The NFU has warned that unless regulators take urgent action, farmers and growers in the UK will face larger crop protection bills when the current arrangements which allow the sale of crop protection products under rules for parallel imports end on 30 June.
According to the NFU, losing the permits, will inevitably lead to price rises, less availability for growers and will directly impact crop resistance and could cost the sector £10 million. The union has drafted an ‘urgent letter’ to the secretary of state and minister to take immediate action in ensuring the ‘extension of parallel imports and permits’ to allow companies to bring in active ingredients until there is a proper ‘regulatory process’ in place.
Despite lobbying Defra “really hard” NFU officials say they have hit a stumbling block due to the legislation in place. Combinable crops board chair, Matt Culley said that post Brexit promises on the issue have not been delivered “We are asking for the minister to get involved and make sure we can have an extension of parallel imports and permits to allow companies to bring in active ingredients that we can use safely,” he said.
NFU environment forum chair Richard Bramley commented, “We are making it very clear that the countryside is not a park it is a working environment. In England we have a network of 225,000km of rights of way. There are plenty of opportunities for people to get out in countryside, without the risk. We need to make those points when we are having discussions and it needs to be carefully managed. It is not just open space; open access is something that brings another set of problems.”
Tom Bradshaw, NFU Deputy President added, “We have had meetings recently with the Health and Safety Executive to make sure when inspectors are out on farm, they have balance guidance on best practice and they recognise the challenges farmers face, as well as wanting to make the countryside safer. It is a balancing act.”