b'VIEWPOINTS OF FIVE EU POLITICAL GROUPS ON PLANT BREEDING INNOVATION AND CROP PROTECTION PRODUCTS.Questions EPP ECR GUE RE S&DWhat is yourOf pivotal interestThe basis ofKey to foodIts important toCrucial; plant take on the plantfor European foodsustainable growth;security, and tohave a multitudeimprovement is breeding and seedsecurity, in the facea great examplethe protection ofof seeds and tofirst when seeking sector in Europe? of climate change,of innovationbiodiversity, farmerskeep old varieties;to improve population growthbringing clearand consumerswe need smallexpectations of and more benefits to farmersbreeders, not only afarmers& consumers few big firmsHow do you viewNBTs involvingThe EC must tableNew ways ofWe must find a wayNBTs should be the new breedingmutagenesis shouldnew legislation togenetically-to cope with the ECregulated under techniques suchnot be prohibited,clarify why gene- modifying plantsruling, or Europea new legislative as gene-editing?but exempt from theedited organismsand animalswill fall behindframework, not Should these beGMO Directiveare not to beshould be strictlyother regions in thewithin the GMO regulated? subject to the GMOregulated, as theworld DirectiveDirective European Court ruledDo you feelLegislation currentlyA severe reductionChemicalFarmers needBreeding can play farmers in Europeimpedes biologicalof crop protectiondependency fortools, but we mustan important role in are losing toolslow-risk alternativeproducts andfood production isstop using plantobtaining varieties to producepesticides andblocking NBTsnot the way forward;protection productsresistant to certain enough food (e.g.hampers innovationwill not helpwe need to investif they are provenpests and that bans on morein conventionalconsolidate ourin agro-ecologicalto be dangerous formake the use of plant protectionpesticideexport position;farming instead.health certain products products)? development. Risksheavily politicisedMany pesticidesunnecessary, and can be mitigated indecision-making isstill allowed inallow conventional other ways beyondnot supporting ourthe EU threatenagriculture which forbidding activebest science environmental andcomplies with legal substances human health, andrequirementsthey need to be bannedtions and biotechnology. A heavily politicised decision-making process is not supporting our best science, says Tertsch (MEP-ECR). Green par-ties would be glad to see Europe as a museum of agriculture, but we need to defend the role of our farmers in pro-viding food security. If industries do not make additional efforts to commu-nicate, misinformation and fearmonger-ing will finally drive this debate, and farmers will be deprived of key tools widely used around the world. Aguilar (COMAGRI- ECR) notes that the EUs agriculture sector is cur-rently able to compete in export markets but a severe reduction of crop protection products and blocking NBTs will not help to consolidate its export position. It is unfair to ask farmers, she says, to do more with less budget and fewer tools.The issues over authorization orMazaly Aguilar (ECR) Hermann Tertsch (MEP-ECR)renewal of active substances puts farmers in a very difficult situation, according to Aguilera (S&D), but she points out thatwants to enable its farmers to producethe EU which threaten the health of the the power of plant breeding should notenough food in a more sustainable way.environment, the consumers, residents be ignored. The crop breeding and theHowever, Hazekamp (GUE/NGL) isin agricultural areas and not in the least, seed sector can play an important role infirm in the view that chemical depend- farmers themselves. These urgently obtaining varieties resistant to certainency is not the way forward for food pro- need to be banned. At the same time, pests, she says, and that make the useduction. Making smart use of nature,we should also protect our farmers by of phytosanitary products unnecessary.with natural solutions for pest manage- demanding the same production condi-De Castro believes innovation and agri- ment, is the future, she says. There aretions for the food that we import from culture must go hand-in-hand if Europestill many pesticides allowed for use inoutside of the EU. 12IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'