The Committee's proposed amendments for both pieces of legislation will "hamstring" European farmers, particularly fruit and vegetable growers, the ECPA says Photo: William Wilhelms

The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) has condemned the European Parliament's Environment Committee for making a second bid to impose tougher restrictions on pesticides.

The Committee has voted to reinstate proposals that would introduce more hazard-based cut-off criteria into the EU agrochemical registration process.

In addition, it has repeated calls to add use-reduction targets to planned rules on sustainable pesticide use. The move puts the Committee on a collision course with the European Commission, EU Ministers and other MEPs, who had already rejected such proposals in the first debates on the issue.

The Committee's votes in November concerned two legislative proposals from the Commission: the revision of the EU agrochemical registration Directive (91/414); and the thematic strategy on sustainable pesticide use. The latest versions of these proposals were agreed earlier this year by EU Ministers, which excluded several amendments put forward by the Parliament at its first reading in 2007. The Committee has proposed changes to the Ministers' text that will restore the original parliamentary amendments. Its reports go forward for a vote by the full Parliament at the second reading, expected in December 2008 or January 2009.

The Committee report on Directive 91/414, by MEP Hiltrud Breyer (Agrow No 554, p 7), generated divided views within the Committee itself, being adopted by only 39 votes to 20 with six abstentions. The report seeks to extend the Commission's already contentious plan to introduce hazard-based cut-off criteria. The agrochemical industry and some EU member states have warned that hazard-based assessments could lead to widespread product losses. In a bid to gain support from Ministers and Parliament, the Committee has toned down some of its amendments by saying that the criteria should be extended to include neurotoxic and immunotoxic active ingredients "where they pose a significant risk". It also agrees to a derogation that would allow hazardous ais to be approved for up to four years if they were needed to combat a "serious danger to plant health".

Hiltrud Breyer, Member of the European Parliament, with Swedish politician and MEP colleague Carl Schlyter in the background. The Committee report on Directive 91/414, by Hiltrud Breyer (Agrow No 554, p 7), generated divided views within the Committee itself Photo: Wikipedia

The Committee maintains its bid to reject the Commission's plan to approve products for use in three geographic zones, rather than in individual member states. It also proposes changes to make it easier for member states to ban EU-approved products.

On a more positive note, other amendments seek more support for products for use on minor crops. Member states would be allowed to adopt incentives to encourage applications for minor-use products, such as longer data protection periods, while the Commission would be required to establish a fund for minor uses, including finance for additional residue tests.

While the ECPA welcomes the Committee's vote to drop some of the "more extreme" amendments, it maintains that the remaining changes are "still ideologically driven and have no scientific or practical basis". By contrast, environmentalist groups criticise the "substantially diluted set of proposals". Pesticides Action Network and the Health and Environment Alliance say that the "complex set of loopholes and derogations now added to the text could bring substantial delays in replacing the worst pesticides".

Elsewhere, the report on proposed amendments to the sustainable use strategy achieved greater support within the Committee and was adopted by 58 votes to three with two abstentions. The report, by MEP Christa Klass, repeats its call for use-reduction targets, despite the fact that such measures were excluded in the Ministers' latest version in May (Agrow No 544, p 10) and even rejected by the full Parliament at its first reading last year. The Committee proposes amendments that would require member states' national action plans to include quantitative targets for reducing the volume of pesticides used. The target would be "a minimum 50% reduction" for ais "of very high concern" and those classified as "toxic or very toxic".

Yes, give me a free trial in print and online in PDF and online Name: Surname: Job Title: Company: Address: City: Country: Post/Zip Code: Tel: Email:   Privacy Policy

The industry has long lobbied against such use-reduction targets. They are "random and arbitrary", the ECPA says, pointing to the failure of a Danish programme to achieve quantitative targets (see this issue).

Other Committee amendments seek to impose stronger restrictions than given in the Ministers' latest version of the proposed strategy. The strategy already envisages a ban on aerial crop spraying, with specific exceptions subject to approval by the authorities. Ministers had suggested that applications to spray should be deemed approved if the authorities do not respond within a set time, but the Committee wants to remove this "tacit consent". Another amendment would give member states the right to demand that neighbours be informed in advance of spraying.

The Committee has also reinstated amendments imposing compulsory buffer zones to protect water sources. EU Ministers had rejected this in favour of requiring member states to take "appropriate measures". A further amendment would allow member states to establish pesticide-free zones that cover the entire country. The Committee has reinstated changes concerning areas that would be subject to pesticide restrictions, by adding public healthcare facilities to the parks and playgrounds already proposed. Its amendments would establish "substantial no-spray zones" around these protected areas, rather than the Ministers' proposed requirement that "pesticide use must be kept to a minimum".

The Committee's proposed amendments for both pieces of legislation will "hamstring" European farmers, particularly fruit and vegetable growers, the ECPA says. It vows to continue to work with all stakeholders to find a final "practical" outcome.

> Login for the full story
> Not a subscriber? Subscribe

RELATED NEWS

Warnings mount on food impact of EU agrochemical plans
MEPs line up EU 91/414 changes
EU amends 91/414 proposals
MEPs vote for agrochemical cuts

Back to the top