Consultation on implementing EU pesticides legislation

The Chemicals Regulation Directorate carried out a Consultation on Implementing EU Pesticides Legislation on behalf of DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government.

The consultation considered how to implement the European Directive on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides, which covers areas including the training of pesticide users, inspection of spraying equipment and minimising the risk of pollution from pesticides.  The consultation included options on approaches ranging from retaining the current system to adopting further regulatory controls.

Whilst the consultation sought views on a range of implementation options, the approaches can generally be described as follows:

Option 1.  Maintain status quo.  Retain the current UK framework of controls where these meet the minimum requirements of the directive.  Controls that are not in compliance with the directive cannot be considered.

Option 2.  Strengthen the current statutory and voluntary controls.  Implement additional measures.

Option 3.  Adopt regulatory controls wherever possible.

The deadline for responses was the 4th of May 2010.

Click here to view the full consultation

Click here to see the FUW's response to the consultation