Don’t let Brexit mean more dangerous pesticides in our food and environment
Act on Pesticides Don’t let Brexit mean more dangerous pesticides in our food and environment
How could weakened post-EU controls on pesticides affect you? Following the vote for the UK to leave the EU, the government will reassess the rules that govern the use of pesticides in agriculture, amenity and homes and gardens. This could be an opportunity for the UK to take the lead in pesticide legislation by ensuring that the most rigorous, precautionary regulations are put in place to protect us from the potential harm that pesticides can do. Translating current EU rules into UK ones will be a major task and the pressure to remove ‘red tape’ for the farm and food industry is strong. But any changes could have far reaching consequences on the health and well-being of the citizens and environment of the UK. The vocal pro-pesticide lobby would like to see the current legislation and the protection it offers significantly reduced. If they succeed, this could result in:
66 Greater exposure to pesticides that are linked to cancer, reproductive problems and hormone disruption;
66 Higher levels of pesticide residues allowed in the food that we eat;
66 Increased use of pesticides that are highly toxic to bees and other pollinator species
What should happen? Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) is calling for the UK Government to strengthen the current pesticide regime and make the UK a world leader.1 We have set out a list of policy measures that we want the UK to adopt as a new plan to protect British citizens and the environment (see p3). These include introducing new pesticide reduction targets, monitoring regimes, rewards for good practice and disincentives for bad, authorisations based on the precautionary principle, and give preference to less harmful products. But the risk now is that instead of adopting such a plan, the government will weaken pesticide legislation in the UK post EU.