Latest UK NFUs action on pesticides

Calls for a proper impact assessment and concerns about the impact of the new pesticides proposals on the availability of products for farmers increased last week with the formal transfer of the dossier back to the European Parliament for its second reading. In response to a question supported by UK NFUs from UK MEP Bill Newton-Dunn (East Mids, Lib Dem) the Commission confirmed that the only impact assessment completed to date is the one published by the PSD in the UK. Commissioner Vassiliou claims that the PSD report is based on worst case scenarios and therefore "e;unrealistic"e;. This is the message received from her staff during the NFU"e;s lobbying on this issue and despite insistence that further information is necessary, a formal critique has not been forthcoming.

As the vote in Environment Committee is scheduled for November, the UK NFUs kicked off a series of meeting with MEPs and other EU farming unions last week. Although there is some support for the NFU"e;s position within Parliament, there are still a number of MEPs who are failing to understand the consequences of these proposals for agriculture. In particular the German Green, Hiltrud Breyer, who is leading on the report, claimed that the concerns being raised by some lobby groups are a "e;delaying tactic"e; aimed at obstructing the tight timetable for agreement.