Increase in GM Crops, Resistant Weeds Lead to Dramatic Rise in Pesticide Use

ENN, November 17, 2009

The widespread use of genetically modified (GM) crops engineered to tolerate herbicides has led to a sharp increase in the use of agricultural chemicals in the U.S. This practice is creating herbicide-resistant "super weeds" and an increase in chemical residues in U.S. food, according to a new report released today by The Organic Center, the Union for Concerned Scientists, and the Center for Food Safety.
According to the report, entitled "Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Thirteen Years," as more farmers have adopted variations of corn, soy beans, and cotton bred to tolerate weed killer in recent years, the use of herbicides has increased steadily, with herbicide use growing by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, according to the report. Forty-six percent of that increase occurred during 2007 and 2008. Read more...

EU pesticide ban 'will harm malaria control'

ENN, March 26, 2009

Hopes of overturning a European Union (EU) pesticides ban that scientists believe could hamper malaria control in developing countries have been dashed.
The United Kingdom said last week that it had failed to get support from other EU countries for an assessment of the impact of removing a range of pesticides from use.
More than 160 leading public health scientists signed a petition against the ban before the European Parliament voted in favour of restrictions on the pesticides in January, by 557 votes to 61.

Should the 27 governments of the EU states ratify the decision at an agriculture ministers' meeting expected to take place in May or June this year, the ban would come into effect from 2014. Read more...

Farmers defend pesticides in face of rising food prices

EurActiv, April 28, 2008

Agricultural scientists have called for a wide array of pesticides to be maintained, saying fewer of them will lead to more resistant pests. The move follows a vote by the European Parliament last year to ban more chemical substances in the products. In October last year, the European Parliament voted to extend a proposed list of substances to be banned from use in EU pesticide production (EurActiv 24/10/07), including substances that cause cancer, disrupt the endocrine system of humans or are harmful to reproductive health. It was expanded by Parliament to include those that are potentially toxic to the immune system (immunotoxic) or the nervous system (neurotoxic). Read more...

Study suggests pesticides 'crucial' for EU food supply

EurActiv, February 6, 2008

Overly stringent EU rules on pesticides will lead to a decline in European agricultural self-sufficiency resulting in ever-increasing food prices and job losses in the agri-food sector, warns a recent industry-funded study. The findings were immediately rejected by environmental activists, who derided the study as "professional scaremongering" by "lobbyists behaving like a posse of corporate cowboys.". Read more...

MEPs vote to tighten draft EU pesiticide law

EurActiv, September 13, 2007

The Parliament's Environment Committee voted yesterday (12 September) for tougher authorisation procedures for pesticides, attracting fury from producers who said the rules would "lead to the disappearance of many substances that have long been used safely by farmers". Read more...