The UK pesticide sector have urged the government to maintain current controls on the use and distribution of pesticides as the EU Sustainable Use Directive is implemented into UK law.
Both the Crop Protection Association (CPA) and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) have written to Defra secretary Caroline Spelman expressing concerns over the incoming legislation, reports Fruitnet.com
The crop protection groups noted that government plans to transpose the text of the Directive directly into UK law - a move designed to avoid any 'gold-plating' of EU legislation - could undermine the strength of existing UK standards on user and adviser certification and training.
The Sustainable Use Directive would require EU member states to merely provide access to training, rather than state that all sprayer operations and advisers must be trained and certified by law.
"Normally we would support government moves to avoid gold-plating of EU legislation, but in this case it would result in a dilution of the existing robust UK controls on pesticide use," said Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the CPA.
"While the Voluntary Initiative and Farm Assurance Schemes may ensure that standards are maintained among farmers and growers they cover, we feel this would be a backward step after the UK crop protection sector has worked hard to set the highest stewardship standards in Europe," Dyer added.
The CPA and AIC are therefore urging the government to ensure that the UK implementing legislation reflects the intent of the Directive to reinforce controls on the use and distribution of pesticides, rather than weaken them.
This is particularly with regards to the country's current statutory requirement for certification for sprayer operations, an extension of this requirement for all advisers, and new provisions for ongoing training and professional development, the CPA noted.
"If transposed directly, the Sustainable Use Directive has the potential to sweep away current professional standards on user and adviser certification and training," said AIC chief executive David Caffall. "This is a particular concern in sectors where uptake of schemes is voluntary and membership of assurance schemes is not a requirement.
"The industry remains committed to promoting best practice in the distribution and use of pesticides and this must be underpinned by legislation to protect and enforce minimum standards," he explained.
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