NFU president to meet EU health commissioner

TB, pesticides, EID and GMOs will be on the agenda when NFU President Peter Kendall meets Androulla Vassiliou, the EU Commissioner in charge of public health, tomorrow in Brussels.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, on Wednesday July 16, which he will attend in his capacity as vice president of COPA , Mr Kendall said: "I am looking forward to meeting with Mrs Vassiliou and the timing for this meeting could not have been appropriate. DG SANCO, the Commission Directorate for which Mrs Vassiliou is responsible, is presiding over several issues that are critical for UK and EU farmers.

"I shall be asking her what progress is being made towards reaching a solution to the problems of high feed prices that are being exacerbated by EU rules on zero tolerance for unauthorised GMOs in animal feed. The Commission recently indicated that a technical solution would be found before the summer and it is important that very real progress is made on this dossier.

"Secondly, I shall be expressing in the strongest possible terms our concerns surrounding pesticide approvals. Mrs Vassiliou and her officials have staunchly defended the move towards a hazard based approach to setting approval criteria which work by the UK's Pesticide Safety Directorate indicated could lead to as many as 38 per cent of some pesticides being removed from the market.

"I will want to know how the Commission can justify its approach to these proposals in the absence of a proper assessment on the impact on food production at a time of heightened public concern over food prices and security.

"Also, with the planned introduction of mandatory EID in sheep and goats from 31 December 2009 I will be communicating to the Commission just how large and disproportionate the cost impact of this measure will be on livestock keepers, not to mention the pervading concerns about the efficacy of the technology.

"Finally, give the farce of an indecision taken by the UK government in respect of controlling bovine TB, I will be briefing the Commissioner on the current situation in the UK and seeking her assistance on pressing Defra to take immediate action to tackle the presence of infection in wildlife," said Mr Kendall.