Following on from the trialogue agreement in the European Parliament on Strasbourg last week, analysis of the voting has shown that around three quarters of UK MEPs voted to support the amendments which would have made the process more flexible and reduced the overall impact, as recommended by the UK farming unions. Unfortunately the level of support from other countries was very low.
The timetable is now as follows:
• Expected to be rubber stamped in Council in March
• The legislation will enter force 18 months after this date, expected late 2010
• The first pesticides will be reviewed under the new regulation in 2011 eg esfenvalerate, amitrole, 2,4 D. The bulk of pesticides will not be lost in the period 2016-2018 as their existing approval runs up to this time. However several key pesticides will be lost in 2013 including pendamethalin and linuron
• A full list of the pesticides likely to be affected will be available shortly
Key NFU concerns and focus of activity are now:
• Re-iterating the call for a full impact assessment to be carried out prior to the legislation entering force
• Working to ensure those areas that are currently undefined or poorly defined are satisfactorily defined based on sound science
• Making sure the directive is not gold plated by Defra
• Working to ensure that research funds are identified and work starts shortly on looking at alternative methods of control, both with alternative pesticides and with non-chemical control.