Do you want healthy food for you and your children? Do you care about biodiversity and clean water? Beware! The European Commission is currently proposing a series of measures to massively deregulate pesticides. This way, the EU will allow more toxic pesticides, without regular checks. They sell it as easier access to biocontrol substances, such as "natural herbicides" but the changes also apply to highly toxic pesticides.
Science is clear: pesticides harm our health and kill biodiversity. They cause much more damage than the authorities admit. The law that should protect our health and the environment has too many loopholes. Very dangerous substances remain in use far too long, and important dangers remain under the radar.
But the European Commission doesn’t seem to be interested in your health or environment. They plan to make life easier for the chemical industry.
The changes would:
- Allow harmful pesticides to stay on the market indefinitely
- Ignore independent scientific research
- Even if banned, allow another 3 years of use
(more background here)
This plan takes us back many years. It would make it harder to ban pesticides that harm humans, pollinators, and ecosystems. Instead, we need much better protection. Many very toxic pesticides in use should have been banned years ago. They harm our brains, immune system, development of children and are a disaster for the environment. We have lost up to ¾ of the insects and pesticides play a major role. Water, soils and food are polluted by PFAS pesticides.
The old toxic age can and should end. Pests have become resistant to chemicals and higher doses of even more toxic ones won’t help. We don’t need to poison food and the environment to feed the world. We can do much better; the necessary alternatives are available.
Strong public pressure is urgent. It is still a proposal from one commissioner, and it can be changed. On December 16, the EU Commission will present the final plan. Next, it will be discussed with the EU Member States and the Parliament. Help and tell the EU Commissioner from your country to block these changes and change the focus to ban harmful pesticides.
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