The importance of ensuring that regulation of plant protection products is based on sound science was emphasised to the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, by NFU Cymru in a recent meeting.
The Union’s Healthy Harvest campaign, backed by a report by Andersons, concludes that there are severe impacts on UK agriculture and the wider economy from the loss or restriction of plant protection products due to over-precautionary EU regulation.
Speaking after the meeting, Perkin Evans, Chairman of NFU Cymru’s Combinable Crops and Horticulture Working Group said, “I am most grateful to the Deputy Minister for meeting with us today to discuss the important issues that are raised by this report. Over the last few years a very large number of chemicals have been removed from the market, leaving us more heavily dependent on a small number of older, less effective chemicals. This not only leaves us less able to control pests and pathogens, but using fewer and fewer chemicals also increases the likelihood of resistance emerging. The irony of course is that as Europe continues to increase regulation in this area, we will simply end up importing our food from other parts of the world, which have more favourable attitudes towards more efficient food production.
Mr Evans continued, “It is vital that European policy-makers properly assess both the risk and impact of decisions affecting food production, and what the impact is of getting these decisions wrong. A more proportional approach to risk in the EU is needed, otherwise our productive capacity will be seriously eroded at the very time that we need to be stepping up to the challenge of producing more food.
“I am pleased to have been able to speak to the Deputy Minister and I am glad that she has been willing to listen to our message on the need for a more sensible and proportionate approach to risk from regulators. I have urged the Deputy Minister to put the importance of productive agriculture at the forefront of her mind when it comes to discussions with her UK and European counterparts on this important issue.”
