New overview of data on chlorpyrifos residues in fruits strengthens health-case for EU-wide ban

Brussels, 19.06.2019. Common press release.

Chlorpyrifos, a pesticide known for its damaging effects on children’s brain development, is among the top 15 active substances most frequently found in European unprocessed food and prominently present in fruit. This is the conclusion of a new briefing published today, bringing together all official EU data on the analysis of 791 different pesticide residues [1].

Chlorpyrifos is most often detected in citrus fruits: more than 1 out of 3 sampled grapefruits (39%) and lemons (36%), and 1 out of 4 sampled oranges (29%) and mandarins (25%) contained chlorpyrifos residues.

The current authorisation of chlorpyrifos in the European Union is set to expire on 31 January 2020. Member States in charge of the safety assessment of this pesticide are among those countries where residues of the pesticide were most frequently detected in fruits. Spain, where roughly 1 in 5 sampled fruit, including 40% of oranges and 35% of mandarins, are contaminated with chlorpyrifos, is the rapporteur Member State assigned to oversee the re-authorisation dossier. Poland, acting as co-rapporteur, tops the charts as the country with the highest contamination of chlorpyrifos in apples.

Earlier this week, a series of investigative articles published by media outlets across Europe highlighted that the previous European market approval process of chlorpyrifos ignored hundreds of independent studies showing evidence of brain-harming effects [2]. The investigation also found that the EU approval was based on just one single study, that was commissioned by industry [3].

Exposure to chlorpyrifos, even in small doses, can harm children’s brain development and hormonal systems. Scientists have linked it to decreases of IQ in children, working memory loss, endocrine disruption, autism and Parkinson’s Disease [4].

Close to 200,000 have already raised their voices to demand a toxic-free future for farming and food [5]. This #BanChlorpyrifos petition – launched by international consumer watchdog SumOfUs, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Générations Futures, Ecologistas en Acción, and the European and German branches of the Pesticide Action Network – is pressuring European governments and the Commission to ban chlorpyrifos for good.

QUOTES:

Génon K. Jensen, Executive Director at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) says: “Parents should not have to worry about harming their children’s health when feeding them fruits like oranges or mandarins, which show the highest levels of chlorpyrifos residues. The body of evidence on neurotoxicity of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl is compelling. Chronic exposure to low doses such as residues in fruit is linked to a decrease in IQ and working memory loss in children, there should be zero tolerance. We call on national governments and the EU institutions to make the withdrawal of both substances a public health priority.”

Angeliki Lyssimachou, Science Policy Officer at Pesticide Action Network Europe says: “It’s outrageous that our regulatory system allows for neurotoxic chlorpyrifos, known to harm children’s brains, to be used on open fields and its residues to be present in our food. We call upon Regulators to ban chlorpyrifos at once and improve our pesticide authorisation system, which currently promotes dependency on toxic pesticides in agriculture threatening -rather than protecting- human health and the environment.”

Nabil Berbour, Campaign Manager at SumOfUs says: “This toxic pesticide is harmful to children’s brain development and should have been banned a long time ago in Europe as revealed by a series of investigative pieces in the European press this week. It’s time for EU governments to put people’s health before the pesticide industry’s profits. In a petition launched by the #StopChlorpyrifos group, more than 191,000 EU citizens urge them to do so.”

Peter Clausing, Board member of Pesticide Action Network Germany says: “Chlorpyrifos represents a bold example that the EU’s risk assessment for neurotoxic effects is outdated and insufficient.”

Contact:

Yannick Vicaire, Chemicals and Health Policy Campaigner at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), yannick@env-health.org, tel.: 0033 (0) 608 755 015

Angeliki Lyssimachou, Science Policy Officer at Pesticide Action Network Europe, angeliki@pan-europe.org, tel.: +32 496 39 29 30

Nabil Berbour, Campaign Manager at SumOfUs, nabil@sumofus.org, tel.: +33 7 56 82 06 55

Notes:

[1] “Chlorpyrifos residues in fruits, the case for a EU-wide ban to protect consumers”, published June 2019 by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and Pesticide Action Network Europe. https://www.env-health.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/June-2019-PAN-HEAL-Briefing-chlorpyrifos_web.pdf

[2] This series of articles includes:

– Main portal (English): Investigative Reporting Denmark (https://www.ir-d.dk/chlorpyrifos/)

– In English: the EU Observer (https://euobserver.com/health/145146)

– In French: Le Monde (https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/06/17/chlorpyrifos-les-dangers-ignores-d-un-pesticide-toxique_5477084_3244.html)

– In Dutch: Knack (https://www.knack.be/nieuws/belgie/europa-onderzoekt-verbod-op-insectenvergif-dat-in-onze-voeding-opduikt/article-longread-1477255.html)

– In Spanish: El Confidencial (https://www.elconfidencial.com/tecnologia/ciencia/2019-06-17/pesticia-agricultura-espana-peligro-ue-prohibicion_2073403/)

[3] Safety of Safety Evaluation of Pesticides: developmental neurotoxicity of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl. Mie, Rudén, Grandjean. Environ Health. 2018 Nov 16;17(1):77. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0421-y https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30442131

[4] Factsheet ‘EU should ban brain-harming chlorpyrifos to protect health’ (published August 2018 by the HEAL, PAN Europe, Générations Futures and PAN Germany).

[5] SumOfUs petition: No more toxic chlorpyrifos in our food: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/chlorpyrifos (also available in German, Spanish and French). Campaign video: https://twitter.com/SumOfUs/status/1140606268157157376

Infographic ‘Ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos from our plates’ (published June 2019 by HEAL) https://www.env-health.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ban-Chlorpyrifos-Infographic-v2.png

Neuer Bericht verdeutlicht: Umwelt-, Gesundheits- und Tierschutz verlangen nach einem Systemwechsel in der Lebensmittelproduktion

PRESSEMITTEILUNG
Hamburg, 03.02.2022. Arzneimittel sind eine wichtige Errungenschaft als Instrument in der Behandlung von Infektionskrankheiten – bei Menschen und Tieren. Tierarzneimittel werden jedoch in der Tierproduktion häufig missbräuchlich bzw. vermeidbar eingesetzt, um die Folgen mangelhafter Haltungsformen und Praktiken zu kompensieren. Der heute gemeinsam von PAN Germany und Healthcare without harm (HCWH) Europe veröffentlichte Bericht „Tierarzneimittel in der europäischen Lebensmittelproduktion: Perspektiven für die Umwelt, die öffentliche Gesundheit und den Tierschutz“ erläutert Tendenzen beim Einsatz von Tierarzneimitteln, verdeutlicht die Auswirkungen von Tierarzneimitteln auf Umwelt, öffentliche Gesundheit und Tierwohl und stellt die wichtigsten rechtlichen Änderungen bei der Verwendung von Tierarzneimitteln durch den neuen EU-Rechtsrahmen vor. Zudem gibt der Bericht Empfehlungen für den Lebensmittelsektor, um sich auf ein gesundheitsorientiertes System, das eine verantwortungsvolle Verwendung von Tierarzneimitteln ermöglicht, umzustellen und damit die Ziele der EU-Strategie „Farm to Fork“ (vom Hof auf den Tisch) für ein faires, gesundes und umweltfreundliches Lebensmittelsystem zu erreichen.

Seit dem 28.01.2022 sind die neuen Bestimmungen und Vorgaben durch die EU-Tierarzneimittelverordnung und das deutsche Tierarzneimittelgesetz allgemein gültig. Unter anderem dürfen Antimikrobielle Mittel nun nicht mehr als Kompensation für mangelnde Hygiene, unzureichende Tierhaltung oder schlechtes Betriebsmanagement eingesetzt werden. Außerdem ist eine Reduzierung des Verkaufs von Antimikrobiotika für Nutztiere im Stall und in der Aquakultur um 50 % bis 2030 vorgesehen. Im Sinne eines verbesserten Umweltschutzes kann nun ein nicht-tragbares Risiko eines Tierarzneimittels für die Umwelt zu einem Abgabeverbot führen. Außerdem kann eine Prüfung für potenziell umweltgefährliche Alt-Arzneimittel veranlasst werden.

Tamara Gripp, Referentin für Landwirtschaft und Umwelt bei PAN Germany sagt dazu: „Weiter wie bisher, geht es in der Nutztierhaltung nun nicht mehr! Um die neuen Rechtsvorgaben einzuhalten, brauchen wir systemische Veränderungen in der tierischen Lebensmittelproduktion hin zu einem gesundheitsorientierten System. Die Erhaltung der Tiergesundheit darf sich nicht auf Tierarzneimittel allein stützen, sondern muss auf verbesserten Haltungsbedingungen fundieren, durch die das artgerechte Verhalten der Tiere, eine Verringerung ihres Stresspegels und eine Steigerung des Tierwohls insgesamt sicher gestellt werden.“ Darüber hinaus seien Maßnahmen im Bereich Hygiene sowie Beratung zu intensivieren und die Umsetzung der Maßnahmen müsse überprüfbar gestaltet sein, so die Agrar-Expertin.

Healthcare without harm (HCWH) Europe und PAN Germany setzen sich seit Jahren für strengere Regelungen zur Bekämpfung der Umweltbelastung durch (Tier-)Arzneimittel ein, mit dem Ziel, die Umwelt und die Gesundheit der Menschen zu schützen ohne das Tierwohl zu gefährden. Die Zusammenarbeit dieser Organisationen spiegelt den „One Health“-Ansatz wider, der anerkennt, dass die menschliche Gesundheit, Tiergesundheit und die Umwelt miteinander verknüpft sind und eine interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit notwendig ist, um die Gesundheit von Menschen, Tieren und Umwelt nachhaltig zu gewährleisten.

Pressekontakt:
Tamara Gripp, MSc. Environmental Management
Referentin Landwirtschaft / Umwelt (Advisor Agriculture / Environment)
PAN Germany – Pestizid Aktions-Netzwerk e.V. (Pesticide Action Network Germany)
Nernstweg 32
D – 22765 Hamburg
Tel. +49 (40) 399 19 10-23
Mobi. +49 (0) 15730349258
E-Mail: tamara.gripp@pan-germany.org

Zum Bericht „Tierarzneimittel in der EU Lebensmittelproduktion: Perspektiven für die Umwelt, die öffentliche Gesundheit und den Tierschutz„
Mehr Informationen zu Tierarzneimitteln

Global network congratulates countries phasing-out Highly Hazardous Pesticides

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) today congratulates the countries moving to ban Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) that are harming people and the environment, as the global organisation releases the 6^th edition of the PAN International Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides. The Bans List provides a basis for political action, providing a long list of pesticides that many countries have found too hazardous for use and for which they have found alternatives.

This new consolidated list of hazardous pesticides comes during the 2022 Conference of Parties meeting of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS), in which pesticides listing is discussed. As the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Council holds its 170th session, PAN International also calls on Member States of the FAO Council to make urgent progress on the goal to phase-out HHPs globally by 2030.

The latest edition sees the addition of 73 new pesticide active ingredients newly banned by governments in at least one of 168 countries because of threats to human health and/or the environment. The European Union and UK once again scored highest with the number of pesticides banned (464*), followed by Turkey (212) and Saudi Arabia (201) which banned more than 200 currently used pesticides. Brazil (133) is the stand out country in Latin America. Indonesia (62) and Cambodia (60) scored highest in Asia, but the region is a long way behind.

Despite this good news, there is an urgent need for all countries to take strong action to ban more hazardous pesticides, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America where most of these pesticides are used. The recent review of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning (UAPP) found that 44% of the global farm workforce is acutely poisoned by pesticides every year. The percentage of farmers and farmworkers being poisoned every year rises sharply to 51% for South East Asia and nearly 65% for South Asia – correlating with the failure of many Asian countries to ban the pesticides causing the problems.

“It is encouraging that 39 countries have now banned chlorpyrifos ahead of the expected listing of this highly toxic pesticide under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants for a global ban. It is anticipated that by next year, many more countries are likely to have banned it,” said Dr. Meriel Watts, Director of Policy and Science at PAN Asia Pacific. Chlorpyrifos is linked to brain damage and is especially toxic to children.

Other bans of note are Sri Lanka’s ban of glyphosate, bringing the total of countries that have banned the widely used herbicide linked to cancer and other diseases to four. Paraquat, the most highly toxic of all herbicides in use, is now banned by at least 58 countries.

The FAO Council, in 2006, recommended a progressive ban on HHPs. The FAO, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and World Health Organization (WHO) started to develop a Global Action Plan on HHPs; however, there is little progress on this plan for the international community to eliminate HHPs and phase-in alternatives.

“It has long been acknowledged by international institutions like UNEP, FAO and SAICM that global action is needed to tackle the health and environmental problems caused by HHPs. The Bans List shows that although some countries have made a good start, many countries have a long way to go. We need political will to implement a clear phase-out strategy with the goal to ban HHPs in agriculture by 2030,” said Keith Tyrell, PAN International Chairperson and PAN UK Director.

Global efforts to ban and phase-out HHPs are also being undermined by increasing corporate influence in the UN, as exemplified by the partnership between FAO and the pesticide industry association CropLife International. On behalf of 430 civil society and indigenous peoples organisations from 69 countries, PAN International submitted a letter of appeal to members of the FAO Council ahead of its meeting. In the letter, the FAO Council was asked to direct the FAO Director-General to rescind the agency’s partnership with CropLife, following recommendations made by UN Special Rapporteur Michael Fakhri during the Human Rights Council 49^th Session. PAN and 10 other global civil society and Indigenous peoples organizations also submitted a briefing report to FAO Member States addressing the conflict of interest and incompatibility of FAO’s partnership with CropLife.

Marcia Ishii, Senior Scientist and Regional Coordinator for PAN North America, explained, “FAO must lead the way by taking decisive action to phase-out HHPs globally and support the growing desire among Member States to transition to agroecology, an approach that enables farmers, workers and communities to create healthy, climate-resilient food and farming systems without the use of toxic pesticides. However, so long as FAO pursues partnerships with the world’s largest pesticide companies, as detailed in PAN’s Briefing submitted to Member States last week, the organization will fail utterly to deliver the kind of visionary responsible leadership that the world needs.”

“A lot of highly hazardous pesticides are banned in Europe as they are regarded as too hazardous for people and the environment. We know that highly hazardous pesticides threaten a range of human rights including the right to health, clean water and a dignified life. But despite this, the export of banned pesticides to the Global South is common practice. We therefore call on all exporting countries to fulfil their human rights obligations and stop exporting these highly hazardous pesticides,” said Susan Haffmans, Senior Advisor from PAN Germany.

“A large proportion of pesticides classified as ‘extremely hazardous,’ most of which are banned in the European Union, are still marketed elsewhere in the world, particularly in Africa. These products carry high risks for the health of farmers and have deleterious consequences for agriculture and biodiversity. These chemical pesticides are still used in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Morocco, and more widely in Africa, even though they are considered toxic for human health and the environment. While some decision makers do not know enough about the impacts of these products, those who are aware of their effects and still allow these products to enter national markets are willingly putting our lives in danger,” said Maimouna Diene, PAN Africa Regional Coordinator.

Javier Souza, Regional Coordinator of PAN Latin America, meanwhile said, “The continued use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides in agricultural activities and at the household level, for example in pets and for the management of insect vectors of disease, is an affront to socio-environmental health as it impacts on all living beings. We are not condemned to use these pesticides. On the contrary, agroecology is a paradigm to produce healthy and wholesome food at a lower cost than using pesticides, and above all, without environmental impact. FAO and governments should support, with information and other public policies, the transition to other agro-food systems capable of producing food for everyone, respecting food sovereignty and all human rights and adapting to climate change.”

*The figure 464 for the EU and the UK is constituted as follows: 195 banned + 269 specifically ‘not approved’ pesticides which are Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and/or banned by another country. For more information, see Explanatory Note.

Reference:

Dr. Meriel Watts, PAN Asia Pacific, meriel@merielwatts.net
Susan Haffmans, PAN Germany, susan.haffmans@pan-germany.org
Javier Souza Casadinho, PAN Latin America, javierrapal@yahoo.com.ar
Keith Tyrell, PAN UK, keith@pan-uk.org
Maimouna Diene, PAN Africa maimounadiene@pan-afrique.org

Materialien-Tierarzneimittel

PAN Materialien zum Thema Tierarzneimittel

Monitoring des EU Rechtsrahmens für Tierarzneimittel zur Verbesserung des Umweltschutzes

Datum: 8. Februar 2023 2.34 MB

Zweck dieses Berichts ist es, die Effizienz der Umsetzung des EU-Rechtsrahmens für Tierarzneimittel...

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