FOOD 2050

We recently spoke to Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Executive Director of The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which was set up by the European Union in 2002 as an “an independent source of scientific advice and communication on risks associated with the food chain”. Ms Geslain-Lanéelle told us about EFSA’s remit, workload and resources; and went on to emphasise the importance of science in the agency’s work, and the difficulties involved in balancing the health of farmers and the need for farmer to be able to deal with pests.

Sarah Pettitt, a farmer based in Lincolnshire in the UK, who is also Vice Chairman of the Board for Horticulture & Potatoes at the National Farmers Union, spoke to us very passionately about her fears concerning the pending revisions to the European regulation governing pesticides (91/414). Hear what she had to say in the video below.

A team of researchers of the Wageningen University and Research Centre (Agricultural University of the Netherlands) published on 28 October a 150 page report on the economic impact of the proposed revision of the directive 91/414 on thirteen of the most important crops grown in the Netherlands. Below is a summary of the report.

Defra is to appeal against the judgment of the High Court in the recent case on spraying brought by Georgina Downs.   In a debate in the House of Lords earlier this week junior Defra minister Lord Hunt confirmed that Hilary Benn had been given leave to appeal.   ‘It is not appropriate for me to go into the details of that appeal,’ he said.  ‘But at the end of the day, we all want to see good practice and proportionate regulation.’