In Brussels on Monday 19 November, EU Agriculture Ministers supported the call by the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, for strict plant protection rules to ensure better prevention and detection, and for tighter control of harmful organisms.
A debate was held in the ‘Agriculture’ Council on protection against plant diseases, and the Commission acknowledges that the rules to combat Xylella fastidiosa have failed.
The new rules (protection against parasites, testing) will come into force on 14 December 2019.
The European Commissioner said that “the number of authorised active substances has increased from 427 in 2011 to 489 today”. Vytenis Andriukaitis stressed, however, that Member States are not making sufficient use of the system of mutual recognition of authorisations, which would make it possible to expand the number of solutions available to farmers. He felt that the potential for integrated pest management has not been fully exploited. Greece and France expressed concern that imported products may contain residues of substances not authorised in the EU. The Commission will present a report on pesticide authorisation procedures in 2019. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)