The NGO HEAL (Health & Environment Alliance) announced on Wednesday 10 June that it has applied to the European Court of Justice for the right to intervene in legal proceedings concerning the action brought in February by two agrochemical companies against the European Commission’s decision to ban chlorpyrifos-methyl (Case T-77/20, Ascenza Agro and Industrias Afrasa).
This decision not to renew the authorisation leading to the ban was adopted last January because of concerns about the developmental neurotoxicity and genotoxic potential of this pesticide active substance (see EUROPE 12401/21). It has the full support of HEAL.
In a statement, the NGO recalled that two statements by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed the concerns and that a qualified majority of EU Member States had voted in favour of not renewing the authorisation.
“Today, enough well-founded scientific concerns exist about the effects of chlorpyrifos-methyl on human health to take protective action, including negative impacts for brain development and the potential to damage DNA. The European Commission and Member States decision took a health-first approach [..]. It is the only way to prevent regrettable substitution and truly protect future generations from unwanted harm”, says Natacha Cingotti, a health and chemical expert at HEAL.
Link to Case T-77/20: https://bit.ly/3fbUHsa (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)