Aspects of UK pesticides policy in the UK will require reconsideration after Mr Justice Collins allowed an application in the High Court from campaigner Georgina Downs for a review of current policy. She has argued that exposure to crop chemicals caused illness.
Post the voting yesterday by the European Parliament’s Environment committee on the revision of pesticide legislation, industry, NGOs and politicians have all been quick to voice their opinions on this major milestone.
Last week, we visited Pekka Pesonen, Secretary-General of Copa-Cogeca, the European association for farmers and farmers’ co-operatives, operating in Brussels.
It would appear that the arguments put forward by a variety of stakeholders about the economic risks associated with a substantial reduction in the availability of plant protection products are starting to have an impact in the European Parliament. The original Parliament amendment would have banned up to 85 per cent of key products if they met one of the three criteria that defined them as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). A revised proposal would require a substance to meet all three POP criteria before being banned.
