EU agriculture ministers have approved stricter controls on the use of pesticides, after two years of debate.
The package - which still needs the backing of the European Parliament - would force farmers to abandon substances found to be toxic to humans.
Carcinogenic chemicals or those harmful to human hormones or reproduction would be banned. Pesticides would no longer be approved nationally, but regionally.
Hungary, the Irish Republic, Romania and the UK abstained from the vote.
UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn argued that more scientific studies were needed to assess the likely impact of the controls.
"We cannot support measures that would have significant adverse impacts on crop protection," he said, quoted by the Associated Press on Monday.