Organic News
Pesticides to be banned despite opposition
Two significant events have occurred recently to begin the process of upgrading the regime of pesticide regulation in the EU. The first was a vote by the European parliament in January. It is now likely that this vote will result in the banning of 22 pesticides.
Kate Carmody, Chairperson of IOFGA and a qualified biochemist, stated that “IOFGA welcomes the fact that the EU Parliament has put the protection of human health first in banning these potentially dangerous pesticides many of which are endocrine disruptors. They did this despite extensive lobbying from the agrichemical industry.” She pointed to the fact that organic growing is thriving and proves that pesticides are unnecessary, and that “we should remember that pesticides are essentially poisons which are routinely sprayed on crops in conventional agriculture. Do we really want to spray these on our food?”
Ireland's Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (DAFF) has opposed the move. It, along with the IFA and others within the conventional agri-food sector advised Fianna Fail MEPs, who abstained from the substantive vote. As well as this, the FF MEPs also voted against the definition of endocrine disruption in another part of the legislation.
When queried on this, the FF MEP Liam Aylward claimed that the lack of an up-to-date impact assessment, as well as the “change of the risk base from a risk, scientific-based approach to a hazard-based approach” meant that he advised the other FF MEPs to oppose the legislation.
Hazard considers intrinsic properties, whereas risk takes both hazard and potential exposure into account, according to DAFF. Many environmentalists consider this to be a folly: massive global reductions in biodiversity levels coupled with human pesticide poisonings have been attributed to pesticide exposure by the World Health Organisation and others, despite risk assessment. Some have claimed that this vote will affect crop production in the EU, and move it to other less regulated regions.
It was also reported in the UK's Farmers' Guardian that even organic growers may suffer, as the few products they use under derogation or within the organic standards will be prohibited.
When queried on this, however, Teagasc organic advisor Dan Clavin claimed that in relation to the pesticides in question, “apart from the use of copper sulphate against blight, traditionally there has been very little use in Ireland... Existing horizontal regulations ruled out the use of many of them already”, and that “no major impact is expected in Ireland by any further restrictions”.
In a less publicised but surely significant move, over 600 substances used in pesticides are also to be removed from the market. Of these, 70 were removed because of specific threats to human health and the environment.
This is the result of a now complete 16 year review which involved, aptly enough, a risk assessment.
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