MEPs agree that spraying wheat crops just before harvest is 'unacceptable'
The Soil Association is claiming victory in its campaign to stop the pesticide glyphosate being sprayed onto UK wheat crops just before harvest, in a process known as desiccation.
Glyphosate is extensively applied to wheat crops in the UK, where wet summers can lead to weed growth and uneven crop ripening, which in turn hold up harvesting. Desiccation allows crops to be harvested faster and earlier.
However, glyphosate has been labelled as a 'probable carcinogen' by the World Health Organization. After some debate, the EU recently renewed its licence for just seven years (instead of the usual 15), and the EU Parliament produced an advisory note calling for ‘restrictions on use in agricultural fields shortly before harvesting’, describing such uses as ‘unacceptable’.
Since last year, the Soil Association’s Not in our Bread campaign has been calling for a UK ban on the use of glyphosate on wheat as a pre-harvest weed-killer and as a desiccant to allow faster harvesting.
Read more about Sustain's policies for a sustainable farming system here.
Published Thursday 21 April 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
