Press Release 30 October 2009

A Conference on speciality crops and minor uses will be held on November 4th by eight food chain organisations and will look at the impact and challenges resulting from the new European Regulation on the authorisation of plant protection products .

In practice, “minor use” applies in particular to fruits and vegetables, storage, transport and trade of cereals, seeds and flowers.

The event will be held at the COPA COGECA offices and will be attended by over 100 participants.

The conference will look at the major plant protection challenges for minor uses and analyse some of the solutions that have been developed to date in other countries, including experiences in the USA. It will aim to find a common agreement between the food chain and regulators on a proposed way forward to promote the availability of newer and more efficient plant protection solutions for minor uses. This problem was acknowledged in the Regulation by the commitment to investigate within 2 years the establishment of a European fund for minor uses. The Conference will also examine possible options on how this fund could work.

Luc Peeters, chairman of the phytosanitary group within COPA-COGECA and representing the eight food chain associations said: “This Conference is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness and share experiences that are put in practice today and we are confident that it will be the first step in finding sustainable solutions”.

Note:
A large number of crops grown in Europe that are of major importance for the food industry and consumers are relatively minor, both in scale of production and also in their use of plant protection products, when compared to the total agricultural production. While the magnitude of pest problems faced in these crops is similar to major crops, many newer and more efficient plant protection solutions are often unavailable to farmers and the food chain operators, mostly for economic reasons. The withdrawal of numerous plant protection products in recent years has exacerbated the problem creating several gaps in plant protection solutions. The availability of an adequate crop protection toolbox for the future is a key element to support farmers to continue producing minor crops as well as ensuring a safe and efficient completion of the food supply chain.

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