EU member states have agreed a negotiating position on parts of the bloc’s “omnibus X” package, including proposed changes to rules on pesticide use, farm animal record-keeping and plastics used in food-related products.
The Council of the EU announced on Wednesday that its mandate for talks with the European Parliament covers amendments linked to the sustainable use of pesticides, requirements for records related to farming animals, and measures affecting plastics in the food industry.
The package is part of the EU’s wider simplification agenda, with changes spanning areas such as plant protection products (pesticides used to protect crops), biocidal products, animal health and welfare, and official controls.
“Today we deliver on the second proposal within the food and feed safety package, paving the way for simpler and more cost-efficient rules regarding the sustainable use of pesticides, record-keeping, and the use of plastics in the food industry,” said Marilena Raouna, Cyprus deputy minister for European affairs.
Changes include drone spraying rules and reduced duplication
Under existing EU rules on the sustainable use of pesticides, aerial spraying is prohibited, but countries can grant individual exemptions in specific cases, the Council said.
The Council position keeps the current option for exemptions and supports an additional exemption proposed by the European Commission for certain types of drones.
The Council also declared that it wants the European Food Safety Authority — the EU agency that provides scientific advice on food-related risks — to cover guidance on assessing risks linked both to pesticides that could be sprayed from drones and to the drones themselves, including conditions of use.
A 30-month period is set out in the Council’s text for adopting a delegated act — a type of EU legal instrument that can add detail to legislation — to identify the types of drones that can be used to spray plant protection products.
On farm animal welfare rules, the Council said it supports removing duplication in record-keeping requirements, as farmers are already required to log medicinal treatments and animal mortality figures under other EU laws.
For plastics, the Council said it proposes repealing two older directives from 1982 and 1985 on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food, because the same issues are already covered by a 2011 EU regulation.
The Council said work will continue on the remaining proposal in the omnibus X package before negotiations begin with the European Parliament on the full set of measures.
