Urgent.EU vote on pesticide policy proposals.

1000 species of insects, plant diseases and weeds are now resistant to pesticides.-but humans are not!

Rainwater in parts of Europe contain such high levels of dissolved pesticides it would be illegal to sell it as drinking water.


If these facts are of concern to you, it is not too late to email your MEP today, before he/she votes on the EU pesticide proposals this month!


The pesticide proposals include the following amendments, which you might like to support in your email.,

• the prohibition of pesticide use in 'substantial no spray zones' around residential areas, parks, public gardens, sports grounds, school grounds, playgrounds amongst other places, especially to protect local groups, such as babies, children, pregnant women, the elderly, those with pre-existing medical conditions and who may be taking medication, along with all other vulnerable groups. The amendment also specified that in all these areas non-chemical alternatives should be used.
• a new legal obligation to inform residents and neighbours about pesticides spraying in their locality.
• a new legal obligation for farmers and other pesticide users to provide information on the pesticides used directly to residents and neighbours.
• a clear definition of a substance of concern being any substance that has or potentially has either carcinogenic, mutagenic, endocrine disrupting, neurotoxic, immunotoxic, reprotoxic, genotoxic or skin sensitizing capabilities should be regarded as a substance of concern.
• the entire terminology used throughout the adopted text of the Regulation proposal, including the title, to be changed from "Plant Protection Products"(PPP's) to pesticides.
• a new definition for the prioritization of non-chemical methods of plant protection and pest and crop management (including rotation, physical and mechanical control and natural predator management).

After next year the European Commission plans to abolish set-asides. The reason for this is to make way for the growing of cereals for animal feeds and biofuels. Consequently more land will be sprayed with pesticides, providing no breathing space (literally) for wildlife, and a visually more barren and polluted agricultural landscape for all of us. This makes it even more urgent that large buffer zones be provided between sprayed crops and residential areas.