The price of potatoes will double as a consequence of new EU legislation, which seeks to ban large numbers of the pesticides commonly used in modern agriculture.
That is one of the findings of a study by the Cranfield School of Management, used by Farmers Weekly as it launches a new “Save our Sprays” campaign, to “keep farming productive”. The study also claims that bread will go up by more than 10p a loaf, pork chops will increase by 40p a kg and a carton of milk will cost 3p a litre more without these crop protection products, as food output throughout Europe drops significantly.
“At face value, banning pesticides from the food chain may seem like a good thing, said campaign manager Phillip Clarke. “Certainly it is an ‘easy win’ for MEPs keen to get re-elected. But on closer inspection the plan is fundamentally flawed.
“First and foremost, we are concerned at the effect the proposals will have on food availability and the price of food to consumers.
“Independent research, soon to be released by the Cranfield School of Management, will show that, should the European parliament succeed in banning 85 per cent of current pesticides, then the price of cereals will have to double in order to make up for the drop in output.”
Historically, food is still relatively cheap, absorbing less than 10 per cent of average household income, said Clarke. “But food price inflation is already in double figures and for the poorest families, who spend over 30 per cent of their income on food, any further increase will have a devastating impact.”
