Persistence pays on pesticides
The European Parliament has voted to drop some of the most contentious and potentially damaging aspects of the proposed "Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of Pesticides", following many months of lobbying by the NFU.
At the Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg yesterday, MEPs voted to reject a series of proposals from the Parliament's Environment Committee, any one of which could have severely hampered the productive capacity of British farming, at a time when that is more important to the country than for many years.
These included: an EU-wide 50 per cent cut in pesticide use over the next ten years; introduction of a pesticides tax; compulsory notification of neighbours prior to spraying taking place; and compulsory ten metre buffer strips when spraying alongside watercourses.
NFU Deputy President, Meurig Raymond, who was in Strasbourg to lobby MEPs in the run-up to the voting, hailed the outcome as a victory for practicality over prejudice.
"We are as concerned as anyone that pesticides should be used safely and in ways that do not inconvenience or impinge upon the public or the environment.
"But some of these proposals were way over the top, and were a reflection of unthinking prejudice against pesticides, rather than any sort of considered judgement as to the balance that needs to be struck between optimising food production and protecting the environment."
However, Mr Raymond said that there remained areas of difficulty, particularly in relation to the so-called "Registration Regulations", which would need to be resolved when the draft legislation comes to be considered by the EU Council.
"There are some good things in this part of the legislation, particularly in relation to national provisional approval and support for minor uses, but there are also some potential threats.
"We shall be lobbying the Council to move further towards harmonising pesticide approvals across the EU, and to ensure that the so-called "cut-off criteria" that might lead to a pesticide being withdrawn are genuinely proportionate to the risks.
"In all of this, it is vital that decision-making is guided by science, not by sentiment. MEPs have moved a long way down that road, but there are still changes that need to be made to ensure that we strike the right balance between production and protection."
