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News Releases Key challenges for agriculture outlined at Congress opening 16 October 2007 "Agriculture must provide more food, more feed, more fibre and now fuel to the world in the 21st Century. But it must face these challenges with a shortage of land and water while managing in a caring and responsible way. To cope, agriculture will have to adapt". These were the words of Dr Christian Verschueren, director general of Brussels-based Crop Life International during his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the XVI IPPC in Glasgow today – being run in association with IAPPS and the BCPC International Congress and Exhibition. Dr Verschueren went on to say that this year the world population has reached the point when, for the first time in the history of humanity, more people live in cities than in the country. Agriculture is entering a new era and plant science is part of the solution, he said. "Through biotechnology plant breeders have increased yields over traditional varieties; conservation tillage has reduced soil erosion and carbon emissions; a greener world will be fuelled by feed stocks derived from crops. It is research that holds the key to the next wave of solutions," he said. "The history of technologies is littered with cases of misuse and that’s why CropLife and its members put a strong emphasis in the stewardship of their products and supporting programmes around the world to foster the responsible use of crop protection products," continued Dr Verschueren. He said that despite the industry’s commitment to change, there are obstacles in the way of investment in new technologies: "Public opinion towards new technology is divided, regulatory control often hinders farmers’ access to that technology and inefficient approvals of new products results in complications and disruptions. "Policy makers need to have better recognition of the role and benefits of plant science technology for the future of a sustainable agriculture," continued Dr Verschueren. "The future is a mandate for science and innovation. If plant science is to achieve this, expertise, funds and public will must be mustered." "How safe is our food?" challenged second keynote speaker, Professor Tony Hardy of the UK's CSL (Central Science Laboratory) who claimed that food safety was a top priority both in Europe and at UK level. Ensuring the safe use of pesticides for people and the environment was the principal aim, he said, of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) in the UK – responsible for the approval and regulation of plant protection products. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was also set up in 2000 while the Pesticides Residue Committee advises the UK Government on a nationwide surveillance programme to monitor pesticide residues in food and drink. Professor Hardy went on to say that the goal of the European Commission’s policy on food safety was to ensure a high level of protection of human health and consumer interests. "The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was established in 2002 and is the keystone of the EU system of risk assessment of food and feed safety across the food chain," he said. Professor Hardy also highlighted the existence of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), which, although had been operating within the European Commission since 1979, was greatly strengthened in recent years. "The demanding rules to protect the European consumer have been further strengthened since 2002 and an integrated approach enables the better tracking of food from farm to table,” said Professor Hardy. “The EFSA is committed to openness and transparency in all its activities and consumers should be encouraged to see such developments which, in turn, should increase confidence that food safety and the health of the consumer are very important," he said. Third keynote speaker, UK farmer Simon Browne of Meyrick Estates, Winchester in Hampshire suggested that the pesticide industry had done little in the way of engaging with the people who ultimately buy the end result of their products....’food’. "Marketing and PR budgets should only in part be directed at the farmer," he said. "A much bigger slice should be re-directed at the consumer, first to gain an understanding of how they think and secondly to begin to gain their confidence again from the disastrously low point at which we stand now." Mr Browne added that currently we, as an industry, had so little understanding of what the consumer values. He said that from 1990 to 2004, the spend on food in the UK rose from £64 billion to £111 billion, while agricultural turnover remained static at £15 billion. "In 14 years, the spend on food in this country increased by three times our annual turnover and as an industry we captured none of it. "We can engage with the consumer, give them confidence, make them care about our methods, but we can also make a profit by delivering what they want." Mr Browne concluded by saying that if the industry as a whole can develop an understanding of the consumer and his values, we may stand a chance of taking their opinion with us as circumstances change. "If we fail, we only have ourselves to blame," he said.
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