Bijdrage mili­eu­com­missie over mate­rialen voor plan­ten­re­pro­ductie

Anja Hazekamp (PvdD):

Thiacloprid

The biodiversity crisis is one of the main threats that humanity faces, and the dramatic decline in pollinators is perhaps the most scary phenomenon of this crisis. Without pollinators our abundance of plants will quickly decimate and our food production will face insurmountable problems. We have to do all we can to protect our pollinators, not only in the EU but worldwide. So of course we should not facilitate the use of thiacloprid outside the EU, while we have banned it ourselves. Especially not so as this is a pesticide that not only kills bees, bumblebees and other pollinators, but also harms humans in a very dramatic way. The MRL regulation is very clear: no import tolerances for pesticides that we’ve banned for health concerns. So I urge the Commission to stop proposing these very harmful measures. And I do hope for the support of our colleagues for this objection.

Preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution

This is an important chance to update the legislation on the production and marketing of the foundations of our food. We need to make sure this new legislation will work for the future and those who are doing their best for the public good. The big seed- and pesticide companies should be the very least of our concerns. The old marketing rules have done damage to our diversity, and we should make sure we do not repeat that mistake now. I’m afraid the Commission’s proposal was not the best start for that.

So I want to thank the rapporteur Christophe Clergeau, for your good work on the draft opinions.

You’ve very rightly made a clear link with the very hazardous proposal to deregulate all the new GMO’s. And you’ve also made the link with the very pressing debate on the ongoing privatisation and monetisation of our common goods, of the natural wealth that is in our biodiversity. Patenting is a huge threat to our food security, our farmers and our future and must be stopped, so you have my full support and we will work together on the best wording for that.

I also agree with your proposals to make more targeted provisions so we can be sure that all those people who are working so hard to save seeds and conserve species are not badly hurt by this new legislation. We need to enable the gene banks and the savers networks, not obstruct them. And we also must make sure the human right to sell your seeds is not hindered by our legislation. Finally, sustainability cannot be captured by a trait of a crop, but is the result of the system and manner in which it is grown, so we will need to have a more holistic focus in this legislation. I will prepare some amendments reflecting these priorities, and I look forward to working with you all on this.