Michael Fitzmaurice on pesticide traceability and imports
Michael Fitzmaurice questioned how authorities could know whether crops were sprayed in third countries and criticised Europe's response to foreign farming practices. He argued that traceability claims are unrealistic when imports arrive months after spraying and cited journalistic and industry evidence from Canada.
Michael Fitzmaurice challenged the premise that European authorities can determine whether crops were sprayed abroad months before arrival. He said it is unrealistic to expect traceability of pesticide use when products land in Europe "three or four months later" and argued that Europe is "closing their eyes" to improper practices overseas.
The speaker referenced interventions from the Farmers Journal and farming organisations that have raised concerns about foreign crop production, including examples from Canada. He suggested these sources have demonstrated similar issues to those he described for other exporting countries.
The minister replied that imports are tested for pesticide residues as part of the feed safety control programme, saying that testing for residues is already undertaken. The minister framed testing as the mechanism used to capture prohibited substances in imported feed and grain.
The minister noted there is no specific minimum requirement for native grain content in dairy or beef rations set by the state. He said some industry initiatives and merchants are producing native grain, but imposing a quantitative restriction could raise legal concerns under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, according to the reply.
Main criticism
Michael Fitzmaurice challenged the premise that European authorities can determine whether crops were sprayed abroad months before arrival. He said it is unrealistic to expect traceability of pesticide use when products land in Europe "three or four months later" and argued that Europe is "closing their eyes" to improper practices overseas.
Evidence cited by speaker
The speaker referenced interventions from the Farmers Journal and farming organisations that have raised concerns about foreign crop production, including examples from Canada. He suggested these sources have demonstrated similar issues to those he described for other exporting countries.
Official response on testing
The minister replied that imports are tested for pesticide residues as part of the feed safety control programme, saying that testing for residues is already undertaken. The minister framed testing as the mechanism used to capture prohibited substances in imported feed and grain.
Native grain and legal limits
The minister noted there is no specific minimum requirement for native grain content in dairy or beef rations set by the state. He said some industry initiatives and merchants are producing native grain, but imposing a quantitative restriction could raise legal concerns under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, according to the reply.
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Transcript
How in God's name can someone know in a third country whether someone sprayed x-wing and zid on the green when it's landing in an abort three or four months later? There's a lot of things that people aren't supposed to do in some of them countries. They're more than cattle, tagging, traceability, all that. Sure, it's lulal that goes on in some of them countries, but Europe are closing their eyes to it. Yeah, they'll sign it up in an agreement. I think the Mercosur actually, what it said is that the only way you can be thrown out of the Mercosur agreement is if you get out of that cap or cop or whatever you call that, climate agreement, if you're thrown out of that. And to be the same, and it's not you, you cannot be looking at that, and I understand that fully. But like someone to go saying that if some fellow has sprayed whatever on the crop abroad in Brazil or wherever, that we're going to know then when it lands in Europe three or four months later. When it's combined, when it's gone in, and when it's, like it's, Europe is actually trying to think, they must think that farmers are pure, you know, in a world of their own, they don't understand it, if that's what they believe is going on. Because we know, the likes of the Farmers Journal and other crowds have gone out, the farming organisations have gone out, they've proved what has gone on in Canada, and let no one say it's any different than any other thing they're growing. So, just to be very clear, going back to Deputy Fitzmaurice, in relation to what was sprayed or not sprayed on crops, we do test imports for pesticides, for residues of pesticides, so we capture that as part of our feed safety control programme. In relation to, is there work been done on setting a minimum threshold or a minimum requirement of native grain in dairy or beef rations? I would say industry themselves, there are some initiatives, so some of the dairy, some of the co-ops and some merchants are producing native grain. There isn't a specific set, minimum set down. And I think if there would be some concerns from a legal point of view, if you were to put a restriction on the amount of, you know, or to basically impose a quantitative restriction on other grains going into feed, that would be a breach of the European Treaty on the functioning of the European Union. Thank you. Thank you.