Plant protection improvements needed, urges European delegation - FreshFruitPortal.com

Plant protection improvements needed, urges European delegation

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Plant protection improvements needed, urges European delegation

A European plant protection roundtable has warned the future is at risk for some fruits, vegetables and nuts because of a lack of seed treatment applications and products for safeguarding. European Parliament - sq

The agri-food chain roundtable for plant protection, consisting of 19 European associations, held a meeting in European Parliament on June 23 with Member of European Parliament Anthea McIntyre.

The panel discussed concerns about the EU's current approach to shaping policy and legislation on plant protection products (PPP) and their impacts.

"Solutions are urgently needed to ensure the competitiveness of the entire agri-food chain and the supply of high quality products for European consumers. A regulatory framework that allows for innovation is key in ensuring the availability of suitable plant protection solutions," the roundtable's vice chairman Nigel Thorgrimsson said in a release.

The roundtable laid out various points of concern including the problems farmers face when bringing new products to market and the lack of highly effective seed treatment applications which can lead to severe consequences for growers in dealing with pest and disease control.

Achieving approval for substances is a burdensome, costly and a lengthy process, and there are long delays in the availability of new substances for use by EU growers. The product approval process now takes between four and six years; two years longer than under the previous legislation, according to the release.

Food security in Europe was also discussed, particularly how the lack of protection tools for some fruit and vegetable crops could lead to production shortages.

The panel is now urging European and member states to monitor the way policies for plant protection products are implemented to ensure coherence across Europe.

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