On Wednesday 10 March, the European Parliament could oppose the extension of the EU authorisation of nine pesticide active substances. This is in the name of the protection of public health and the environment, especially with regard to dimoxystrobin, a substance with endocrine-disrupting properties.
This is the subject of a draft objection to implementing regulation (EU) 2021/52 of the European Commission aimed at this extension for the active substances “benfluralin”, “dimoxystrobin”, “fluazinam”, “flutolanil”, “mecoprop-P”, “mepiquat”, “metiram”, “oxamyl” and “pyraclostrobin”.
This objection, prepared by Anja Hazekamp (The Left, Netherlands), Maria Arena (S&D, Belgium) and Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg) and endorsed by Parliament’s Environment Committee, argues that the precautionary principle should apply, especially to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, infants and children.
The text recalls that the approval period for dimoxystrobin was originally scheduled to end on 30 September 2016, but has been extended several times, most recently until 31 January 2022.
It deplores the fact that the Commission justifies each new extension by delays in risk assessment, beyond the control of the applicants, without further explanation.
It also recalls that after the previous extension in 2019 of the approval period for ten pesticide active substances, including dimoxystrobin, the approval of only one of these substances was not renewed.
If Parliament endorses this objection, the Commission will be asked to repeal its implementing regulation and to present a new draft that takes into account the scientific evidence on the harmful properties of all the substances concerned, in particular dimoxystrobin, for which an early proposal for non-renewal is desirable, according to the draft resolution put to the vote by Parliament.
The results of the vote will be known on Thursday 11 March. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)