Pesticide regulations in new trade deals

Pesticide regulations in new trade deals

Written by Defra Press Office

There has been coverage on pesticides standards and new trade deals in The Telegraph, Independent and BBC Farming Today. This follows a report by the Pesticide Action Network UK and charity Sustain which claims that post-Brexit trade deals could be “catastrophic” for farmers if they allow imports with higher pesticide use.

A government spokesperson said:

“We have been clear we will not compromise on our high food and environmental standards and we will only permit the use of pesticides where robust scientific assessment shows they will not cause any harm to people or the environment.”

After the Transition Period we will take our own independent decisions on pesticides, ensuring our regulatory system is smart and efficient while continuing to deliver high standards of protection for the environment and human health.

We will ensure that the regulation of pesticides continues to develop with scientific knowledge and is robust and fit for purpose, so as to protect people and the environment.

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[Chris F]

Is this good news for glyphosate?

 

[woodster]

Is this good news for glyphosate?

Can't help thinking that despite our independence we will still follow Europe's lead.
Hopefully I'm wrong and decisions will be made based on scientific reality not political let's ban it because that's what the public want!

 

[Chris F]

Can't help thinking that despite our independence we will still follow Europe's lead.
Hopefully I'm wrong and decisions will be made based on scientific reality not political let's ban it because that's what the public want!

We actually led a lot of crop protection analysis. So losing the UK is a big loss to europe in this respect. That said the decisions were not ours.

 

[steveR]

There has been coverage on pesticides standards and new trade deals in The Telegraph, Independent and BBC Farming Today. This follows a report by the Pesticide Action Network UK and charity Sustain which claims that post-Brexit trade deals could be “catastrophic” for farmers if they allow imports with higher pesticide use.

A government spokesperson said:

“We have been clear we will not compromise on our high food and environmental standards and we will only permit the use of pesticides where robust scientific assessment shows they will not cause any harm to people or the environment.”

After the Transition Period we will take our own independent decisions on pesticides, ensuring our regulatory system is smart and efficient while continuing to deliver high standards of protection for the environment and human health.

We will ensure that the regulation of pesticides continues to develop with scientific knowledge and is robust and fit for purpose, so as to protect people and the environment.

And what a surprise, the response from the Govt completely ignores and does not answer the point put in the Report! To whit, the import of foodstuffs produced by means and possibly using pesticides that are banned here, being allowed.

 

[Chris F]

And what a surprise, the response from the Govt completely ignores and does not answer the point put in the Report! To whit, the import of foodstuffs produced by means and possibly using pesticides that are banned here, being allowed.

I wasn't picking up on that point as its had a lot of coverage, it was this one:

After the Transition Period we will take our own independent decisions on pesticides, ensuring our regulatory system is smart and efficient while continuing to deliver high standards of protection for the environment and human health.

Which gave some hope that we might not have our hands tied so much in the future.

 

[steveR]

I wasn't picking up on that point as its had a lot of coverage, it was this one:

After the Transition Period we will take our own independent decisions on pesticides, ensuring our regulatory system is smart and efficient while continuing to deliver high standards of protection for the environment and human health.

Which gave some hope that we might not have our hands tied so much in the future.

Oh I agree entirely, it is the obvious total disconnect between the two policies that annoy me though!

 

[Chris F]

Oh I agree entirely, it is the obvious total disconnect between the two policies that annoy me though!

Indeed. It's either safe or it isn't.

 

[wanton dwarf]

“We have been clear we will not compromise on our high food and environmental standards and we will only permit the use of pesticides where robust scientific assessment shows they will not cause any harm to people or the environment.”

This already happens in a couple of cases I can think of off the top of my head:

1) Import of millions of tonnes of Oilseed Rape grown using Nicitinoids.

2) Import of millions of tonnes of GM Soya.


Why are they trying to kid ?

 

[Chris F]

This already happens in a couple of cases I can think of off the top of my head:

1) Import of millions of tonnes of Oilseed Rape grown using Nicitinoids.

2) Import of millions of tonnes of GM Soya.


Why are they trying to kid ?

They are talking about HSE rules for product registrations in this instance. You are talking about imports. Two totally different parts of our system, that as you say, quite clearly don;t talk to each other or operate a united front.

 

[An Gof]

Can't help thinking that despite our independence we will still follow Europe's lead.
Hopefully I'm wrong and decisions will be made based on scientific reality not political let's ban it because that's what the public want!

You really DO NOT want to be following Europe with what they are proposing in the Farm to Fork and Green Deal strategy.