EU PROPOSALS aimed at cutting the number of chemicals that can be used for protecting plants could add further to food price inflation, the Animal and Plant Health Association (Apha) has claimed.
Brendan Barnes, director of Apha, which represents manufacturers and distributors of plant-protection products, has warned that the adoption of the proposals would lead to increased use of a narrower range of products for weed, disease and pest control.
“A narrower range of products would have major implications for the control of pests and diseases and would result in the inevitable risk of a build-up in resistance to particular chemicals. The end result would be reduced crop yields and higher prices,” he said.
He announced that the European Crop Health Association, which represents the crop-health sector throughout the EU, has written to the president of the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers, requesting a detailed assessment be carried out on the impact of the proposals on EU food production and food prices.
“Such an assessment should also examine the effect a restricted range of products could have on food quality, human health and environmental safety as well as agricultural production in the EU, including the production of minor crops,” said Mr Barnes.