Farming pesticide ban 'too far too fast'

A ban on the use of key pesticides in European farming goes too far too fast, it was warned today.

The proposal has already been condemned by the National Farmers Union as risking a doubling in the price of vegetables.

Now, as the European Parliament prepares for a crucial vote on the issue, an MEP says practical alternatives to some vital chemicals currently in use have not yet been fully developed.

The controversial ban is due to be approved in Strasbourg on 13 January.

It involves changing the way pesticides are assessed for use on crops, as part of a goal to halve the use of toxic products in farming by 2013.

The plans have already been scaled back after Europe's pesticides industry warned the new assessment standard would remove products from the market that have been used safely for years.

A compromise hammered out between EU governments and MEPs means a reduced number of 22 toxic substances would be banned from use as crop chemicals.

But SNP MEP Alyn Smith said even the compromise was too much. Urging his colleagues to "reflect over the holiday period", he went on: "The proposals which will be presented in January go too far.

"Alternatives to many of the chemicals which the legislation proposes to ban have not been fully developed, and are mainly highly-targeted niche options. This often makes them expensive and impracticable, and we can ill afford to make farming more expensive at a time of rising input costs."

The proposals update EU pesticides rules introduced in 1991, and include new criteria for registering potentially hazardous pesticides, while emphasising a balance between tough food safety standards and viable farming.

The NFU has warned that the changes, including assessing products for protecting plants on the basis of "perceived hazard" instead of scientific evidence, could rule out the use of established chemicals with a track record of controlling diseases and pests, as well as pushing up food prices.

And the plans could make farming of certain crops in Europe uncompetitive, such as wheat and barley, cotton, potatoes and a range of fruits and vegetables.

Mr Smith commented: "This could be disastrous for some farmers while not improving safety one jot.

"In fact, by pushing consumers to buy cheaper foreign foods in markets with no pesticide restrictions whatsoever, this whole policy may backlash. In effect, we could export our food production to areas outside the EU's control."

He added: "I hope that MEPs have a restful break, and come back with clearer heads than we have seen to date. The vote in January is important for Scottish farmers, as well as for sustainable agriculture across the whole EU, and our food production is too important to jeopardise for a dossier that is at times more theological than scientific."

The German Green MEP pushing the changes, Hiltrud Breyer, has called the plan a "milestone" for the environment and consumer protection.

The idea is to make pesticides use more flexible in future, with chemicals able to be approved by region, between EU countries with similar geography and climate.

Most aerial crop-spraying will be banned across all EU countries, and individual EU countries will be allowed to ban a product to deal with specific environmental or farming problems.

"I have no difficulty at all with the idea that the chemicals industry must be forced to innovate, but there has to be a balance and the legislation we pass must be workable," insisted Mr Smith.