March - May 2003
1. PAN Europe activities
Advance notice for PAN Europe conference
We will be holding our 2003 conference for network members and
invited speakers on 21-22 November in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference
will be preceded on 20 November by a public workshop on Pesticide
Use Reduction experiences and progress. The conference and workshop
will highlight aspects of Denmark’s successful Pesticide Use
Reduction programme. Further details will be available in July.
Pesticide Use Reduction in Europe (PURE) campaign
As of May 2003, 73 organisations in 23 European countries have
signed up to support the PURE campaign, including environmental,
public health, consumer and farmer organisations.
We continue to liaise with interested stakeholders on different
aspects of PURE. PAN-E partners in Germany, UK and the Netherlands
are actively engaging with their national governments on use reduction
strategies, as reported in the June 2003 issue of Pesticides
News.
Lobbying on EC pesticide policy- Parliament
votes for use reduction
We lobbied MEPs in March on our voting recommendations for the Parliament
voting on the van Brempt report on the Commission’s proposed
Thematic Strategy on sustainable use of pesticides. PAN-E was very
pleased that Parliament voted for urgent and much stricter measures
to combat health and environmental risks and for mandatory EU action
for use reduction (and not just risk reduction). A majority of MEPs
supported the need for clear reduction goals and timetables, although
they did not adopt the Environment Committee’s request for
a 50% reduction target in 10 years nor an EU framework for pesticide
taxes or levies.
Other very positive elements among the 40 recommendations to the
Commission include: the need for mandatory national reduction plans;
extra financial and regulatory support for biological alternatives;
calls for designation of pesticide vulnerable zones and a system
of compulsory protection zones for all surface water; concrete and
mandatory targets and timetables for ICM and sustainable organic
agriculture and mandatory IPM for all public authorities; extra
financial support for conversion to low-input and organic agriculture;
and amending European trading standards fresh fruit and vegetables
which encourage the intensive use of pesticides on fresh fruit and
vegetables.
Public Participation in Pesticide Evaluation
PAN-E‘s study, led by Ute Meyer, on NGO and Public Participation
in Pesticide Policy Processes concluded with an NGO workshop on
17-18 March in the Netherlands. We discussed the study findings
and different options for future participation and lobbying around
the pesticides authorisation Directive 91/414. The 43 page study
report How to organise public participation in the pesticides
evaluation process? gives a very useful and overview of
the EU decision-making process of assessing individual active ingredients,
geared to readers without technical knowledge. It looks at the many
different organisations involved and issues of access to information,
commercial confidentiality and the Right to Know, comparing the
pesticide authorisation process in Germany, UK and the Netherlands
and with risk assessment processes in other chemicals, water and
marine regulation and pesticide residues. The study concludes by
describing current obstacles to and basic conditions for improving
public participation and can be obtained from the PAN-E Coordinator
in London. The Commission’s draft revision of Directive 91/414
is still awaited (published further delayed until the summer at
the earliest) and transparency and participation issues are due
to addressed in the review proposals. PAN-E is preparing a Position
Paper on our demands for transparency and public participation.
Lobbying against paraquat
We again joined with EEB to support lobby efforts by the Swedish
Society for Nature Conservation to urge against including paraquat
in Annex I of Directive 91/414, when this was discussed on 14 April
by member state representatives on the Commission Standing Committee
on Food Chain & Animal Health (SCFA). Yet again there was no
qualified majority among member states so the Commission decided
to postpone voting, due to uncertainties of the standpoint of France.
The Commission’s draft review report draws attention to exposure
problems for ground-nesting birds and brown hares, which would require
substantial risk assessment and mitigation measures (e.g. spraying
in early morning) if paraquat’s further use is approved. In
PAN-E’s views, these measures are unlikely to enforced in
practice. Sweden, one of six European countries which have banned
paraquat, has stressed the need to take into account realistic conditions
including improper use in the risk assessment for paraquat. It believes
there are unacceptable risks to operators from accidental exposure
and also feels a positive EU decision on paraquat would send out
contradictory signals in relation to the problems resulting from
the herbicides’ use in developing countries. The next voting
will be on 26 June but as France eventually decided it will accept
inclusion, it now looks likely now that paraquat will be cleared
for Annex I, unless another member state changes its mind.
2. News and Information
Latest approval decisions- aldicarb and more
OPs out but…
Decisions to exclude several hazardous active ingredients of concern
to public interest groups from Annex I of the EU pesticides authorisation
directive were made in recent weeks. These include the organophosphates
parathion methyl (WHO Class 1a) and acephate. Registrations for
products containing these must be withdrawn by September 2003, with
a possible further 12 month grace period for using up existing stocks.
It was decided also to exclude the fungicide metalaxyl, with product
authorisations to be withdrawn by November 2003.
There was lengthy debate over the carbamate aldicarb (Class 1a),
with the Commission recommending exclusion, mainly because of the
high risk of granular formulations to small birds and earthworms.
The manufacturers admitted that granules could remain on the soil
surface after treatment. Several Member States fought hard to keep
access to aldicarb, while Friends of the Earth and PAN-E members
lobbied hard against it. A decision to exclude aldicarb was finally
made by the Agriculture Council as no qualified majority was formed
among the SCFA members. But a compromise was made to allow 8 Member
States to continue its use on specific crops until 2007. These include
potato in UK, Netherlands and Greece, beet in Belgium, France, Italy,
Netherlands and cotton and citrus in Spain and vines in Portugal
and France, amongst others. For other crops and countries, aldicarb
products must not be used after September 2004. Countries permitted
to continue aldicarb use must report their yearly usage and on how
they are seeking alternatives by end 2004.
Seven more existing active ingredients were approved for Annex
I inclusion: herbicides 2,4-DB, linuron, pendimethalin, insecticides
cyfluthrin and beta-cyfluthrin, iprodione fungicide and the plant
growth regulator maleic hydrazine. Each approval was made with specific
conditions on risk mitigation, for example, the two insecticides
were not considered safe under field spray conditions and are only
authorised on ornamentals in greenhouses and as seed treatment.
Glyphosate polluting Danish ground and drinking
water
A new study by the Denmark and Greenland Geological Research Institution
reveal that Denmark's most popular herbicide Roundup (glyphosate)
is polluting Danish underground water far more than previously thought.
Researchers commented that when glyphosate is applied according
to government regulations, it is washed down into the upper ground
water with a concentration of 0.54 microgramme per litre (µg/l).
This finding is surprising, because they previously believed that
bacteria in the soil broke down the glyphosate before it reached
the ground water. Statistics from the Environment Ministry show
that the use of glyphosate has doubled in the last five years. In
2001, 800 tons was used, a quarter of farmers’ total use of
pesticides. The consequences of the new information is that waterworks
in 5-10 years will need to clean the water before Danes can drink
it. The Environment Ministry is now considering making spraying
regulations for glyphosate stricter.
Latest food residue monitoring data
The Commission published its latest report on national and EU-coordinated
monitoring in 2001. In fresh fruit, vegetable and cereal produce,
41% contained residues and 3.9% exceeded either national or EU Maximum
Residue Levels (MRLs). There was no clear trend in residue occurrence
although the percentage of samples containing multiple residues
(18%) had increased compared to the previous four years. From the
national monitoring, the Netherlands emerged as the country with
the highest percentage of samples containing residues (49%), followed
by Belgium and France. 9.1% of Dutch samples exceeded MRLs and 32.6%
contained multiple residues. The ten most frequently found pesticides
reported by all EU countries, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
were: maneb group; chlormequat; imazalil; benomyl group; thiabendazol;
chlorpyrifos; iprodione, procymidone; bromide; and endosulfan.
The EU-wide coordinated monitoring focuses on testing for 36 pesticides
in apples, tomato, lettuce, strawberries and table grapes. Residues
were found in 49% of samples and exceeded in 2.2%. Maneb group fungicides
were found most often, in 24% of lettuce and grapes and 11% tomato
and apples. MRLs for maneb were exceeded in 2.5% of lettuce samples,
and for benomyl in 2.2% of strawberries. Highest levels of residues
were also topped by maneb, at 31mg/kg in lettuce. Assessing acute
risk, the data show that the Acute Reference Dose was exceeded for
endosulfan in lettuce for adults and toddlers and for triazophos
in apples for toddlers and the report notes that health risks may
exist, especially for toddlers eating large amounts of these foodstuffs
with high residue levels.
Worst ever levels of residues in grapes in
discount supermarkets
In autumn 2002, Dutch PAN partners Nature and Environment Foundation
(SNM) sent table grapes of Italian, Spanish and Turkish origin purchased
in Dutch stores of the German price-fighter supermarkets Aldi and
Lidl for analysis. Of the 65 Lidl samples, 77% exceeded Dutch MRLs,
by up to four times in two cases. An average 5.3 pesticides were
found and three samples contained ten pesticides. Figures for the
47 Aldi grape samples were 75% MRL violation and 5.1 pesticides
on average, with similar figures as Lidl for very high levels. In
comparison, other supermarkets reported MRL violations in 30-50%
samples in 2001 and with averages of 2.5-3.7 pesticides found. The
Dutch Consumer Inspection Dept found MRL violations of 20-39% between
1999-2002. SNM concluded that grapes sold by Aldi and Lidl supermarkets
are far more contaminated than other sources and that such fruit
should never have been offered to customers. Unless these two supermarkets
agree to make changes in their behaviour this summer, SNM will challenge
them in court, as they have already successfully done with major
Dutch supermarkets in 2002.
New baby food MRLs set for 16 pesticides rather
than bans
In March the Commission amended two directives on residues in baby
food, following representations from the agrochemical industry concerned
that previous proposals would have completely banned the use of
certain pesticides on crops intended for baby food. MRLs were set
at 0.04mg/kg for fipronil, 0.06mg/kg for cadusafos, demeton-s-methyl
and propineb and 0.08 for ethoprophos. For a further 11 pesticides
already withdrawn or to be removed from the market in 2003, MRLs
were set at 0.03mg/kg as environmental contamination may remain
for some time. These relate to: aldrin/dieldrin, disulfoton, endrin,
fensulfothion, fentin, haloxyfop, heptachlor, HCB, nitrofen, omethoate
and terbufos. Generally, MRLs for baby food are set at 0.01mg/kg.
The amended directives must be implemented by March 2004. Agrow
420, March 14th, p 10, 2003.
Residue levels in food to be harmonised in
EU
The Commission has produced a proposal for a single new regulation
to cover the four existing MRL directives. The aim is to remove
trade barriers under the existing situation where Member States
may operate different MRLs and to lay out the roles of the new European
Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which will take over risk assessment
functions. The Commission will be responsible for risk management
decisions, taking into account EFSA opinions. EU-wide MRLs only
exist for a proportion of the 160,000 active ingredient/crop combinations
and the proposal is to work towards effectively prohibiting the
presence of any residue for which no Community-wide MRL exists.
The Commission is proposing a default MRL at the Limit of Determination
(LOD) for the hundreds of pesticides coming of the EU market this
year or for which there is insufficient data to set specific MRLs.
The level proposed is 0.01mg per kg (the default level already applied
for baby food), which the Commission believes is adequate to ensure
consumer protection in almost all cases. For the 388 active ingredients
remaining on the market which do not currently have EU-wide MRLs,
it proposes to set temporary MRLs, based on existing national ones,
to avoid blocking usage of many products. The Commission recognises
that some existing national MRLs may be unsafe, but argues that
under the Directive 91/414 authorisation process, substances approved
for Annex I inclusion will then have MRLs fixed, those excluded
will receive LOD MRLs after their phase-out period, while unsafe
ones will be identified by EFSA and reduced as necessary. Therefore
the consumer will not be any worse off than at present. There is
provision for setting import tolerance MRLs for imported foods treated
with pesticides not or no longer used in the EU, except for those
which were evaluated and specifically withdrawn for consumer protection
reasons. The proposal has to be approved by Parliament and Council,
for possible implementation from 2005.
Illegal and obsolete pesticides in Eastern Europe
The Ukraine estimates that 18% of pesticides sold on its domestic
market are either fake or illegally imported. It has opened its
first incineration plant to deal with these and plans to build another
two. Obsolete stocks are estimated at 15,000 tonnes, while the Russian
Federation may have 20,000 and Poland, 60,000 tonnes. Localised
hotspots of contamination are commonly associated with storage and
disposal of pesticides in the region. More than 20% of agricultural
land surveyed in the Ukraine has soil contaminated with DDT and
degradation products and 45 with hexachlorine-cyclohexane.
The European Environment Agency's latest assessment of the environment
in Europe, prepared for the 'Environment for Europe' ministerial
conference in Kiev in May covers a total of 52 countries, including
for the first time the whole of the Russian Federation and the 11
other Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian (EECCA) states.
It shows that most of the progress towards environmental improvement
continues to come from 'end-of-pipe' measures to limit pollution
or as a result of economic recession and restructuring in many parts
of Europe. The state of the environment across Europe has improved
in several respects over the past decade, but much of the progress
is likely to be wiped out by economic growth because governments
have yet to make significant strides towards decoupling environmental
pressures from economic activity. This is a particular risk for
the EU accession countries and the EECCA states if economic growth
continues to be based on traditional, environmentally damaging activities,
rather than on more sustainable, eco-efficient options.
Pesticide levels in Portuguese waters and Spanish soils
Results from surveying three river basins between 1983-99 show surface
water contamination at levels above 0.1 microgramme per litre by
atrazine, chlorfenvinphos, endosulfan, lindane, molinate and simazine.
Highest concentrations were for molinate at 48 µg/l and chlorfenvinphos
at 32µg/l. Groundwater from wells collected between 1991-98
detected maximum concentrations of alachlor (13), atrazine (30),
metolachlor (56), metribuzine (1.4) µg/l in the Baixo Sorraia
area where herbicides are regularly applied to irrigated maize,
tomato and potato. Simazine was the herbicide with the widest occurrence,
probably associated with the above crops, vineyards and orchards.
Pesticide residue sampling in soils from rice fields in the Albufera
Natural Park wetlands, near Valencia, in Spain was conducted in
1996-97. Chlorpyrifos, endosulfan and pyridaphenthion were commonly
found in rice soils, at levels of up to 0.49mg/kg. Chlorpyrifos
was the most frequently detected, probably due to its common use
on citrus and vegetables in the surroundings of the park. The study
concludes that pesticide residues from external sources are important,
transported by irrigation waters, and pesticide concentrations were
always higher in the topsoil in the autumn.
Persistent organochlorines in Spanish inhabitants
A new review covers food contamination and body burden of persistent
toxic substances. Of pasteurised milk samples, 94% contained HCH
(hexachlorocyclohexane) and 74% DDT analogues. Spanish butter samples
had significantly higher levels than other EU countries of HCH and
DDE . It is estimated that 80-100% of the Spanish population may
have detectable body concentrations of Dde, PCbs, HCB (hexachlorobenzene)
or lindane. The review questions whether DDT residues in people
and food come from old or new exposure and whether contamination
is from imported food or illegal use in Spanish farming. One study
from the town of Flix, near to a factory producing HCB and which
for many years produced DDT and other persistent substances, associated
thyroid and brain cancer and soft –tissue sarcomas with exposure
to organochlorines with a high HCB content. Another associated specific
health effects only in more highly exposed subjects. A study of
Flix babies suggests that HCB exposure reduces growth in the womb.
French worries about pesticide use and exposure
Latest figures for 2002 show sales of 85,000 tonnes of pesticide
products, a slight levelling off, yet France remains the second
largest consumer of pesticides in the world, after the US. Concerns
about the need for pesticide reduction are growing within government
sectors, which until recently worried mostly about nitrate contamination
of water. A survey on pesticide vigilance by the Mutualite Sociale
Agricole showed that only 50% of pesticide operators used the required
protective clothing (overalls, mask and gloves). The Food Directorate
of the Ministry of Agriculture carried out 2,018 inspections of
farmers in 2002 and issued 536 notices to respect regulations and
55 verbal warnings. Current agricultural policy which insists on
high yields is driving pesticide reliance up, especially the abandonment
of crop rotation by the majority of cereal farmers. Short rotations
in wheat, maize and sunflower are linked to increasing recourse
to pesticides.
Massive fish kills in England
Over 100,000 fish were killed by a pesticide spill on the river
Slea in Lincolnshire in eastern England in February. Empty cypermethrin
drums being moved for disposal leaked small traces of the insecticide,
which resulted in devastating effects along a 21km stretch of river.
The UK Environment Agency described it as “one of the most
severe river pollution incidents in Lincolnshire in living memory”
and are investigating, with a view to possible prosecution. Greenfly
no2, PAN UK, 2003.
STOP PRESS
The European Court has just rejected the application of Dow AgroSciences
and others
(in early 2002) to remove pesticides from the Water Framework Directive
(WFD) priority chemicals list. Industry’s argument was that
the WFD priority listing (based on a simple hazard and environmental
monitoring approach) would prejudge Directive 91/414 pesticides
authorisation decisions (based on full risk assessment). The Court
declared the complaint as inadmissible. Up till now there has been
considerable legal uncertainty over whether WFD decisions would
be prioritised over 91/414, or vice versa. This news suggests that
the WFD chemicals control mechanisms may be legally overriding the
pesticides authorisations. It is important that the hazard-based
prioritisation and control under the WFD is not watered down.
The PAN Europe Newsletter is produced by Stephanie Williamson,
PAN-E Coordinator, Contributions are welcome from PAN Europe network members.
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