Commercial farming of cereals and vegetables such as carrots, onions and parsnips in Britain will be badly damaged under proposals to curb pesticides backed by EU agriculture ministers this week, farmers and government watchdogs claim.
More stringent safety tests wanted by many MEPs could effectively destroy crop farming as currently practised in the UK and much of Europe within a few years, they claim, potentially sending prices soaring and exacerbating world food shortages.
But supporters of the controls accuse the farming and pesticides industries of trying to creating panic through "propaganda" on the potential impacts.
Britain, Romania, Hungary and Ireland abstained on Monday as ministers agreed a package that could lead to large numbers of pesticides being outlawed because of fears they can cause cancer, disrupt genes and hormones and cause reproductive problems. MEPs want extra safeguards including ensuring chemicals are not toxic to bees and do not damage the nervous system.
The UK government’s pesticides safety directorate (PSD) has warned the package of measures could result in cereal yields falling by up to 30%, with big losses in vegetable crops.
No final decision will be made on the proposals until early in 2009, but the PSD alleges they could mean the end of conventional commercial agriculture in Britain and much of the EU. The final decision must be made jointly by ministers and the parliament and there is likely to be some compromise between the two positions.
