A coalition of parties representing the UK fresh produce industry has vowed to fight on despite suffering a setback in its bid to overturn EU pesticide proposals.
The group, which includes the NFU, the Pesticides Safety Directorate, the Crop Protection Association and the British Crop Production Council, had lobbied the EC not to endorse proposals they claimed would see up to 30% of pesticides banned, causing drastic reductions in crop yields.
However EU member states last week agreed to the proposals, with only the UK, Ireland, Poland, Romania and Hungary abstaining. The proposals are to receive a Second Reading in October.
"This is a disappointing outcome for us, but we haven't given up," said Crop Protection Association chief executive Dominic Dyer. The UK was now calling for a Europe-wide impact assessment to establish how damaging the proposals might be to the European food production industry, he added.
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