Pesticides and Health e-News, Spring 2011
Week Without Pesticides, 20th - 30th March 2011
This year, the international campaign Week Without Pesticides will start on the 20th March. The initiative aims to raise awareness of the risks that pesticides pose to health and the environment and to highlight alternative solutions.
With the continuing success of the original campaign in France from 2006, the movement is expanding to new countries throughout Europe and globally every year. There are actions and events now taking place across Belgium, Macedonia, Hungary, and around Africa, including Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania and Togo that highlight the numerous alternatives to pesticide use. Read more…
Six steps to pesticide reduction : a guide for communities
In preparation for the Week Without Pesticides, HEAL has developed a community guide to pesticide reduction. The toolkit is aimed at community groups and individuals wishing to reduce pesticide use in their communities and local areas. HEAL has drawn on its experience of international pesticides and health campaigns to create a six-step guide packed full of examples and prospective campaign material. Download your copy of 6 steps to pesticide reduction - with resources section (print-friendly version 744.6 kb) and find more resources on pesticides and health. We have lots of printed versions ready for distribution, please email if you’d like to disseminate some through your networks.
France : Pesticide “victims” form an official alliance
During this year’s Week Without Pesticides, an official organisation of “victims” of pesticide poisoning will be launched in France.
A first network meeting took place last year between people whose health has been harmed from occupational pesticide exposure, as part of the HEAL and Generations Future wider campaign, Victimes des Pesticides. On the 19th March this year the network will launch officially as an organisation in its own right. This will be the first organisation of its kind, with the aim to raise awareness of the dangers of pesticides to health and the environment as well as advocate for protective policy measures. The launch event, held in Ruffec, France, will also see the screening of a new ground-breaking documentary on pesticides and health, titled "Our daily poison". The film features footage from the Victimes des Pesticides workshop from 2010. Read more…
Dangerous pesticide, Carbendazim, may escape regulation
HEAL members PAN-Europe and Clean Air Action Group have called on member states to reject European Commission proposals to extend an existing authorisation on the use of the pesticide called Ccarbendazim by a further three years. Under the current pesticide laws Carbendazim would be banned from June, as it has been proven to be both mutagenic and toxic to the reproductive system. However, the European Commission now proposes to extend the authorisation of the chemical, widely used as an agricultural fungicide, for a further three years. Read more…
Loopholes in the pesticide law allow for continued use of toxic chemicals in agriculture
Many EU Member States continue to use highly toxic pesticides in agriculture despite an EU law that prohibits its usage, states a new report from HEAL member organisations, the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe and Generations Future.
The report ‘Meet (chemical) agriculture ; the world of backdoors, derogations, sneaky pathways and loopholes’ highlights the implications of one of the many loopholes in current EU pesticide law. As it stands, current legislation allows Members States to use pesticides for almost a full crop season after these chemicals have been banned. This exemption, known as the “120-day derogation” (Article 8.4. EU Directive 91/414), is in the case of “unforeseen danger” where no alternatives are available. Read more...
Cancer and environment campaign – new English website coming soon
A campaign has been launched in France to raise awareness of the links between environmental contaminants and cancer causation. Driven by the current cancer epidemic in Europe, HEAL and member organisation Générations Futures has begun a campaign on Cancer and Environment that aims to raise awareness of the issue amongst citizens, farmers, parents, cancer patients and policy makers. The campaign kicked off last month with the launch of the “Toxic Menu” which revealed results of tests on chemical substances found in children’s daily diet in France.
This month the English website launches – watch this space. The website is to be the central campaign tool and highlights regional debates and conferences, as well as campaigns on specific carcinogens, citizen actions and direct political involvement throughout France and Europe.
More Dutch municipalities reduce pesticide use
The Sick of Pesticides’ Dutch partner, Leefmilieu reported last month that four more municipalities in the Netherlands are actively reducing their use of pesticides in public spaces – from parks and gardens, to schools and hospitals. This brings the number of Dutch municipalities who’ve decided to reduce pesticide dependency and explore alternatives to a total of nine. The regions include : Nijmegen, Amersfoort, Enschede , Haren, Vlagtwedde, Den Helder, Utrecht, Woerden, and Krimpen aan de Ijssel. We’ll keep you posted as more follow suit.
