You have been in the role as Director General of ECPA for nearly a year now, after you replaced Dr Friedhelm Schmider in November last year. How have you found the past 12 months? What challenges have you personally faced, and what positive changes have you seen?
Jean-Charles Bocquet: The last 12 months have been a new step for me – a new environment, new challenges, new people – but it has been a great experience.
In recent months we have been working to demonstrate that the crop protection industry is committed to sustainable productive agriculture that helps meet global challenges while protecting the environment. People are not used to hearing sustainable agriculture and pesticides in one sentence, but this is what we have to change. We have done a lot to promote our policy vision for Europe (www.visionforeurope.eu) that fosters rather than discourages innovation. Agriculture today is faced with challenges – limited land, scarce resources – and we need modern tools like pesticides to feed the growing population. We want to share that vision with the EU political leaders and the decision makers, and we hope to see some changes in the coming months.
The regulatory field remains a very difficult one, with lots of work, delays and uncertainties in the implementation of the 1107/2009 regulation, the definition of the endocrine disruptors criteria and the pollinator situation.
What major developments have there been in the crop protection industry, that the ECPA has been involved in, during the past year?
JCB: We have really been building on the projects in the industry’s Hungry for Change initiative. Pesticides help today’s farmers ensure the supply of healthy, high-quality and affordable food that we often take for granted. But the important and valuable solutions our industry brings also come with a commitment from the industry to protect consumers’ and farmers’ health, and the environment.
Hungry for Change includes projects in four thematic areas – Food, Water, Health and Biodiversity – that encourage the safe and sustainable use of pesticides in countries across Europe.
Under the biodiversity stream we have worked together with ECAF and IAD to develop a project called INSPIA, the European Index for Sustainable Productive Agriculture. With a selection of verified indicators and an online monitoring tool, INSPIA provides farmers reference and guidance for the implementation and improvement of management practices that are beneficial to both the harvest and local biodiversity. On water, for instance, we have TOPPS (Train Operators to Promote best Practice and Sustainability) that comprises of a series of projects, which use best management practices to avoid pesticide contamination of water in and near farmland.
Under health, we have The Safe and Sustainable Use Initiative (SUI) and Container Management that sees ECPA work with regional authorities and other partners to safeguard farmers’ health by promoting the use of protective clothing and equipment, training, disposal of empty containers and communicating the benefits of innovative pesticide application techniques.
When you were appointed, you said that you wanted to make a strong case for crop protection as an important component of a productive and sustainable agricultural sector. Do you feel that this case is being more widely acknowledged now, or is there still much work to be done to ensure crop protection gains recognition for its value to the agriculture industry?
JCB: I think we have taken some real steps forward in making our case, but people still would not place sustainable agriculture and pesticides in the same sentence. We probably have not done a good enough job to explain the benefits of our products, and we assume people just take them for granted. Nobody questions the value of pharmaceuticals; we need to remind people that pesticides serve the same function in terms of plant health.
We forget that currently we lose 25-40 per cent of the world’s potential crop production and without effective pest management solutions, including pesticides that loss could double. We need to be better at explaining the benefits of the products and what they bring to our society. At the same time we also need to be better at explaining any misconceptions around our industry and address any concerns.
The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) latest annual report on pesticide residues showed European food in a positive light when it came to the presence (or lack of) of pesticide residues. Did you expect these strong results? And what can be done to make food even more compliant with MRLs?
JCB: Yes, this is very good news for European consumers, European farmers and our industry. Some 97.5 per cent of the tested food products were within the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides permitted in the EU.
It demonstrates both the current high-level skill of pesticide users and the high level of food safety that we can enjoy in Europe. More can be done however – the crop protection industry takes consumers’ concerns about pesticide residues very seriously. Together with local partners, we have established two pilot projects: one focusing on Mediterranean greenhouse production in Spain where we have seen a great improvement in residue management; and another on quality of fresh produce imports from Turkey, which exports produce to the EU. Through training and advisory programmes, we are supporting the management of residues through the promotion of Integrated Pest Management principles and good agricultural practices.
What are the main challenges facing the crop protection industry?
JCB: The crop protection industry, highly committed to research and development, is focused on the development of always safer, more target-specific and environmentally benign products, as well as its support for responsible use and integrated farming practices that ensure pesticides can be used more effectively and safely at the same time. However, in order to place a product on the market, it takes an ever-increasing investment in time and money. Researching, developing and registering each new active ingredient takes at an average of ten years, involving up to 300 scientific studies covering health and environmental impact, and costs more than €250m.
In the EU, restrictive new pesticide approval rules remove more products from the market than can be developed to replace them; Europe’s farmers risk losing vital crop protection tools necessary to maintain current levels of production, let alone increase production to meet emerging needs. The greatest challenge therefore is to drive innovation from lab to market – knowing that with a lack of available alternatives pests and diseases can quickly develop resistance and pose a threat to crops.
What opportunities do you see for Europe's crop protection industry in the coming year? Or looking even further ahead?
JCB: The increasing demand for food and the limitation of available land are opportunities to produce more in a better way and our members are committed to contributing to this opportunity thanks to solutions covering traditional chemistry, bio solutions, decision-making tools and services.
Another initiative I’m particularly proud to be a part of is the establishment of a broad Agri-Food Chain Coalition. ECPA is one of 11 European associations representing the whole agri-food sector, from farm to fork, with a shared vision in favor of policies that support agricultural innovation. We presented our 'Food for Thought' declaration to EU agriculture ministers in May and we plan a lot more coordinated work in the coming months by sharing that vision with the MEPs in the European Parliament and with the new Commission members.
We find sustainability, both environmental and social, is high on the list of priorities for most organisations. How does crop protection contribute to this?
JCB: As an industry, we are always working to provide innovative solutions for boosting agricultural productivity while protecting the environment – and helping to ensure that Europe’s farmers can meet the growing demand for healthy, high quality and affordable food. In recent years we have also seen the need to contribute to the sustainability of modern agriculture by reaching out to relevant stakeholders. That’s why back in 2011 we launched the Hungry for Change initiative – the industry’s recognition that sustainable solutions are best found when we all work together.
Since that time we have set up an impressive array of projects that work towards ensuring safe and affordable food, safeguarding and protecting water, enhancing biodiversity, and protecting farmers’ health. We hope that by talking about these issues more openly and frankly – and by working on them with all stakeholders, delivering concrete projects in the field, we can really make a difference.
In the aftermath of the Russian ban on European fresh produce, how has the ECPA been impacted? Have you seen an increased workload as companies look to alternative markets for their produce?
JCB: The situation is negatively affecting trade in Europe; this is particularly true for the vegetable sector, for fruits and specialty crops. It’s too early to really estimate what will be the situation for the farmers in the next season for Russia and Ukraine where they will have to produce for their own needs, but also for Western Europe, where some record harvests (in apples and pears in many countries) are having an impact on prices and strategies for 2015. This is also adding uncertainty for our members.
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