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EU industry reinforces criticism of agchem proposals
Apr. 28, 2008
The EU agricultural industry has repeated its call for regulators to reconsider proposed changes to the EU agrochemical registration Directive (91/414). A meeting of farming, agrochemical and seed associations in Brussels, Belgium, on April 23rd estimated that up to 80% of pesticide active ingredients could be lost. Their warnings of the potential damage to European agricultural production mirrored those made by European scientists the day before.
The proposed introduction of hazard-based registration criteria would ban the use of many ais. This would make EU agriculture unsustainable, believe members of European farmers' group COPA-COGECA, the French National Federation of Fruit Producers, the European Crop Protection Association and the European Seed Association (ESA).
However, the associations came out in support of other proposals to introduce a zonal registration system for pesticide products. The opportunity for further harmonisation has certain advantages and the zonal concept is essential for minor uses in particular, said Luc Peeters of COPA-COGECA. The European Commission is remaining firm in its plans for a zonal system, despite the European Parliament's call for the concept to be abandoned.
The ESA called for the proposals to include specific measures for seed treatments. "In order to fully resolve current intra-community barriers to trade and use of treated seeds, an EU-wide authorisation for seed treatment is needed," said ESA secretary-general Garlich von Essen. "Such a concept would encourage the further development of these specific, often quite small-scale applications."
Source: Agrow
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