Pesticide Action Network UK

🚨Breaking News🚨 Today, the Pesticide Action Network publishes the updated Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides and the List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) as a contribution to the global commitment to phase out of HHPs as mandated by the UNEA Resolution on Highly Hazardous Pesticides and by the newly adopted Global Framework on Chemicals ‘For a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste’. See the main takeaways from the consolidated list of banned pesticides: 🚫 A total of 5️⃣6️⃣8️⃣ pesticides are banned in at least one of the listed 168 countries. 🚫 Since the last update, 4️⃣1️⃣ new pesticide-active ingredients have been banned by governments 🚫 The European Union and the UK scored highest with the number with (499) banned pesticides, followed by the United Arab Emirates (272), and Saudi Arabia (254). 🚫 Brazil (151) is the stand-out country in Latin America. 🚫 Indonesia (61) and Cambodia (94) scored highest in Asia, and Mauritania (52) leads the African region. Despite the progress made, there remains an urgent need for all countries to take strong action to ban HHPs. PAN International appeals to countries and all GFC stakeholders to respect their obligation to make urgent progress towards the goal of phasing out HHPs by 2035. Read more: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dRAGBFb6  #pesticide #earth #climatechange #climate #ecology #paninternational #pesticiteactionnetworkinternational #agroecology #HHPs #pesticides

A new study published in Frontiers in Public Health highlights that there is a significant issue of occupational pesticide exposure among vegetable farmers in Jamaica and Trinidad. Within the previous 12 months of the study, 48% of farmers in Trinidad and 16% of farmers in Jamaica reported experiencing symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning. https://lnkd.in/eVn49r4r The Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention

New ‘Dirty Dozen’ out today! The list reveals the food most likely to contain cocktails of multiple pesticides and is now available to download. Use this handy leaflet to help you avoid the ‘dirtiest’ produce and make informed shopping decisions. Topping the list this year is soft citrus, which includes satsumas, tangerines and clementines. Despite some food items showing residues of up to 12 different pesticides, government safety limits continue to be set for just one chemical at a time, ignoring evidence that chemicals can become more harmful when combined. #thecocktaileffect #dirtydozen https://lnkd.in/ekN-tHyN

Analysis launched today shows that food imported into Great Britain may pose a greater risk to consumer health than domestically grown produce. The most recent testing by the UK government detected 46 pesticides with links to cancer on imported produce, compared to 19 on food of UK origin. These results were mirrored by other pesticides of concern. Between two and three times the number of both “developmental or reproductive toxins” (which negatively affect sexual function and fertility) and neurotoxins (impacts the nervous system) were detected in imports when compared with UK produce. Imported food was also found to contain more than double (29 to 12) the number of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals which can interfere with hormone systems leading to a range of health problems including cancers and birth defects. https://lnkd.in/dKKmAXwp

📢 Nepal bans two highly hazardous pesticides. The Government of Nepal has officially announced bans on two highly hazardous pesticides, following a decision by the Pesticide Board in July.  It also confirmed the earlier ban of an extremely toxic organophosphorus insecticide, which was withdrawn from agriculture in 2015. https://lnkd.in/eDA2Fcy3 #pesticides #highlyhazardouspesticides #pesticidebans UCT Division of Environmental Health Pesticide Action Network UK

🌱Cotton Farmers in Benin Benefit From Organic Cotton Cultivation Three years ago, we launched the “Growing Benin's Organic Cotton Sector” project aimed at supporting small-scale farmers in transitioning to organic cotton cultivation. The aim was to enhance household incomes, eliminating synthetic pesticides, and fostering the organic cotton sector to secure the future of farming communities. 🚀 We're thrilled to announce that the project has been a resounding success! Nearly 9,000 farmers have benefited, more than doubling the number of cotton farmers growing organic cotton in Benin. 💶📈 Thanks to a wide range of support measures, the farmers have experienced significant income increases—organic cotton production verified under CmiA Organic grew by 65% over three years, with small-scale farm profitability rising by an average of 9%. 💡 Our efforts also focused on knowledge transfer through training, workshops, and events, covering essential topics like organic pest management and seed varieties. ♀️Importantly, we empowered women, resulting in a 30% increase in women holding leadership positions within cooperative committees by the project’s end. Due to these positive outcomes, we are excited to announce that the project will now enter its second phase! 🌍💚 Marco Baenninger from Reinhart: “In addition to CmiA Organic from Tanzania, which has been an integral part of the supply chain for several years, we are now able to offer another origin with Benin CmiA Organic Cotton, which is known for its excellent quality characteristics." Rajan Bhopal, International Project Manager, Pesticide Action Network UK, is pleased with the results of the project: "This project demonstrates the impact that high-quality farmer support has on supporting cotton farmers livelihoods and resilience. By adopting agroecological practices and locally-produced bio-inputs, organic farmers in Benin are growing healthy crops with much lower costs, leading to significantly improved income, better health and improved soils. Through local research collaborations we are supporting pioneering work to further improve yields through better variety selection for organic growing conditions." A heartfelt thank you to our partners: #OBEPAB Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Pesticide Action Network UK and Reinhart for their invaluable support. We look forward to the next phase Delphine Bodjrenou, (PhD) Alessandra Fiedler Nina Hollemann Beatrice Haller Rajan Bhopal Alexander Stuart Marco Baenninger Philippe Saner Alexandra Perschau Prudence Gbeada Epse KOKODE Assia Longlade #CottonMadeInAfrica #CmiAOrganic #OrganicCotton #SustainableFarming #Empowerment #Benin #CmiAOrganic #growingtogether #AidByTradeFoundation

Shocking how many children have been killed by street pesticides - harrowing article that should be read by every pesticide regulator. It shows clearly how the current system is failing.

CmiA Field Trip to Benin: Bridging Connections & Uniting Stakeholders on the Ground Last month, we had the pleasure of celebrating collaboration and driving change during an inspiring Cotton made in Africa Field Trip to Benin. This experience allowed us to trace the journey from finished textile products back to the organic cotton fields. After visiting the newly built textile factory near Cotonou, the visit provided a remarkable opportunity to witness how a strong coalition and shared investments in organic cotton farming techniques as well as sustainable ginning processes contribute to establish a gowing organic cotton sector in Benin. These efforts are essential for creating a climate-resilient and transparent cotton industry where farmers stand in the center of joint engagement and profit from it. We met small-scale farmers who grow cotton according to the CmiA Organic standard and their communities, observe firsthand how the adoption of CmiA organic farming techniques has led to an increase in profitability as well as women empowerment and engaged with workers at the ginning factory of CmiA partner Sodeco allowing us for meaningful discussions on implementing decent working conditions and health and safety measures in accordance with CmiA standards. Our colleagues Alexandra Perschau and Gerlind Bäz were fortunate that Delphine Bodjrenou, (PhD) from OBEPAB, Alessandra Fiedler from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH, Lorena Ruiz from International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), Belinda Edmonds from African Cotton Foundation, Prudence Gbeada Epse KOKODE and Assia Longlade from Sodeco accompanied them on the trip and joined for invaluable expertise and leadership that enriched the field trip, making it both educational and inspiring. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the organic cotton farmers and ginnery workers who are the backbone of cotton production, as well as to our partners from OBEPAB and SODECO for their guidance on the ground. 💡Stay tuned for more information about our organic cotton project activities in Benin we roll out together with our partners from OBEPAB, Pesticide Action Network UK as well as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH with funds from Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) and last but not least cotton trader Reinhart. 🎤Feel free to reach out with questions or interview requests if you want to know more. #OrganicCotton #CottonMadeInAfricaOrganic #SmallHolderFarmers #Africa

Our new briefing 'Cultivating Coherent Climate Action' points out that meeting their commitments on #biodiversity and #chemical pollution will help countries to meet their #climate commitments too. https://lnkd.in/eCSB_--H #COP29 #ClimateAction

Alexander M. Stuart is currently presenting PAN UK's work on monitoring acute #pesticide poisoning using TMAPP and on alternatives to highly hazardous pesticides at the #7thInternationalBiocidalCongress. https://lnkd.in/edQCbuB8