EU too soft on pesticides

Published on 4 April 2012 at 13:09

European Union procedures for the certification of pesticides are too lax, according to a study published on Tuesday by two non-governmental organisations (NGOs). French daily Le Monde reports

According to Pesticide action network-Europe(PAN-Europe) and Générations futures, the European Commission and member states have approved about fifty molecules (used in a dozen pesticides), which are suspected of toxic effects on humans or the environment. The incriminated substances were authorised thanks to a 'resubmission' policy which allows companies to bypass the 1991 European Directive on the evaluation of risks linked to phytosanitary molecules in use in the different EU countries.

“As is often the case in stories about European regulations, the issue is a complicated one”, remarks Le Monde which continues :

Manufacturers, the Commission explains in so many words, were effectively allowed to decide to volontarily take off the market a substance under evaluation while benefiting from a grace period until the end of 2011, when it was to be, in fact, removed. This gave them time to 'resubmit' a mini-application of certification [which requires less data regarding product toxicity]. This fast-track procedure is only possible, Brusselles explains, 'on the condition that there are no clear toxic effects detected during the preliminary study carried out by the reporting Member State.' The NGOs see things from a different angle. François Veillerette, president of Future Generations, sees a "gift" to the industry in the form of a "certification on the cheap". According to the two NGOs, 87 molecules have already attempted to use the fast-track approach and 64 have obtained final certification using this method. For anti-pesticide activists, this "gift" is the result of a compromise with agribusiness chemists in order to reduce the risk of litigation

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