At the Agriculture Council meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday 24 June, Austria called on the European Commission to ensure greater availability of plant protection products on the market.
The Austrian minister, Norbert Totschnig, deplored the increasing unavailability of integrated protection mechanisms against crop pests. Between 2014 and 2023, 104 active substances have not been renewed under the planned procedures. “We can expect active substances, often essential ones, to be withdrawn in the end”, stressed the Minister. He also highlighted the fragmentation of the market, which “increasingly compromises the idea of a common European plant protection product market and hampers the efficiency of production chains”.
The European Commission has been asked to take urgent action: - guarantee farmers sufficient access to effective plant protection products, while taking account of food safety in authorisation procedures; - harmonise and simplify these authorisations at European level by improving the existing rules, particularly as regards the alternatives available; - propose a common approach to the future of plant protection.
A document from Austria (https://aeur.eu/f/hjz ) was supported by Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal and Slovakia.
The Netherlands has indicated that it has made proposals to the Commission to improve access to biocontrol tools.
France has asked the Commission to present an action plan on harmonisation, mirror measures and biocontrol solutions. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)