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EU regulatory system for crop protection pesticides needs reinforcement, says CropLife International

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Brussels, Belgium
July 17, 2007

A recent court ruling in the EU has set a new regulatory precedent and illustrates a need for greater clarity and efficiency in the way pesticides are regulated in the European Union (EU). The Court of First Instance of the European Communities has ruled to annul the European Commission’s decision allowing Member States to authorize paraquat, a herbicide active substance which was granted re-registration in December 2003.

CropLife International (CropLife) supports the need for thorough regulation of pesticides and believes that regulation must be founded in science and sound risk assessment. The court’s judgment and the choice of the judicial route to challenge the scientific authority of the European Commission and its scientific agencies and committees, illustrate a lack of confidence in the approval process. “This is regrettable; agriculture and its partner industries need predictable regulatory systems and decisions grounded on authoritative and credible scientific assessments and a common approach to risk management,” says Christian Verschueren, Director-General of CropLife International.

Approval of all crop protection products results from a detailed, comprehensive scientific review, including full consideration of the views of EU Member States and stakeholders. Extensive human and animal health and environmental impact studies are part of this process. CropLife expects the Commission to stand behind its regulatory decisions and notes that it has the right within the next two months to appeal the court’s decision. It also expects that the European Commission, Parliament and Council will use the opportunity of the on-going review of current regulations to further improve the regulatory system.

CropLife and its members are willing to work with the authorities to achieve improvements that result in greater clarity and efficiency in the regulatory system including the interpretation and application of the regulations and the pace with which assessment takes place. “A comprehensive, balanced risk assessment is best conducted by competent authorities with their scientific experts reaching conclusions by weighing the relative importance of all scientific evidence and the conditions of use of the product, not through judicial courts setting new standards for risk assessment”, concluded Christian Verschueren.

Thorough science- and risk-based regulation is only one element in pesticides risk management. Stewardship of products in manufacture, use at farm level and beyond is the other important element of managing those risks. The industry encourages farmers to chose its products with care, use them only when needed, and use only as much as needed. CropLife and its members run extensive stewardship programs to train millions of farmers in the responsible use of plant science products.

Pesticides exist to improve people’s lives, protecting food from moulds, crops from weeds, insects and diseases, and homes from vermin. With growing demands on food, animal feed, fiber and now energy, the pressure on agriculture is mounting to deliver these sustainably. Plant science technologies make an essential contribution to increasing production, limiting the use of land and water resources and reducing soil erosion and carbon dioxide emissions.

CropLife International is the global federation representing the plant science industry. It supports a network of regional and national associations in over 90 countries, and is led by companies such as BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, FMC, Monsanto, Sumitomo and Syngenta. CropLife International promotes the benefits of crop protection and biotechnology products, their importance to sustainable agriculture and food production, and their responsible use through stewardship activities.

 

 

 

 

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