UFU Cereals Chairman Robert Moore will represent Northern Ireland farmers when UK Union representatives meet MEP’s in Strasbourg and urge them to vote against the proposals in the European Parliament. 

Robert Moore said; “If these proposals go ahead, a significant range of plant protection products could be withdrawn from the marketplace and this would have a serious impact on our ability to grow crops in Northern Ireland.  Conventional arable and horticulture production will not be sustainable without access to these plant protection products.  The approval system for pesticides is already robust and higher in Europe than in many other countries and the industry already promotes best practice through the Pesticides Voluntary Initiative.  These products are mainly used in agriculture to keep crops healthy and protect them from disease and infection. They enable us to produce food to the standards demanded by the UK food chain”. 

Robert Moore added; “We are stepping up our fight to overturn this process, otherwise the impact on food production in Northern Ireland will be significant.  If we are prevented from producing the quantity and quality of food which the market demands then consumers will be left to pay higher food prices and as ever the European Union will continue to allow imports into our marketplace which do not match the standards imposed on local growers”.

Robert Moore