At the Forum for the Future of Agriculture, which we attended last week (see previous post below), we spoke to Neil Parish, a Member of the European Parliament, where he is Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
We attended an event in Brussels yesterday entitled “The Importance of Science and Technology to the Future of European Agriculture and Food Production”, organised by the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium.
The European Parliament recently voiced its concerns regarding rising food prices in the EU and developing countries at its plenary discussion in April 2008. I raised the point that we should have a closer look at our European legislation and whether it allows for an increase of agricultural productivity. We have numerous legislation restricting the use of fertilizers and pesticides leading to an increased burden on farmers to produce high quality products at an affordable price for everyone. I believe this is exactly what hinders an increase of productivity. I therefore propose we should reconsider what changes in this area are necessary whilst safeguarding high standards of protection of the consumer and the environment.
