PESTICIDES

That this House recognises that current European Commission proposals on pesticides would remove a significant number of plant protection products from the market before suitable alternatives are available; acknowledges that food treated with banned products could still be imported from outside the EU; notes the UK Pesticide Safety Directorate estimates that these proposals might result in crop yield losses of up to 30 per cent. and could also significantly undermine amenity woodland and forestry; is concerned by the lack of scientific evidence to support these changes; and urges the Government to insist on a comprehensive, EU-wide impact assessment, covering potential effects on human health and the environment as well as consequences for crop yields, food prices and economic activity, before the new rules are permitted to come into force.