Deputy backs calls for rethink of EU pesticide rules

A senior MEP has thrown his weight behind opposition to a possible reduction in the use of agricultural pesticides.

UK Tory deputy Neil Parish, chairman of parliament’s agriculture committee, said on Monday that he “fully supports” a petition signed by 72 scientists voicing concern over the rate at which crop protection products are being removed from the market.

The petition calls for a “full and proper” scientific assessment of the impact of the pesticides directive currently being debated in parliament.

“The current draft legislation could have a huge impact and I share the scientists’ concern,” said Parish.

“We must not move from a risk-based system to a hazard-based system. I fully support the petition and will be encouraging the commission to listen to the scientists.”

 Parish was speaking after receiving the petition and before chairing an agriculture committee meeting on Monday, which was due to discuss the controversial directive.

It was presented to him by Professor John Lucas, from UK-based Rothamsted Research, an independent research body.

The petition comes as parliament is due to decide on a new regulation on the placement of pesticides on the market, which will substitute the current directive.

Lucas told this website that all pesticides were carefully regulated and scientifically assessed before their use.

He said that if the legislation is enacted a “large proportion” of pesticides currently in use will become unavailable to farmers.

The academic said the proposal could change the way pesticides are authorised for use, “substantially reducing” the number of products available for plant protection.

He said European farmers are already facing “resistance problems as a result of a limited crop protection portfolio”.

“European agriculture is not in a position to be losing more active ingredients. We fear that we will not be able to replace the substances banned at the speed that policy makers believe.”

“The industry is only able to launch about five new active ingredients per year. This is ten times less than the rate at which they have been removed from the market, but pests develop resistance faster than the industry finds solutions. Farmers need to have a variety of pesticides to maintain efficient pest management programmes.”

The petition was also endorsed by another British MEP, Robert Sturdy.

“If the proposals are upheld, EU agriculture and the production of food will be seriously threatened. Pesticides are essential for meeting the increasing demands for food and fuel, without them farmers will be defenceless against crop pests, viruses and disease outbreaks.”

Ian Denholm, also from Rothamsted Research, will deliver the petition – an extension of the so-called Declaration of Ljubljana agreed by a small group of key European agricultural experts in Slovenia in April – to British premier Gordon Brown on Thursday.

Parliament’s environment committee must give its opinion on the directive before a second reading expected to take place in January.

 

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