Neonicotinoids: a historic day for the European Union

Bees finally protected

DG SANTE misleadingly accepted Ombudsman’s solutions.

In 2013 the Pesticide Action Network lodged a complaint with the EU Ombudsman on the derogation used by Commission service DG SANTE called „confirmatory information” This derogation makes it possible to approve pesticides even when the EU Food Authority EFSA has not concluded they are safe to use and when important data gaps still exist.

The Directorate General for Health (DG Sante) of the European Commission has confirmed today that EU Member States will be invited to vote on its proposal to ban all outdoor uses of neonicotinoids on 27 April. Based on the conclusions from November 2016 from the European Food Safety Authority, DG Sante is finally putting to a vote its March 2017 aiming to protecting bees.

PESTICIDE ACTION WEEK: Bolzano joins the European Network of Pesticide-Free Towns-23 March 2018

Press Release (in IT and in DE)

Brussels  22 March 2018

Neonicotinoids: another missed opportunity for the EU to show its true engagement for pollinators

Brussels  21st  March 2018

World Water Day: How politicians are allowing our water to be contaminated with pesticides

Tomorrow is the UN World Water Day (22nd March) and 3rd day of the Pesticide Action Week 2018[1]. PAN Europe takes the opportunity to highlight the widespread pesticide contamination of European waters and the urgent need for decision makers to take action and finally protect our water supplies and the environment.

(Brussels, 28th February 2018) The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published today 3 reports on the new scientific findings on the toxicity of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin (neonicotinoids) to bees. The Authority highlights that most studies show that neonicotinoids have a negative impact on bees’ health, from damaging their orientation capacity to impairing their reproductive ability. On 22 March, the European Member States will have the possibility to vote for a ban on neonicotinoids; hopefully these reports will contribute to a total ban.

New report shows how industry managed to sweep harmful effects of pesticides under the carpet.

In 11 out of 12 EU pesticide risk assessment methods studied by the Pesticide Action Network1 it turns out that they were developed or promoted by industry. Harmfull effects observed in animal safety studies on pesticides can be swept under the carpet with these methods. For example, tumours seen in test animals can be classified as irrelevant for humans, harmful pesticide residues in groundwater as acceptable, the dying of 50% of non-target insects after spraying with pesticides as acceptable, safe levels can be assumed for carcinogens and standards for protection of aquatic life relaxed. The methods are designed to prevent a ban of harmful pesticides and result in lowering of the protection of the public and the environment.

Brussels & Bern, 18 January 2018

Today, the popular initiative Sauberes Wasser für All (“For Clean Drinking Water and a Healthy Diet – Stop Subsidies allocated for Pesticides and Antibiotics for Prophylactic use”) was officially submitted to the Swiss Federal Chancellery in Bern. It proposes a total ban on synthetic agrichemicals such as pesticides in order to protect public health and the environment.

Brussels, 13th of December.

The protection of the health of Europeans as well as that of the environment from the harm caused by hormone disruptors remains a secondary issue for EU Regulators, as Member States confirmed today by voting in favour of the European Commission’s “controversial” proposal that sets the criteria for endocrine disruptors. The criteria risk failing to identify which pesticides effectively are endocrine disruptors and conveniently, will have little impact on the pesticide industry that places these products on the market.