The food chain group is calling on Gordon Brown to “urgently raise the need for an impact assessment with President Sarkozy and other EU Heads of State, for further discussion at the European Council level”.

“In response to our lobbying we have received support from many worldwide trade organisations who are concerned about the impact of these proposals, yet other European states remain complacent about the devastating impact on food security and food prices.  FPC is calling on our European counterparts to lobby their Heads of State,” said Nigel Jenney, Chief Executive of the Fresh Produce Consortium.  “It’s  imperative that we raise this at the highest level across Europe. In the absence of a comprehensive impact assessment we believe that the European Parliament should reject these proposals at its second reading in October.”

The European Commission recently admitted that it lacks a thorough evaluation of the full impact of proposals to introduce cut-off criteria and substitution of crop protection products on a risk-based approach (Plant Protection Products Directive 91/414). 

The proposals could have severe implications for pest management globally if resistant strains selected as a result of intensive use of surviving active substances spread. Without a viable market in Europe it is feasible that some crop protection companies might have to reconsider their investment in research for alternative products.

These same pesticides are used to control crop pests, weeds and diseases in other parts of the world and so any imported produce with minute residues of these substances could be banned from the EU, despite the fact that these pesticides are approved for use in non-EU countries.  This could be deemed to be a barrier to international trade.

Food security will be affected, with pressures on the availability of agricultural land and lack of sustainable supplies of commonly eaten produce, such as brassicas.  Increasing production costs would make it either uneconomic to grow certain crops in the UK or it would contribute significantly to rising food prices, doubling the price of brassicas.

“These proposals will make produce less affordable and reduce the UK’s food security, which is fundamentally at odds to the UK Government’s strategy,” said Nigel Jenney.  “Currently around 1.9 million less well off people in the UK are eating less than one serving of fruit and vegetables a day.  With increasing levels of obesity across Europe, particularly among young people, we should be encouraging more people to eat fresh fruit and vegetables.”