MISCONCEPTIONS about pesticides and lack of information are two common reasons for public concern about their effect on food safety and quality, the Cyprus Crop Protection Association (CCPA) said yesterday.
Speaking at a news conference, CCPA president Eric Shukuroglou said “crop protection products” – more commonly known as pesticides – provided a sufficient and sustainable supply of healthy and safe food at affordable prices. Without crop protection, significantly more land would be needed to ensure that food production kept pace with the demands of consumers food supply, he said.
“Ultimately, crop protection products help meet global food demand” and is only “dangerous” if used wrongly, explained Shukuroglou.
He underlined the fact that the CCPA was a member of the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA), adhering to all EU regulations and constantly striving to upgrade and improve controls to ensure consumers eat foods that are safe.
The association employs 280 people including scientists, agriculturists, technicians and manual labourers. It also works closes with Greek Crop Protection Association and the Agriculture Ministry.
The European crop protection industry is a 6.9 billion euro market, with an annual average growth rate of one per cent and employs almost 32,000 employees. It also has a strong presence in Central and Eastern European countries.
Kari Matalone, ECPA Communications Manager, explained pesticides were the “treatments used to protect crops and keep them healthy. They are the crop growing equivalents of the medicines doctors use to safeguard our own health”.
Crop protection combines innovative science and technology to protect farmers’ crops from the many dangerous pests and disease that threaten the quality and safety of food, said Matalone.
They not only improve food quantity, but they also make a significant contribution to food quality by reducing the level of natural toxins produced by fungi and bacteria in food crops, thus helping to reduce the number of food-related illnesses, she added.
Matalone said: “Believe it or not there are more known carcinogens in a single cup of coffee than in the pesticide residue on food one could comfortably eat in a year.”
This was because, as Shukuroglou pointed out, all crop protection products underwent rigorous approval processes before they were authorised for marketing and use. He said potential hazards and risks from their use were thoroughly assessed on the basis of extensive data, covering product efficacy and chemistry, toxicology, health effects and environmental impact.
“Products are approved only if they are effective, can be applied safely and do not have any unacceptable side effects on humans and the environment,” he said.
Pesticides are among the most highly regulated chemicals in Europe, ensuring their safety to consumers, their food and the environment, added Matalone.
With the benefits in mind, the ECPAs objectives are to work towards improved understanding and recognition of the crop protection industry’s contribution to the production of health and high-quality food through sustainable agriculture, to facilitate dialogue between the crop protection industry and European institutions, to ensure a favourable regulatory environment and to provide business support and service to its members.
It also aims to improve safe use techniques in waste disposal and environmental contamination, as well as to change the behaviour of farmers and to raise awareness of personal protective equipment, following label instructions for use, protection and hygiene, she said.
These initiatives will be implemented by campaigns targeted towards farmers and growers, as well as the public.
Training on spray techniques and equipment, improved disposal techniques, publicity, partnerships with distributors, a certification scheme, media relations, local TV and radio and billboards were but a few of the ways to do this, said Matalone.
