By disappearing RUB list
Ban on home, garden and kitchen products
Dutch farmers and horticulturists will soon no longer be allowed to use home, garden and kitchen products against diseases and pests in their crops and crops. This includes beer, green soap, milk or cleaning vinegar. This is the result of the disappearance of the Pesticides Exception Regulation (RUB).
After the disappearance of the RUB list, the use of beer against snails must be approved through the official admission procedures. "That costs millions", says Joris Baecke, portfolio holder Plant Health at LTO Nederland. "And since nobody owns beer or green soap, nobody will want to pay for those costs."
The consequence of this is that these resources are no longer available to farmers and horticulturists. These agents are precisely a good and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical crop protection agents.
Protecting consumer interests
The fact that new legislation has now been announced ensures that the RUB list is being phased out. This applies to the Netherlands as well as to other countries in the European Union. What follows is strict European legislation for the use of home, garden and kitchen products, but also strict legislation for the use of various vegetable extracts.
The new EU regulations aim to protect the interests of consumers, so that only substances that are safe for humans, animals and the environment are used in the crops. Do you want to start using a new drug? In that case, that product must first go through an authorization procedure. In the Netherlands, this risk assessment will be carried out by the Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb).
In general, Baecke sees it as a good procedure, but he still needs some adjustments. "You cannot suddenly chase substances that are currently on the RUB list at millions of dollars. That inhibits small-scale innovation. And that small-scale innovation has always been a strong point of Dutch agriculture. Legislation is indeed needed, but it must are at reasonable costs.The Dutch agriculture and horticulture is the least environmentally harmful sector in the world. We would like to continue down that road.
Take measures
LTO Nederland and LTO Glaskracht want to call on the government to make an arrangement so that the most important resources from the RUB list can go through the admission procedure as quickly as possible and free of charge. "That is a matter of general interest," says Baecke.
Kimberly Baker
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