Brussels, Belgium
January 13, 2009
The Plant Protection Industry
looks forward to more and better science in the wake of the
European Parliament's majority support for its pesticide
regulatory package. Parliament voted in favour of the trialogue
agreement on the regulation governing authorisation of plant
protection products and in favour of the trialogue agreement on
the framework directive ensuring the sustainable use of
pesticides. The package must now be officially adopted by the
Council before being published in the Official Journal of the
EU. The definitive implementation of the legislation is expected
for the second half of 2010.
"Once we enter the implementation phase of the process, we
intend to help make sure that the path that is followed is based
on fact, not fear," said Friedhelm Schmider, Director General of
the European Crop Protection
Association. "We hope that we are now leaving behind a
period of sensational claims and that the approach to the
application of this legislation will be one of great care and
due diligence."
The vote on the legislation concerning the placing of plant
protection products on the market:
Pest management products are used to fight insects, fungus,
disease and weeds in all forms of agriculture including organic.
They are essential to producing and preserving the food supply.
The banning criteria (cut-offs) are of major concern to industry
and the whole European food chain. European farmers have already
lost 60% of the substances previously available during the
initial review process that preceded this latest legislative
initiative.
"Now the question arises of what further losses are in store for
both the farmer's pest fighting portfolio and European food
production as a result of the legislation," added Schmider. "To
some extent the loss of more useful substances without a
scientific rationale could be avoided during 2nd reading. We
will work with European policy makers and our partners in the
food chain to support a sensible implementation of the remaining
provisions of concern. The decision-making so far has been done
in the absence of a comprehensive impact assessment, which would
certainly be very helpful in ensuring that the next steps are
the right ones to safely secure Europe's food supply."
While the adoption of cut-off criteria remains of great concern
to industry, other areas of the new legislation, such as the new
rules on parallel trade and national provisional authorisations,
are hailed by ECPA.
The vote on the Framework Directive on the sustainable use of
pesticides:
"This legislation is largely welcomed by industry because it
harmonizes with our commitment to the safe, environmentally
sound use of our products," said Schmider. "We can see very
clearly that the key to the sustainable use of plant protection
products lies in further risk reduction."
Industry recognizes that all actions directed to this aim should
be both ecologically and economically viable, rendering
agriculture sustainable and food production secure in Europe.
ECPA applauds the focus on elements that contribute to these
goals, such as the regular inspection of equipment, education
and training of users, and integrated pest management. "We also
appreciate that the measures can be adapted to meet different
national needs."
However, Schmider indicated that it is industry's firm position
that arbitrary use reduction is neither an appropriate means of
risk reduction nor a promoter of sustainable practices. "Indeed,
there is no direct systematic link between the amount of product
used (whether measured in total quantity or number of
treatments) and the risk involved. It is crucial that this
perspective be considered when establishing national action
plans on the sustainable use of plant protection products."
The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) represents
the crop protection industry interests at European level. Its
members include all major companies and national associations
across Europe. For more information:
www.ecpa.eu. |
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