EU member states agree new rules on food and feed safety
EU member states have agreed to change some rules for food and animal feed safety as part of the bloc's "simplification agenda".
The Council of the EU's position on the rules, which will form the basis of its negotiations with the European Parliament on the final text of the changes, mainly concern the sustainable use of pesticides, records related to farm animals, and the use of plastics in the food industry.
The new legislative package aims to simplify rules and procedures across EU legislation in the areas of plant protection products and biocidal products, as well as feed, official controls and animal health and welfare.
The council said the package aims to reduce unnecessary administrative costs and burdens, while maintaining the EU’s standards for food and feed safety; protection of human and animal health; and environmental protection.
The current directive on the sustainable use of pesticides (SUD) prohibits aerial application of pesticides, although it allows member states the possibility to grant derogations from this ban, though not without "significant administrative burden" for both the user and authorities.
The new rules agreed by the council will facilitate the use of drones for targeted application of pesticides which may present an equivalent or even lower risk than land-based pesticide applications.
The council's position maintains the existing derogation from the ban on aerial spraying in special cases, as well as the additional derogation for certain types of drones, even if the conditions for special cases are not met.
Other changes proposed by the council concern data keeping on animal medicinal treatments.
Currently, farmers are required to keep records for medicinal treatments and mortalities under several EU directives and rules. The council's proposals look to remove the duplication of record keeping.
The council will also look to repeal two EU directives from the 1980s governing use of plastic materials that come into contact with food, as the same matters are covered by a later law from 2011.
The proposed changes come under the 10th 'omnibus' simplification packages pursued as part of the EU's effort in recent years to simply its laws and regulations, much of which concerns regulation governing agriculture and food production.
