We have published a new position paper on the European Commission’s proposal on the “Simplification and strengthening of food and feed safety requirements”, which revises the rules for placing pesticides and biocides on the market.
While we welcome some measures several proposed changes could weaken the protection of drinking water resources. In particular, they risk undermining the objectives of the Water Framework Directive and the requirements of the Drinking Water Directive.
We are concerned about proposals such as unlimited approval periods for most active substances, extended grace periods for non-renewed substances, and the removal of the obligation for Member States to use the latest scientific evidence when assessing substances. The proposal also fails to include the new hazard classes PMT and vPvM as cut-off criteria for derogations.
We call on the co-legislators to ensure that the final legislation fully protects drinking water resources and avoids legal uncertainty between the Regulation on Plant Protection Products (“Pesticides Regulation”) and the Drinking Water Directive.
You can read the position here.