This article is from page 38 of the 2007-09-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 38 JPG
EU Enivironment Committee pro- posals aimed at restricting and re- ducing the use of all crop protection products by 50 per cent over the next ten years have been condemned by the IFA President Padraig Walshe.
In astatement this week, Mr Walshe announced that there is “no scien- tific justification whatsoever” for the proposals to reduce the use of her- bicides, fungicides and insecticides in the agricultural, horticultural and amenity sectors.
He also declared that “all crop pro-
tection products currently used in the EU are fully approved as safe by the competent EU authorities, who al- ready apply the highest standards in the world.
“It 1s a matter of grave concern to farmers that products that are scien- tifically proven to be safe would be subject to non-science-based restric- aCe) ee
Continuing his address the Presi- dent said, “The proposed measures are draconian and will severely limit cereal and horticultural crop produc- tion potential in Ireland and across the EU, at atime when stocks are ata
thirty year low and this is resulting in higher food prices. These measures will further reduce the competitive- ness of EU agriculture and ironically lead to a dependence on imports from non-EU countries, with much lower phytosanitary and environ- mental standards than the EU.
“Irish farmers are professional us- ers of crop protection products as evidenced by ongoing EU monitor- ing programmes.
Imposing regulations based on per- ceptions rather than science is non- sensical and will result in lower qual- ity produce with avoidable insect and
plant disease damage.”
Finally Mr Walshe warned that “the EU Parliament Environment Committee is putting the cart before the horse. They would be better em- ployed investigating viable alterna- tive strategies based on science, if they wish to reduce pesticide use. Suggesting that we revert to 1930s- style agriculture 1s not sustainable.
“Putting unnecessary obstacles in the way of safe food production at a time when global demand for food is increasing poses a real threat to the security of quality food supply in Europe.”