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and while the UK is going full bore with boris' GMOs and poisons...

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EXPORT OF BANNED PESTICIDES: BRUSSELS RESPONDS TO CIVIL SOCIETY

Many pesticides illegal in Europe due to their proven dangerousness continue to be produced and exported to third countries. Questioned in a letter by 76 organizations, including POLLINIS, the European Commission said in its response to consider a review of the legislation to put an end to this unacceptable policy.


ill Europe finally react to the scandal of the export of banned pesticides? Interested in a letter co-signed by 76 organizations, including POLLINIS1, the Commission responded to requests from civil society regarding exports of pesticides not authorized by European regulations to other countries with less protective legislation.


In this letter sent on November 5 to the Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, as well as to Commissioners Stella Kyriakides (Health), Janusz Wojciechowski (Agriculture) Virginijus Sinkevičius (Environment), the signatory organizations pointed out the inconsistency of Europe, which continues to produce, store and sell pesticides whose use it prohibits on its territory, because of their proven dangerousness for human health and the environment.


A vicious circle

According to a report2 NGOs Public Eye and Unearthed, 41 banned pesticides were declared for export from 11 member countries of the European Union in 2018. These countries exported more than 81,000 tonnes of pesticides containing substances banned in Europe, such as paraquat, an extremely toxic herbicide, or dichloropropene, classified as a probable carcinogen.


These banned pesticides then return to Europe in the form of residues in agricultural products imported from developing or emerging countries such as Morocco, Ukraine or Brazil, where Europe markets its dangerous substances.


In its letter, the Commission responded to the two main requests relayed by the 76 organizations: to stop the export of pesticides which are no longer authorized in the European Union and the import of agricultural products treated with these chemicals. The response, however, ignores the demand for the phase-out of hazardous pesticides globally.


Parcel response

The Commission indicated that it was studying the various options to be implemented to achieve the objective of preventing the export of dangerous chemicals "  including a review of the legislation  ". The European executive also underlined that it had started to take into account the concerns raised by the import tolerances of agricultural products treated with banned pesticides, without however giving details of the concrete actions envisaged.


"The answers provided by the European Commission on the export of pesticides give hope that Europe will soon put an end to this environmental and human scandal," explains Nicolas Laarman, general delegate of POLLINIS. But the absence of a tangible answer on the progressive elimination of dangerous pesticides on a global scale and the lack of concrete commitment on the return of products treated with these banned pesticides show that there is still a long way to go to build respectful agriculture. of the environment  and not dependent on chemistry,  ”he concludes.

 

Read more:

https://www.pollinis.org/publications/exportation-des-pesticides-interdits-bruxelles-repond-a-la-societe-civile/

 

Picture at top by Gus Leonisky. Bee on fennel flowers.

 

 

See also: 

brexit royal roundup to crap crops, poison town waters and kill you early...

the US still using banned pesticides...

The United States of America (USA), European Union (EU), Brazil and China are four of the largest agricultural producers and users of agricultural pesticides in the world. Comparing the inclination and ability of different regulatory agencies to ban or eliminate pesticides that have the most potential for harm to humans and the environment can provide a glimpse into the effectiveness of each nation’s pesticide regulatory laws and oversight.

Methods

The approval status of more than 500 agricultural pesticides was identified in the USA, EU, Brazil and China and compared between nations. The amount of pesticides that were used in the USA and banned in these other nations was compiled and linear regression was used to identify trends in use.

Results

There are 72, 17, and 11 pesticides approved for outdoor agricultural applications in the USA that are banned or in the process of complete phase out in the EU, Brazil, and China, respectively. Of the pesticides used in USA agriculture in 2016, 322 million pounds were of pesticides banned in the EU, 26 million pounds were of pesticides banned in Brazil and 40 million pounds were of pesticides banned in China. Pesticides banned in the EU account for more than a quarter of all agricultural pesticide use in the USA. The majority of pesticides banned in at least two of these three nations have not appreciably decreased in the USA over the last 25 years and almost all have stayed constant or increased over the last 10 years.

Conclusions

Many pesticides still widely used in the USA, at the level of tens to hundreds of millions of pounds annually, have been banned or are being phased out in the EU, China and Brazil. Of the pesticides banned in at least two of these nations, many have been implicated in acute pesticide poisonings in the USA and some are further restricted by individual states. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has all but abandoned its use of non-voluntary cancellations in recent years, making pesticide cancellation in the USA largely an exercise that requires consent by the regulated industry.

 

Read more:

https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-019-0488-0

 

bee on fennel flowers2

Pictures by Gus Leonisky

traktoren, as a protected species...

A German farmers’ group has staged a tractor ride through central Berlin to protest against the looming approval of new regulations, which they predict will cost many of their livelihoods in the name of environmental protection.

Dozens of agricultural vehicles drove through the streets of the German capital on Friday, passing by Alexanderplatz, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Victory Column. The tractors and semis were carrying slogans like “Agriculture needs a future,”“When right becomes wrong, resistance becomes duty,” and “Schulze is getting rid of us.”

The latter refers to Federal Minister for the Environment Svenja Schulze, the official behind the proposed Insect Protection Act, which is due to be adopted by the German parliament next week. The farmers say it’s too restrictive and will de facto prohibit some of them from using insecticide, forcing them out of business.

 

The protesters believe the bill is motivated by ideology rather than science. “We promote biodiversity, but not unsustainable ministries,” says the website of Land Creates Connection, the farmers’ group behind the protest. The activists have scheduled several events in the days leading up to the parliament vote.

On their way through Berlin, the German tractorcade met another demonstration – a group of Antifa activists calling for more support for students during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pedestrian protesters had to wait some time to let the tractors pass.

 

 

Read more:

https://www.rt.com/news/514809-germany-farmer-protest-insects/

 

 

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