EU pesticides ban will 'wipe out' carrot crop

Caroline Davies
The Observer, Sunday 4 January 2009

Britain's £300m carrot industry could be "wiped out" under new pesticide regulations set to be agreed by the European Union, say farmers and government advisers.
Despite opposition from Britain, EU ministers are set to agree a reduction in the number of herbicide and fungicide sprays licensed for use, a move that could lead to the collapse of UK carrot farming, which produces more than a million tonnes for the home market each year.
The stark warning is contained in a report from the Pesticides Safety Directorate, which warns that because most currently approved herbicides would no longer be available "there was potential for up to 100% yield loss on carrots". Potatoes, onions and parsnips would also be seriously affected, with a 20% fall in crop yields for cereals.
Martin Evans, chairman of the British Carrot Growers' Association, said: "It's going to wipe us out. It will devastate UK production. It's just not sustainable."
The National Farmers' Union has called on members to lobby MEPs. The proposals are set to be voted on by the European Parliament in the week beginning 12 January and endorsed by the agriculture council by the end of the month.
In a letter to the Crop Protection Association, Gordon Brown said the ban could damage production without securing meaningful benefits for health or the environment.
The UK government disagrees with the proposal to ban pesticides on the basis of "hazard" rather than "risk". Any chemical classified as a hazard to human health is banned, while under a risk-based assessment such chemicals would be allowed provided there was no significant impact on human health. Anti-pesticide campaigners see the proposals as a significant move forward and claim that the ban will not be imposed overnight, so there is time for safer products to be developed.
A spokesman from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said the proposal "could have significant impacts on agriculture and horticulture without achieving any clear benefits for consumers".
A study commissioned by the Crop Protection Association on the effect on prices predicted the cost of potatoes will double, bread will go up by 9p a loaf, pork chops will increase by 40p a kg and a carton of milk will cost an extra 3p a litre.