Perspective on the so-called Precautionary Principle in Relation to Crop Protection Products
Crop protection products are indispensable tools for the farmer, without which agricultural sustainability and food security would be put at risk. CropLife Uganda member companies develop the best technologies according to the state of the science. These companies continually review their technologies in the region and, as scientific knowledge on existing and alternative technologies advances, they develop new products in line with their commitment to agricultural innovation focused on health and sustainable production.
From this perspective, regulations that are based on rigorous scientific knowledge are advocated; knowledge that is independently validated and widely supported by the majority consensus of scientists around the world. It is this kind of knowledge that constitutes the basis for decision-making derived from scientific risk assessment: the greater the risk, the greater the mitigation requirements of it, and the greater the regulatory scrutiny. The risk assessment summarizes the state of science so that society realizes the benefits of agriculture that help countries to have food security and strengthen their economic development.
Contrary to this view, is positioned the precautionary principle which implores that when the risks associated with a specific activity are to some extent indeterminate or not fully understood, the worst possible scenario should be assumed and such activity avoided. On the basis of identifying danger, this is the fear of danger, the precautionary principle is based on ignoring that people are capable of managing the risk associated with a hazard and making their own decisions regarding the latter. The implications and scope of this kind of reasoning are important. For example, medicines could not be used to treat diseases, as they all have some level of toxicity and side effects. Another example would be not taking advantage of plants since they produce a large amount of natural chemical substances that fulfill various metabolic and physiological functions, all with various levels of toxicity and most only partially scientifically characterized. From the perspective of the precautionary principle, we could not take advantage of plants to produce food, medicines, or materials, such as textiles, construction elements, biofuels, or any other human use of plants and their byproducts.
The precautionary principle has been introduced in various instruments of international organizations and treaties.
When the precautionary principle is established as the basis for regulatory decisions and public policies, it forces the authorities to make decisions based on the inherent danger of any activity or technology, ranging from restrictions to prohibitions. In other words, it empowers authorities to make decisions based on ideology and not science, effectively limiting the freedom of people to assess the risk of activities and to decide on how to manage risk.
The crop protection industry represented by CropLife Uganda promotes science-based decision making. With full transparency, we support regulatory and legislative authorities, as well as the general public, to increase their understanding and capacities for this type of discussion and analyses that lead countries to advance on the path of innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability of their nations. We recommend to all people, institutions, and authorities in Uganda, to trust that the continuously increasing state of science and scientific knowledge is the only basis on which rational decisions can be made that allow us to improve the conditions of health, environment and sustainable development in society.