Growers are being urged to lobby their MEPs to avoid facing drastic cuts in pesticide use.
Having discovered the full details of the EU Parliament environment committee's recent vote for swingeing cuts in pesticide use, the National Farmers’ Union is calling on the industry to follow its lead and lobby in advance of a crucial vote on September 10.
The committee's proposals, which form its response to the European Commission's planned new Sustainable Use Directive of the Thematic Strategy on Pesticides, include specific EU targets to reduce pesticide use by 25 per cent over five years and 50 per cent over 10 years, additional national targets for a 50 per cent reduction by 2013 of substances of very high concern and those classified as toxic or very toxic substances. A system of taxes or levies on pesticides to fund national action plans, a proposal for a European wide tax or levy on all pesticides with the proceeds used to promote low input and organic farming, compulsory buffer zones of at least 10m alongside watercourses with no flexibility allowed, even for products with aquatic clearance and a complete ban on spraying vertical crops such as orchards alongside or near watercourses are also included as part of the proposals.
“The EU Parliament agriculture committee put forward considerably more pragmatic proposals, but these were rejected by the environment committee, which leads this process,” said Chris Hartfield, NFU horticulture adviser. “Pesticide usage in the UK is strictly controlled…Rather than making unjustified radical cuts in pesticide use that may actually threaten the sustainability of the industry, we believe the Commission should focus its attention on ensuring the whole of Europe operates to the same high standard.
“It is vital MEPs vote against the environment committee amendments and support the agricultural committee amendments. Opportunity for this will happen during an environment committee meeting on September 10-11, and during a plenary session at the end of September.”
A list of MEPs on the environment committee is available on the NFU website. “If your MEP is not on the environment committee, then contact them and…try to persuade them not to support the environment committee's report,” said Dr Hartfield.
“Stress that if adopted as it stands this legislation will create major difficulties for UK and European growers and farmers, and will decrease their competitiveness.”
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