Following on from my last article regarding the state of pesticide regulation in the UK following Brexit, perhaps there is some cause for hope?
On Tuesday 25th April 2017, the UK Government refused an application for emergency use of neonicotinoids on an area of oil seed rape crop.
The Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) said,
“The applicant’s plan to avoid
continued reliance on emergency authorisations appeared limited to
lobbying for re-authorisation of the currently restricted uses [of neonics].”
How revealing!
Committee members highlighted that thresholds put forward by the NFU were for spray applications, though the derogation request was for seed treatments, which they said suggested “Industry had not taken the opportunity afforded by previous emergency authorisations to develop thresholds for seed treatments.”
The 2015 derogation, which was secured at the second time of asking, was granted on the understanding that industry groups would develop more targeted pesticide use, but the committee said this hadn’t been demonstrated.
The UK Government Defra Minister George Eustice turned down the request.
You can read more here: http://www.farming.co.uk/news/article/13528