Under threat

Under threat

Potato and leafy vegetable production in the UK could be slashed by up to 60 per cent in the next five to 10 years, if EU proposals to restrict the amount of plant protection products available to farmers are implemented.

The EU’s proposals to replace directive 91/414/EEC could also render production of other home-grown fruits and vegetables - such as peas, beans, onions, carrots, lettuce and strawberries - uneconomic. The impending legislation, first tabled in July 2006 and already well advanced in the European Commission and European Parliament, could lead to a loss of over 80 per cent of the products essential for farmers to produce these crops.

The potential statistics - revealed by the UK Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) and independent advisors to fifty food chain stakeholders at a British Crop Protection Council (BCPC) Food Chain Forum last week - have provided a much-needed wake-up call to the UK’s horticultural and arable industries.

PSD chief agronomist David Richardson, who presented the results of the directorate’s impact assessment, said: “Pesticides deliver quality pest- and disease-free produce, offer higher yields and consistency, and ensure affordable food and security of supply. It is very clear that growers must have a range of chemical and non-chemical solutions to choose from.”

The meeting heard that pesticides in Europe are already highly regulated, and that no evidence of the proposed legislation having a benefit to human health had been put forward. The proposals were criticised for their poorly defined “cut-off” criteria, and the lack of impact studies from other EU member states to determine the effect on food supply/price, the environment and health was also highlighted.

The findings revealed that consumers and retailers would have to accept "radical changes in diet", since those fruit and vegetables still available would cost at least twice as much, and would often be damaged by disease and insects. The effects would not be confined to UK produce, since the legislation affects all European food production.

Consultant Cathy Knott said: “Consumers are used to perfect fruit and vegetables, and will not take kindly to a change in this situation. The proposals in their current state could spell disaster for many crops. The vegetable industry is already struggling to survive due to the loss of certain key substances.

“If you can’t control pests, weeds or diseases, you won’t be able to control crops in the EU - where then will that leave schemes like 5 A DAY?”

The rules would also decimate wheat production. Jim Orson, research and technical director at The Arable Group, said: “Artificially restricting pesticide availability will not only reduce yields, but also the flexibility in cropping and crop management regimes to reduce their environmental impact.

“I am not arguing for the status quo, as there are issues with pesticides that need to be addressed - but I am arguing for the tools to continue farming sustainably.”

There are now calls for ministers and MEPs to act swiftly, before the legislation proceeds further in Brussels. Richardson said: “The UK is a lone voice at the moment at European level. Within the PSD, we have the agronomists and the policy-makers under one roof - in Europe, the agronomists understand the situation, but the policy-makers do not, and they are not united.”

Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the Crop Protection Association, urged delegates to act urgently: “There is a meeting of the EU agricultural council on June 24, but there will be an EU summit before that, at the end of next week. We believe there needs to be a high-level briefing for the leaders of each country, to show them how damaging this piece of legislation could be.”

The BCPC will be leading the UK lobby, to try and prevent implementation of the legislation in late 2009.