Mr. Bill Callanan:

I am in front of the committee again as the environmental policy lead. I am joined today by Ms Anne-Marie Dillon, senior inspector in the pesticide area. I thank the Cathaoirleach and committee members for inviting us here today to discuss the committee’s contribution on the EU proposal for sustainable use of pesticide regulation to replace the existing sustainable use directive.

As the committee will be aware, the proposal was published by the EU Commission on the 22 June 2022 and forms one of the 27 actions outlined in the farm to fork strategy, namely, to revise the sustainable use directive. Since our last meeting with the committee on this topic in November 2022, the EU Council negotiations of this regulatory proposal have continued and there have been seven Council working group meetings during the Swedish Presidency. Parallel discussions are also ongoing in parliament with committee and plenary votes scheduled to take place later this year. Ireland supported the Council decision in December 2022, asking the Commission for additional information to complement their initial impact assessment on the proposal with a focus on food and feed security, administrative burden, availability of alternatives to chemical pesticides, and sensitive areas. The Commission has just published this additional information today. This report will now be considered in detail as part of the negotiations during the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council.

We recognise the importance of the issues highlighted in the committee’s contribution, namely the need for further information on the impact of aspects of the proposal, the need for viable alternatives, concerns about the proposal for sensitive areas, and implementation of integrated pest management. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine also held a public consultation in respect of the regulatory proposal. More than 300 submissions were received and some of the issues outlined in this committee's contribution have also been raised in the public consultation. The issues raised by the committee, coupled with the outcome of the public consultation, will continue to help inform our position as we engage in the ongoing EU Council negotiations. The Department has also commissioned research, which Teagasc has commenced, on the availability and feasibility of non-chemical alternative methods and on the implementation of the proposed integrated pest management requirements, including consideration of crop-specific rules for the main crops in Ireland.

While Ireland supports the overall objectives of the farm to fork strategy, the impact of any regulatory changes requires detailed consideration. Therefore, we will work constructively with the other member states and the Presidency in considering the Commission’s report and will actively engage in further discussions on all chapters of the regulatory proposal. The Department will continue its engagement with stakeholders and this committee as the file progresses. Ms Dillon and I are happy to take any further queries the committee may have.