With new EU legislation on the approval and use of pesticides taking effect, continued progress in stewardship will be crucial to the future success of the European crop protection sector.
That was the verdict of Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the UK Crop Protection Association, as he addressed an audience of some 300 industry experts and policy makers at the 2010 Ag Chem forum in Lyon, France.
According to Mr Dyer, growing concerns over higher food prices and the global security threat meant that the economic importance of crop protection was now more widely recognised by policy makers and politicians.
However, he warned that the crop protection industry could not afford to rest on its laurels in terms of maintaining public confidence in pesticides.
'As an industry we have made enormous progress over the past decade, in areas such as spray equipment testing and maintenance, application technology, sprayer operator exposure and residue reduction management,' said Mr Dyer.
'However, as we look to the future and the implementation of the EU Sustainable Use and Water Framework Directives, we must continue to focus industry resources and expertise on tackling key issues such as water quality standards and biodiversity protection.'
He noted that the EU crop protection industry was the most highly regulated sector of the chemical industry, and that effective crop protection tools were essential to the production of safe, high-quality food.
'We can be proud of our achievements and the wider public good we contribute to society, but we must also ensure that we continue to set the highest possible stewardship standards for our products across the agriculture, amenity and garden sectors,' Mr Dyer added.
