The European Parliament has just voted to tighten rules on pesticide use and ban at least 22 chemicals which are considered harmful to human health.
The new regulations – yet to be approved by the 27 member states – would ban pesticides that can cause cancer or are harmful to human reproduction.
“It’s a victory for the Greens and environmentalists, who managed collectively to resist enormous pressure (from industry)” Monica Frassoni, Italian Green MEP
The National Farmers Union (NFU), in the UK, has warned the regulations would “seriously threaten” food production. But Peter Melchett, of The Soil Association, said organic farmers had already proven that crops could be grown with minimal use of pesticides.
Pesticides banned or severely restricted
Under the new rules, any use of pesticides near schools, parks or hospitals would either be banned or severely restricted. Large-scale aerial crop-spraying would also be banned and buffer zones would be required to protect aquatic environments and drinking water from pesticides.
Changes in the way pesticides are authorised for use on crops are part of an European Union goal to halve the use of toxic products in farming by 2013.
The proposals were scaled back after the pesticides industry warned they would withdraw products from the market that have been used without problems for years.
Source: BBC News
No recommended reading.
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Twitter: @GlobalPatriot
Encouraging news as we seek to protect the soil and water supply from harmful toxins, thought it sounds as though the pesticide industry is maintain strong lobbying pressure to maintain profits.
@Global Patriot: Thanks for sharing your views. Encouraging news indeed, although the pesticide industry did put up a fight – even employing what can what can only be described as bully tactics by suggesting they would withdraw other products which aren’t on the list. Smacks of desperation, doesn’t it!