Unfounded drive for new mycotoxin rules leaves UK farmers at risk

The NFU has called for EU legislators to think very carefully before approving rules which could see around 16 per cent of UK oats removed from the food chain.

Despite the European Food Safety Authority concluding that there is no health risk at the current levels from cereal grains in European diets some EU Member States are pushing to introduce unnecessarily low threshold levels for T2 and HT2 Mycotoxins in cereals.

Ian Backhouse, NFU combinable crops chairman and chairman of the Copa-Cogeca cereals working group, which represents all EU farming unions, told a high-level conference meeting in Brussels today that introducing new tolerance levels must be rejected.

’Quite rightly Europe leaves no margin for error when it comes to the safety of its food products’ he said. ’That is why we already have rigorous checks in place to ensure cereals are safe for human consumption.

’But we do not want to see the European Commission rejecting scientific advice from EFSA and over regulating the industry for no obvious benefit. EFSA has said quite clearly that there are no human health issues at the current T2 and HT2 tolerance levels and I don’t understand why that advice would be rejected or ignored.

’At this time when we are being asked to produce more food to feed a growing population excluding around 16 per cent of our oat crop from the food chain seems ludicrous. European farmers do not want to be burdened with extra cost and administration which according to the evidence would be for no good reason.’