Health Council advice too short?

If it is up to the Health Council, the accelerator pedal will be stepped up further in reducing dependence on plant protection products. According to the organization, the current authorization procedure for substances cannot exclude all health risks. LTO reacts critically.

The findings of the Health Council are this week published in the 'Follow-up advice on crop protection and local residents'. In recent years, a large exposure study and a health survey have been carried out. The big question is whether there is a connection between exposure to plant protection products and the risk of health damage, such as Parkinson's disease. According to foreign research, there may be indications for this.

Dutch research is less pronounced, but that does not dispel the concern. The Health Council therefore believes that, as a precaution, the agricultural sector should focus more strongly on reducing dependence on plant protection products. An advice that endorses the path already taken by the sector, according to LTO Nederland. However, accelerating this process requires the necessary preconditions.

Also keep crops healthy
"Although no harmful health effects have been demonstrated, risks can never be completely ruled out. We therefore support the advice of the Health Council, but it must be made possible for us," says Joris Baecke, Healthy Plants portfolio holder of LTO Nederland. According to him, the sector has been struggling with a number of bottlenecks for some time. "In addition to local residents, we also have to be able to keep the crops healthy."

A major bottleneck is the lack of sufficient alternatives, reports LTO. This is partly due to the slow admission of low-risk products and the challenges involved in developing resilient varieties.

More continuity
In its advice, the Health Council also states, among other things, that growers do not always give sufficient priority to working safely. Something that LTO does not agree with. 'Further improvement is always possible, but the many efforts in this area should not simply be swept under the rug. It should not be forgotten that the rapid succession of new rules and regulations is by definition a challenge. Better communication from the government is required, more continuity can contribute to even better compliance.'

The Health Council advises proper registration of which products are used on which plots and to periodically measure people's exposure to plant protection products on the basis of degradation products in urine, for example. The vast majority of Dutch growers have been registering substance use for years. LTO therefore does not see this as a new order. According to the interest group, this is in line with the advice to further map out the exposure routes and investigate the effectiveness of mitigation measures.

No local rules
Finally, the Council recommends continuing to improve the admission procedure at a European level. LTO agrees that admission is not an exclusively Dutch matter, but emphasizes that the admission procedure must be based on scientific insights. In addition, local exceptions to national laws and regulations must come to an end. By this, LTO refers, among other things, to stricter rules for government leased land, such as a glyphosate ban, and zoning plans with additional spray zones.

Jeanette Pennings

Jeannet has her roots in the flower bulb sector and she grew up on an agricultural company in the northern part of North Holland. As a generalist she reports for Boerenbusiness across all sectors. She is also exploring the possibilities of sponsored advertising.

j.pennings@boerenbusiness. Nl

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