Position Paper on Plant Protection Products residues

At a time of severe trade disruptions, climate change, pest pressure, and geopolitical uncertainty, it is relevant to frame the debate in a non-ideological way, considering all available methods to protect crops and related products along all stages of cultivation, storage, and transformation, to ensure food security.

In particular, COCERAL, UNISTOCK, and EUROMALT welcome harmonized measures that reflect the agricultural needs of both the EU Member States and third-export countries and can favor international cooperation, underpinned by a rules-based order established in science. With crop protection considerably moving to greener and more sustainable alternatives, including low-risk substances, biological tools, agroecology, and Integrated Pest Management, it is relevant to maintain the options the farming community needs to grow crops and feed the planet. COCERAL, UNISTOCK and EUROMALT also believe there is no alternative in working towards internationally agreed environmental protection standards to reflecting the emerging concept of “environmental considerations (or “concerns”) of global nature”.

Eventually, COCERAL UNISTOCK and EUROMALT take note of Ursula Von der Leyen’s message of depolarising the debate on PPPs in Europe, in yesterday’s plenary in the European Parliament, and remain committed to cooperate with the EU institutions to achieve both food safety and trade openness.