Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 141: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his views on the change from risk to hazard based assessment of pesticides that would take out a number of crop reduction products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25562/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The new draft EU Regulation to replace Directive 91/4144/EEC concerning the marketing of plant protection products is part of a strategy for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides. I supported most of the provisions contained in the draft Regulation but I am concerned that the use of 'hazard-based cut-off criteria', as a basis for the approval of substances, ignores the scientific principle of risk assessment. Some of the substances that are crucial to crop protection in Ireland may fail to meet the new cut-off criteria and their withdrawal may cause significant agronomic and economic damage without securing any significant reduction in human or environmental exposures to these types of substances. I am also concerned about the absence of a detailed, up-to-date impact assessment on the effects of the current text on the competitiveness and sustainability of Irish and European agriculture.

For these reasons, and despite supporting most of the provisions contained in the draft Regulation, I abstained from a vote on the Regulation in Council and provided a statement for the minutes to this effect.