EU pesticides regulation could put further pressure on food prices

If new rules restricting pesticide use in the EU are approved, food prices in Europe could rise sharply as crop yields fall, according to the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA).

Its warning came as Italian research institute Nomisma predicted that a proposed new EU Regulation on pesticide use could cause yields of wheat, potatoes and cereals to plummet by 29%, 33% and 20% respectively by 2020.

This would drive up prices at a time when commodity prices were already at record highs, owing to rising demand from China and India and more crops being diverted into biofuel production, warned the ECPA.

It could also prove counterproductive by forcing EU manufacturers to source more raw materials from outside the EU (where the rules do not apply), which would also increase food miles, said a spokesman. “This is one of a number of areas where a seemingly ‘green’ initiative might have unexpected and counterproductive consequences.”

Ironically, it could also increase the use of genetically modified crops in the long term as farmers sought to grow more crops without using pesticides.

If the European Parliament’s recent amendments - which are far stricter than the original proposal - are adopted, up to 80% of the active ingredients used in pesticides and the sale of more than 90% of insecticides used in agriculture today could be banned, claimed the ECPA. “Simply put, European crops would be at risk of disease; farming and production costs would increase; manufacturers would face the need to move sourcing away from Europe and higher prices; and consumers would face higher food prices.”

Currently, the marketing and use of pesticides and their residues in food is regulated by Directive 91/414/EEC. Under this legislation, only the active substances that are included in a positive EU list of authorised substances can be used in pesticides.

In July 2006, the European Commission proposed a new Regulation concerning the placement of pesticides on the market, including “cut-off” criteria that would ban the use of many active ingredients based solely on whether a substance presents a hazard if dosed high enough and not on whether it poses a risk under realistic conditions of use.

In October 2007, the European Parliament revised the Commission’s draft Regulation and presented amendments including additional cut-off criteria that would ban many more active ingredients.

The Council is currently reviewing the proposed amendment with an agreement expected in the next few weeks.