Foodwatch criticizes EU: Many pesticide approvals simply extended

Status: 11/30/2022 9:51 am

According to the consumer organization Foodwatch, many pesticide approvals in the EU have been extended in the past decade without a renewed risk assessment. Almost 30 percent of approved pesticides are affected.

Almost 30 percent of the pesticides approved in the EU have apparently been renewed without a renewed risk assessment. This was the result of an evaluation of the EU pesticide database by the consumer organization Foodwatch. For the past decade, this has affected 135 of the 455 drugs approved in the EU.

According to Foodwatch, some of the approvals have been repeatedly extended beyond the original expiry date for many years – without the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) having carried out a new safety assessment. This procedure is actually only intended in exceptional cases until an extension has been finally examined. “The EU pesticide approval system has so many flaws that reform is urgently needed,” said Foodwatch’s Lars Neumeister.

Higher admission fees required

Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) must campaign for this in Brussels. For example, the consumer organization is demanding higher approval fees for pesticide manufacturers so that the EU authorities have sufficient financial resources for risk assessments. In addition, all pesticides whose approvals have been renewed without a new EFSA review should be withdrawn from the market immediately.

The European Commission must approve any active ingredient to be used in a crop protection product in the EU before it can be introduced. The permit is usually valid for ten years. The manufacturers can then apply for an extension, although a safety check would actually have to be carried out again.

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