ECPA Upset Over EU Ruling
1 July 2008 The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) expressed its frustration with the recent EU decision on crop protection products, specifically regarding the introduction of new hazard-based rejection criteria for active ingredients which will remove safe products from the market that have been used safely for years.
In a news release, ECPA Director General Friedhelm Schmider said the agreement will have a major negative impact on the production of many crops in Europe.
"Just because a product has hazardous properties does not mean it is dangerous. Proper risk evaluations of products are required to determine this, taking the dose and actual use into consideration – just as coffee and alcohol are hazardous at high doses, normal use poses no risk to health. At a time when the global population is worried about high food prices, the current proposal will make it more difficult for European farmers to continue producing high quality food at affordable prices," he said.
"European consumers say that they want more affordable, fresh fruit and vegetables that are produced locally. The result of the current decision will mean more expensive and more imported food," he continued.
ECPA is dissatisfied that the cut-off criteria, being the major element of discussion and controversy in the European Commission (EC) proposal, were not included in the EC’s own official impact assessment for this proposal, and ECPA has requested that their full impact be independently evaluated.
Dr. Schmider added, "We understand that the Commission does not agree with the ECPA evaluation of the situation and that it believes that adequate solutions will be at hand. However, this is in contradiction to the evaluations that have been recently carried out by independent institutes and government authorities."
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