The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will launch the Green Deal in Brussels at noon Irish time on Wednesday. Reports circulating suggest that it will recommend big cuts in the use of pesticides and fertiliser by EU farmers.

The Irish Farmers Journal has heard that cuts of up to 50% on the use of pesticide by 2030 will be suggested in agriculture, with cuts in fertiliser use also proposed and a target set for expansion of organic production.

The Green Deal will be the theme of this Commission and transcends all sectors of the economy and society

The Green Deal will be the theme of this Commission and transcends all sectors of the economy and society. The role of agriculture will be more precisely defined in a farm to fork strategy that will be developed over the coming weeks and published in spring 2020 by the Commission's health department, not its agriculture body.

Member states will be expected to present national strategic plans for the delivery of the next CAP that reflect the ambitions of the Green Deal.

Stella Kyriakidou, European commissioner for health and food safety.

The new health and food safety commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, told the Outlook conference on Tuesday that she sees CAP as the tool that will deliver these targets.

It is also thought that they will look to develop a tool box to create alternatives to chemical pesticides and innovation, including new genomic techniques to adapt to climate change.

Overall, it is expected that the Green Deal will target reduction of EU emissions by a minimum of 50% by 2030, with an ambition of achieving up to a 55% reduction.