Press releases
In 2010, EU Commission granted DG Environment (DG ENV) the lead on the development of the criteria for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's). But EU health service SANCO (now SANTE) was disloyal to this decision. In 2012, SANCO secretly collaborated with DG Enterprise to undermine the work of DG ENV and mandated Food Authority EFSA to redo the work done by DG ENV and the EU Joint Research Center (JRC).
Field monitoring shows that neonicotinoids are currently eliminating natural pollinators from our agricultural land. Wild bees are necessary for 86% of crop pollination. In the meantime, the European Commission deliberately delays the enforcement of new rules that would avoid that such harmful pesticides are authorised on the market. Furthermore, the Commission closes its eyes to the numerous derogations provided to farmers in Member States.
For the first time a coalition of national and European NGOs have taken the initiative to bring together the voices of the victims of pesticide poisoning by launching today - the first day of the 10th Pesticide Action Week - a new website dedicated to telling their stories.
Food Authority EFSA published today the results of the monitoring of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables for the year 2013. Again the level of toxic mixtures in the food on the market appears to have increased (see table below): 27,3% of all fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets contain more than one pesticide, up from 26,1% in 2012.
For the first time an in-depth research by a non-commercial group shows the exact numbers of endocrine disrupting pesticides (ED-pesticides) that will be regulated if the options of Commission roadmap for an impact assessment of the endocrine criteria are applied.
Today Luxembourg court (Grand Chamber) in a final ruling decided that NGO's have no right on access to court and agreed with EU Commission, Council and Czech Republic who started an appeal to a previous decision of the General Court.
The European Commission missed today’s deadline to submit a report to the Parliament and the Council on increased use of alternatives for pest and disease control. Let us hope that this does not reflect an overall low ambition of Europe to reduce the risk to human health and the environment through implementation of sustainable use of pesticides.
In yesterday and today’s agricultural council, the Austrian and the Hungarian delegations will suggest to allow more pesticides in EU’s maize sector under the excuse of needing to eradicate a well-established pest. A year ago, EU agreed with Member States that it was no longer possible to eradicate this pest. Member States should instead learn to live with it.
PAN Europe welcomes the decision of DG SANCO and its Standing Committee on pesticides last week not to renew the approval of the fungicide Carbendazim.
The just-launched public consultation on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) is a request merely for scientific data and socio-economic impact assessments rather than public opinion.
