Brussels, Belgium
November 4, 2009
At a Conference today, a call was made for more investment to ensure the availability of crop protection solutions for speciality crops and minor uses in the European Union. These speciality crops include most vegetables, fruits and flowers with an EU agricultural production value of greater than €50 billion per year.
Representatives from the European Commission, Member States and eight food chain organisations discussed together for the first time the challenges and future of crop protection solutions for speciality crops and minor uses under the new Regulation on the authorisation of plant protection products1.
The Conference reached a general consensus on four key points:
- Protection of specialty crops and uses: Minor use authorizations ensure the protection of high value specialty crops and uses that contribute to the availability of high-quality healthy and affordable food for all consumers.
- Greater coordination: There is a need to have specific EU workgroups and coordination units to look at minor use issues and find common crop protection solutions for specialty crops. The Commission’s commitment given at the Conference to re-instate these groups was supported by all participants.
- A step towards improved cooperation: The workshop was a first step and broader cooperation between all the players in the public and private sector is required, including wider cooperation with third countries. Such cooperation needs to have a holistic approach that will also consider the implications of the implementation of the Sustainable Use Directive
- Minor use fund: The IR-4 programme from the United States is an excellent model that provides solutions and has shown a high return on the investment made. A similar approach could be beneficial in Europe.
“We welcome the openness of the debate and believe that it is the first step in finding answers to the many problems and difficulties faced by our sectors.” said Luc Peeters, chairman of the phytosanitary group within COPA-COGECA and representing the eight food chain associations2. “Greater coordination and additional funding will be crucial to provide adequate crop protection solutions. This should be a priority issue for the new Commission and the Parliament. The initiation of the report on the establishment of a European fund for minor uses is urgently needed.”
1 The Regulation is due to be published in the next few days following Council agreemen at the end of September.
2 The eight organisations are: AREFLH, CELCAA, COCERAL, COPA-COGECA, ECPA, ESA, FRESHFEL and OEITFL.
Joint position paper prepared for a European Conference on Specialty Crops and Minor Uses, held in Brussels, Belgium on November 4, 2009
Introduction
The completion of the new Regulation on the authorisation of plant protection products, replacing Directive 91/414/EEC, offers a number of opportunities to address issues related to minor use authorisations in the European Union.
This paper addresses some of the important issues related to minor uses, and expresses a joint view of a number of food chain associations– including farmers, food processors, traders, seed industry, manufacturers and advisers of plant protection products. All parties have a common interest in ensuring that sustainable solutions are available to support the economically viable production of minor crops, and to maintain and develop crop protection solutions for all uses that are of a minor nature. The sustainable production of high quality, high value crops is vital for both the EU economy and also for securing the future of the European continent’s food supply at an affordable cost to consumers. The discussion on the future support of minor uses should take into account the need to maintain existing solutions as well as developing new solutions that will minimise the impact of the current and future legislation on the crop protection toolbox available to our farmers and our farmers’ ability to produce minor crops in the future.
Full paper
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