Press releases
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.
Across Europe, concern is growing about the use of hazardous pesticides and the effects they are having on people and the environment.
For 7 pesticides proposed by industry for re-approval, PAN Europe identified 434 studies with adverse effects in independent literature. Only 23% (99) of these studies were found by industry in the review they were legally obliged to do and even 0% of these studies were qualified relevant by the industrial applicant for EU decision-taking.
The roadmap published yesterday by the European Commission on Endocrine Disruption Chemicals criteria incorporates all the threats to cancel-out the effectiveness of the pesticide and biocide regulations to protect human health and the environment.
