AgroPages-AHDB collaborate with EU Minor Use Coordination Facility-Agricultural news

Authorisation for plant protection products requires a high-level of data and information. Niche speciality crops with a high economic value are usually categorised as “minor uses” and are of low economic interest to agricultural chemical companies, because of the lower areas grown. This leads to a lack of products on the market for growers. These crops include most vegetables, fruit, nurseries and ornamental/flower crops.

The EU Coordination Facility set up in 2015 led by Jeroen Meeussen, is aimed to derive the maximum benefit from a programme of work across the Member States aimed at resolving minor use problems. It is hoped that this programme of work will be continued and developed on a more coherent, consistent and productive basis with a higher output of solutions for minor uses problems.

Three Member States initially, France, Germany and the Netherlands, have agreed to provide funds to match the €350,000 committed by the Commission in order to create the EU Minor Uses Coordination Facility. The three countries have committed funds for three years in order to ensure rapid progress with establishment of the Facility. This is on the understanding that other Member States and stakeholders who benefit from the work of the Facility will contribute to a sustainable funding arrangement in the longer term.

The main task of the Coordination Facility is to coordinate and support minor use work among all Member States and stakeholders. This entails the improvement of information exchange, sharing experience gained at the national levels and facilitating bilateral and multilateral projects between Member States.

A key part of this collaboration relates to AHDB Horticulture membership and representation at EU Commodity Expert Groups where representatives from each MS meet to discuss crop protection issues, and working with manufacturers, agree potential projects on a range of crops. Currently Viv Powell and Bolette Neve attend the Commodity Expert Groups for Fruit and Vegetable Crops, ornamental crops and mushrooms. AHDB have participated in a number of projects aimed to increase the availability of new solutions on speciality crops.

Residue data to support the use of ‘Tracer’ spinosad on bush fruit and cane fruit was generated as part of a collaborative EU project, and has resulted in successful EAMU authorisations for the control of SWD and thrips on these important speciality crops.