Scientists call for EU pesticides rethink
Posted, December 02, 2008 @ 11:00
EU proposals could cause pests to develop resistances
Brussels, 1st December 2008 -- EU plans to reduce the number of plant protection products on the market could lead to pests developing new resistances, a group of scientists has warned Euro-MPs today as they presented a petition to the European Parliament.
Conservative MEPs Robert Sturdy and Neil Parish, the Conservative chairman of the parliament's agriculture committee, have welcomed the petition from 72 scientists and agriculturists, in which they voice their concerns over proposals to change the way pesticides are authorised, and to significantly reduce the products available.
The scientists say that fewer active ingredients will mean pests regularly treated with a single product type are more likely to develop a resistance. Experts agree that European farmers are already facing resistance problems as a result of a limited crop protection portfolio.
Mr Sturdy has already warned that the proposals adopted by the European Parliament's environment committee will make food production increasingly difficult at a time of concerning food security. Conservatives have been pressing for a full impact assessment on the proposals to determine their effect on food production.
Mr Sturdy said:
"The proposals adopted by MEPs in the environment committee must be adapted by the full parliament. We need safe chemicals, but we also need to ensure we can meet our own food demands.
"If some MEPs get their way, EU agriculture and food production will be seriously threatened. Pesticides are essential if we are to meet the growing demand for food, not only in the EU, but in the developing world also. Without plant protection products our crops will become defenceless against pests and viruses."
Professor John Lucas, Head of the Plant Pathology and Microbiology Department at Rothamsted Research - the largest agricultural research institute in the United Kingdom - delivered the petition. He said:
“European agriculture is not in a position to be losing more active ingredients.
"We fear that we will not be able to replace the substances banned at the speed that policy makers believe. The industry is only able to launch about five new active ingredients per year. This is ten times less than the rate at which they have been removed from the market, but pests develop resistance faster than the industry finds solutions.
"Farmers need to have a variety of pesticides to maintain efficient pest management programs.”