, and foundations and other organizations, alongside the private sector. Private sector members include: Bayer, CropLife International, FMC Corporation, Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta, the Fertilizer Institute, and the U.S. Dairy Export Council.111โ€œSPG Coalition Members and How to Join,โ€ U.S. Department of Agriculture. Archived September 7, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/PWDlI COPA-COGECA described the coalition as โ€œthe building of an anti-F2F group,โ€ according to Corporate Europe Observatory.112โ€œA loud lobby for a silent spring: The pesticide industryโ€™s lobbying tactics against Farm to Fork.โ€ Corporate Europe Observatory, March 17, 2022. Archived July 26, 2022. Archive PDF: https://archive.ph/hpFb3 

In May 2021, BASF became a founding member of the European Carbon+ Farming Coalition.113โ€œEU Carbon+ Farming Coalition,โ€ World Economic Forum. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/20FNt According to the United Nations, the coalition โ€œwas launched as part of a larger effort to transform global food systems, under the auspices of the WEF [World Economic Forum]โ€ and โ€œaims to promote regenerative and climate-smart practices to better Manage Europeโ€™s farmlands, contributing to the decarbonization of the European food system, healthier soils and more resilient farms.โ€114Lera Miles, Raquel Agra, Sandeep Sengupta, Adriana Vidal, Barney Dickson. โ€œNature-based solutions for climate change mitigation,โ€ United Nations Environment Programme and International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2021. Archived September 6, 2022. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. The majority of partners in the coalition are corporations, including Bayer CropScience and Syngenta Group, alongside just one university and one NGO.115โ€œEU Carbon+ Farming Coalition,โ€ World Economic Forum. Archived September 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/20FNt

BASF also sponsors and sits on the international board of the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC), a technical group run by agribusiness industry association CropLife International.116โ€œIntroduction to IRAC,โ€ Insecticide Resistance Action Committee. Archived November 16, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IMvb9 BASF also leads its working group on โ€œcrop protection.โ€

IRAC describes itself as โ€œthe global authority on Insecticide Resistance Management,โ€ and focuses on communication and education regarding resistance to insecticides, and developing and implementing โ€œresistance management strategies.โ€ IRACโ€™s international executive board also includes Bayer, Corteva Agriscience, FMC, Sumitomo Chemical, and Syngenta.117โ€œIntroduction to IRAC,โ€ Insecticide Resistance Action Committee. Archived November 16, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/IMvb9 

IRAC Europe is represented on and regularly presents its findings to the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisationโ€™s Expert Working Group on Resistance to Plant Protection Products (EPPO), an intergovernmental panel which writes guidelines on pesticides for Europe.118โ€œEPPO Expert Working Group on Resistance to Plant Protection Products,โ€ EPPO, June 2022. Archived November 16, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Virkt Pesticide Action Network says that guidelines written by the group โ€œdirect regulators to approve the most harmful chemicals and dismiss safer alternativesโ€ in the EU, and that corporations โ€œwrote their own rules in their own interest and [EPPO] officials approved them.โ€119โ€œPesticide Paradise: How industry and officials protected the most toxic pesticides from a policy push for sustainable farming,โ€ Pesticide Action Network Europe, September 2022. Archived November 16, 2022. Archive .pdf on file at DeSmog.

According to a 2021 video of an AmCham EU webinar on the Green Deal and Sustainable Agriculture, Thomas Narbeshuber, Managing Director of BASF Hungary, leads the AmCham EU Green Deal Working Group. Anja Klatt, BASF senior manager of government affairs for crop protection, also spoke during the event.120โ€œAmCham EU Green Deal Plenary Session on Sustainable Agriculture 20211011โ€, YouTube video uploaded by user AmCham Hungary on October 12, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

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