Editorial - Pesticides News No. 39

Wide ranging reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is proposed for 2000-2006 in the European Commission's Agenda 2000 paper. Reforms are essential in preparation for expansion of the European Union into central and eastern Europe, as well as to conform with trading rules under the World Trade Organisation, where agriculture is due to be re-negotiated starting in 1999. The task of CAP reform is enormous. Hopes of progress during the present six-month period of UK Presidency of the European Union have not yet been fulfilled and, in spite of large demonstrations from British farmers and rural communities drawing attention to their problems. 
    Nevertheless, the mood for change has built some unlikely alliances across Europe between environmental, farmer, health, consumer and development organisations, many of whom have united in lobbying for reforms of CAP which will take account of social and environmental concerns. This issue of Pesticides News focuses on the problems which arise from intensive, pesticide-dependent agriculture, and draw attention to research which could form the basis of new, agri-environmental strategies.
    Other changes are taking place in the European Union which may support these initiatives. Following criticism from the European Parliament on the role of the European Commission's (EC) scientific committees in the BSE scare in beef, new arrangements have been established. Formerly, the Standing Committee on Plant Health provided expertise to the EC's Agriculture Directorate (DGVI). From December 1997, responsibility for scientific advice moved to the Directorate of Consumer Affairs (DGXXIV), clearly separating responsibility for scientific advice on consumer health and safety on food, from those who implement legislation on food production. Already the change is noticeable. The DGXXIV web site carries previously restricted details of all its scientific committees. These include the Scientific Committee on Food and the two most relevant for pesticides, the new Scientific Committee on Plants-whose new working group on consumer risk assessments and pesticide residues has already met three times since December-and the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment. These moves in Europe reflect the setting up of the Food Standards Agency in the UK, although the White Paper, reported on in this issue, has proposed a more limited Agency in relation to pesticides, than originally proposed.
    Internationally, Pesticide News focuses on research from Vietnam that questions the claims made by manufacturers that their products enhance IPM in rice. There is a report on the booming Chinese pesticide market, set to become the world's largest, and a review of the new Kenyan Flower Council that has been set up because of negative publicity surrounding the poor labour conditions and high use of agrochemicals in this sector.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 39, March 1998, page 2]