Soil Association: Pesticide claims are unfounded

The Soil Association has stepped up to comment upon recent claims that banning the use of pesticides will result in the loss of produce in the UK.

This assurance follows comments from the pesticide industry that banning the use of the chemicals in agriculture will result in the collapse of the country's carrot-growing industry, reported Freshinfo.com.

Writing to secretary of state Hilary Benn, the organisation urged him not to oppose EU legislation decreasing the industry's reliance upon the use of pesticides.

If passed, the regulations will ban the use of toxic chemicals in agriculture, equating to a 98 per cent fall in the use of pesticides, it has been predicted.

In November 2008, long-term pesticide campaigner Georgina Downs won a court ruling against the government, which stated that it had not acted extensively enough in terms of pesticide guidelines.

Ms Downs argued that pesticide spraying poses a health risk to those living within close proximity to it.