Press releases
PAN Europe is co-organising a high-level event at the European Parliament tomorrow Wednesday 19 March to address an urgent and largely overlooked global threat to drinking water: Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The conference streamed online, will bring together leading experts and policymakers to discuss the environmental and public health risks all over Europe posed by TFA, a highly persistent breakdown product of several chemicals, especially PFAS pesticides.
In a landmark decision on 12 March, EU Member States adopted the European Commission's proposal to ban the endocrine-disrupting PFAS pesticide flufenacet. PAN Europe applauds this decisive action, which aligns with the EU's requirement to protect human health and the environment. We, however, stress the importance of taking comprehensive action on PFAS pesticides and ensuring that farmers do not turn to similarly problematic substitutes.
PAN Europe has asked the EU Commission to withdraw the pesticide and biocide deltamethrin from the market immediately to prevent any further harm to unborn children. New research shows that exposure of pregnant mice to low doses of the insecticide causes brain damage in the offspring related to learning and memory, relevant for the human autism spectrum. The results come on top of 30+ independent studies that report on developmental neurotoxicity of deltamethrin.
Today the Commission published its Vision for Agriculture and Food. The text includes a worrying unscientific pesticide industry narrative on pesticides. The Commission backtracked on commitments to better protect EU agriculture competitiveness and citizens’ health by lowering Maximum Residue Levels in imported food. The vision lacks the teeth and sense of urgency needed in view of the health and environmental crises, which are wrecking a thriving future for farmers, citizens and ecosystems.
85 organisations - including environmental, health, and human rights groups, as well as farm worker unions and farmer organisations - have created a Roadmap for Pesticide Phase-Out for EU policy-makers. This document outlines key demands and actionable steps to reduce pesticide use and risk across Europe, advocating for an agricultural future that prioritises human health, environmental protection and a fair, secured future for farmers. It is essential that the recommendations are represented in the upcoming EU Vision for Agriculture and Food.
La semana pasada, la cadena de supermercados Albert Heijn decidió retirar sus bolsas de escarola en Países Bajos y Bélgica debido a los niveles excesivos de tau-fluvalinato, un «químico permanente» tóxico para las abejas que pertenece a un grupo de pesticidas neurotóxicos. El producto proviene de España, uno de los cuatro países europeos líderes en la venta de pesticidas que son también los grandes productores agrícolas de la UE.
PAN Europe has won a major victory in court. The highest administrative court in The Netherlands overturned the rejection of our objection to the authorisation of Dagonis, an agricultural fungicide. This came after the European court clarified how pesticide legislation should be applied. The Dutch pesticides administration must now take a new decision, assessing all current scientific information available at the time. This procedure applies to all EU member states.
Today, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe and its members ClientEarth, Générations Futures, GLOBAL 2000, Pesticide Action Network Germany and Pesticide Action Network Netherlands challenge the European Union’s approval of glyphosate before the European Court of Justice.
Today, the European Parliament’s environment committee gave the green light to start trilogue negotiations on the update of EU water pollution standards. While this formal approval to proceed towards adoption is welcome and long-awaited, the multiple delays that have plagued this file risk jeopardising meaningful action on water pollution for the coming decade.
EU Commission Set to Propose Ban on Pesticides Due to TFA pollution
