Ending pesticide use would cut crop yields by up to 40%
While an estimated 26 to 40 per cent of crop yields are currently lost to weeds, pests and diseases on a global scale, the removal of plant protection products and pesticides would see this figure double, a report claimed this week.
And with continued pressure on the registration of these products, any whole-scale reduction in their use would be likely to see the average UK family shopping bill soar by £786 a year.
Commissioned by the Crop Protection Association (CPA) and written by independent agronomist Séan Rickard, the study found that the average household spend on fresh fruit and vegetables alone would rise by more than £4 per week – an extra £226 per year – making it more costly for shoppers to get their five-a-day.
And while the basics of bread and morning cereals could rise by around £140 and the cost of buying fresh meat for home cooking could increase by £60, luxuries such as alcohol and eating out would also increase by around £92 a year for each household.
Rickard, a former chief economist for the National Farmers Union found that eating healthily could become unaffordable for some families if farmers did not have access to every tool in the box to protect crops.
The report stated that plant protection products (PPPS), also known as pesticides, prevent the loss of crop yields by guarding them from more than 10,000 species of pests, 30,000 species of weeds and countless diseases.
“If farmers were denied access to these products there would be a significant drop in global food production, a subsequent hike in food prices and the quality we have come to expect in the crops that underpin our food system would decline markedly.”
Rickard said that agriculture’s contribution to food security and to living standards was critically dependent on its attainment of high and consistent crop yields:
“These are the product of scientific research, the fruits of which are manifested in more resilient crops, the provision of nutrients via fertilizers and the improved efficacy of synthetic plant protection products.
He said a wide range of academic studies had confirmed that were it not for the existence of crop protection products, not only would crop yields be significantly lower than their current levels but also the quality of what was produced would generally be lower.