2012 updates on food and farming policy

Spring 2012

Sustain response to the Pesticides Forum Annual Report

Sustain has been a "consumer" member of the government's Pesticides Forum since 2010. The Forum brings together a range of organisations with an interest in how pesticides are used including farmers, retailers, the pesticides industry and a minority of independent organisations, including Sustain member Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK). Sustain does not always agree with the conclusions and recommendations of the Forum.

The Pesticides Forum published its most recent annual report in May 2012. Like our fellow Forum member, PAN UK, Sustain did not agree with the statement in the report’s executive summary that “The work of the UK Pesticides Forum in 2011 confirms that the use of pesticides is not adversely impacting on the health of UK citizens or the environment.” In our view, the evidence shows that pesticides can and sometimes do adversely affect people's health and the environment in the UK. Neither do we agree with the statement that the UK’s controls “deliver high standards of protection for human health and the environment." Here again, we agree with PAN UK that there is much more that can and should be done to protect people and the environment from pesticides.

The Pesticide Action Network UK has often been the lone voice calling for greater action in what is an industry dominated institution, which is why Sustain joined the Forum. Despite its limitations, we believe it is important to remain involved in the Forum to try to influence its recommendations, even if we cannot always secure the outcome we would like.

Planetary Boundaries and the Rio Earth Summit

We continue to participate in meetings of the Planetary Boundaries initiative, which seeks to establish legal approaches to governance of ‘upper limits’ on environmental boundaries in key areas such as climate change, water use and land-use change, whilst also striving for social progress. A Planetary Boundaries Declaration will be championed at the forthcoming Rio +20 negotiations. The initiative is led by two environmental lawyers, and has already received support from WWF, Oxfam and the Foundation for Future Generations, as well as many national delegates to Rio +20.