Farmers defend pesticides in face of rising food prices

Agricultural scientists have called for a wide array of pesticides to be maintained, saying fewer of them will lead to more resistant pests. The move follows a vote by the European Parliament last year to ban more chemical substances in the products.

In October last year, the European Parliament voted to extend a proposed list of substances to be banned from use in EU pesticide production (EURACTIV 24/10/07). 

The proposed list includes substances that cause cancer, disrupt the endocrine system of humans or are harmful to reproductive health. It was expanded by Parliament to include those that are potentially toxic to the immune system (immunotoxic) or the nervous system (neurotoxic).

It must now be sent for approval to a meeting of EU farm ministers in May. 

But agricultural experts, meeting on 22 April 2008, adopted a “Declaration of Ljubljana” expressing concern over the amendments, saying they could significantly impact upon crop yields. 

Farmers, together with seed and crop protection associations, warned that the criteria proposed by Parliament would unjustifiably prohibit the use of several active substances “based on hazard measurements of the ingredients instead of risk assessment”. 

Luc Peeters of Copa-Cogeca, the European farm lobby, believes that if adopted, the Parliament’s amendments would contribute to the loss of “up to 80% of crop protection products […] leading to an increased dependency on food imports”.

What’s more, some scientists fear that reducing the diversity of pesticides available could make pests more resistant, resulting in lower yields and higher food prices. 

“In order to safeguard the production of food at affordable prices, it is essential to provide farmers with access to sufficient diversity of crop protection solutions. This is essential to prevent or delay the development of resistant pests, and to maintain the efficacy of remaining crop protection products,” said Dr Ian Denholm, a UK scientist.

This would not only make European crops uncompetitive but it would also threaten sustainable farming in Europe, they argue.

But Elliott Cannell, Europe co-ordinator at the Pesticides Action Network, an environmental group, said such claims are based on “bad science and misinformation”. Reacting to a similar study earlier this year, he called such calls “professional scaremongering” (EURACTIV 05/02/08).

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