Although parallel trade permits have allowed plant protection products to be imported into the UK, based on regulatory assessment work done in another EU country, sales of parallel products will end on June 30. Losing the permits, will inevitably lead to price rises and less availability for growers. This will directly affect crop resistance and could cost the sector £10 million, the NFU warned this week.
According to the NFU, it has drafted an ‘urgent letter’ to the secretary of state and minister to take immediate action in ensuring the ‘extension of parallel imports and permits’ to allow companies to bring in active ingredients until there is a proper ‘regulatory process’ in place.
Apparently, the NFU has been lobbying Defra ‘really hard’ but it has admitted they had hit a stumbling block as it was a legislative issue. Combinable crops board chair, Matt Culley said this has been promised since Brexit, but the union has not yet seen any evidence of it. "We are asking for the minister to get involved and make sure we can have an extension of parallel imports and permits to allow companies to bring in active ingredients that we can use safely,” he said.
Source: fpcfreshtalkdaily.co.uk