Winter Cereal Levies & National Forestry Bill: Discussion and Pesticide Policy: presentation

Meeting report

AGRICULTURE, WATER AFFAIRS & FORESTRY PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
12 August 1998
WINTER CEREAL LEVIES & NATIONAL FORESTRY BILL: DISCUSSION AND PESTICIDE POLICY: PRESENTATION

Documents handed out:
Pesticides: The Need for Policy Reform
Pesticide Health and Safety Policy Mechanisms in South Africa: The State
of the Debate
National Forests Bill (access from http://www.polity.org.za/govdocs/1998)

Agenda:
Discussion on Winter Cereal Levies
Discussion on the National Forestry Bill
Presentation by UCT (Department of Community Health) on Pesticide Policy

DETAILED MINUTES
The meeting started with a discussion on a Winter Cereals levy. The majority of the Portfolio Committee members agreed to the levy. A report on the levy would be drawn up indicating the committee support for the levy, which would then be forwarded to the Minister as required.

The next issue on the agenda was the discussion on the National Forestry

Bill. The Committee proceeded through the Bill clause by clause. The Portfolio Committee members were asked to table issues which needed to be clarified by the department, or which would need to be debated by the Committee at a later stage. The Department was absent from the meeting and many of the issues that were raised were not answered and finalised. During the meeting clauses 1 to 33 were discussed and the issues were noted for the attention of the Department at a later date.

The meeting closed with a presentation from Occupational and Environmental Health Research Unit at UCT, on the Pesticide Policy. The main issues discussed were around public health and how the use of pesticides affects the farm workers and the community. The presentation was very brief because many of the members had other meeting to attend. The presenters were informed that their issues of concern would be forwarded to the rest of the Committee and that they would be invited back at a later date for further discussion.

The Portfolio Committee will meet again on 17, 18 August to discuss the National Forestry Bill and the Department would be present on 19 August.