Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe) called on the European Commission on Thursday, 10 December to end the ‘double standard’ under which Europe exports pesticides banned in the European Union.
The NGO is relying on a scientific study published the previous day in the journal BMC Public Health, which found that unintentional pesticide poisonings on farms around the world have increased dramatically since the last global assessment 30 years ago.
Researchers conclude that there are approximately 385 million cases of acute poisoning each year, compared to an estimated 25 million cases in 1990. Nearly 11,000 deaths per year worldwide are thought to be due to these poisonings. Almost 60% of these deaths occur in India.
“These findings underscore the urgency of reducing and eliminating the use of highly hazardous pesticides”, says Kristin Schafer, coordinator of PAN International.
The study found that the highest number of non-fatal poisoning cases was in South Asia, followed by Southeast Asia and East Africa.
The highest national incidence has been recorded in Burkina Faso, where nearly 84% of farmers and farm workers suffer unintentional acute pesticide poisoning each year.
According to Greenpeace, 81,000 tonnes of toxic pesticides banned for use in the European Union were exported in 2018, mostly to developing countries (see EUROPE 12558/14). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)