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For the implementation of the FAO Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides

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8 actions already reported

Country: Ukraine: Name: Tatyana Stefanovska; Organization: Sustainable development and Ecologicla Education Center; Contact: steftat@hotmail.com, pidlisnyuk@voliacable.com; Description: SDEEC promotes the Code of Conduct by disseminating information material and by organising meetings with NGOs, farmers and official bodies of the Ukrainian government. We call for the publication and implementation of the Code by the Ukrainian government. In addition were are active on the issue of obsolete pesticide stockpiles (issue "pesticide management" concerning storage and disposal) as well as on the promotion of organic farming in Ukraine (issue "alternatives").; Date: 01.12.2006

Country: Mexico: Name: Lucía Sepúlveda; Organization: RAP-Chile; Contact: secretaria@rapal.cl; Link: www.rap-al.org; Description: TOWARDS ENDOSULFAN BANNING RAPAL aims to strategically take advantage of emerging national bans on endosulfan, growing concern among European Union (EU) and Latin American governments, and its own expertise, in order to create awareness of environmental health problems due to endosulfan and the need for a global phase out. At the international level RAPAL will coordinate activities with other PAN and IPEN members to promote the nomination of endosulfan by national governments to be reviewed and considered for inclusion into the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. This would set the pathway for a potential global phase out. RAPAL’s proposed regional activities in Latin America will look into national endosulfan bans, phase out or restricted use, where we have targeted some specific countries willing to agree to these points. Assuming endosulfan´s agricultural uses, the project will also provide alternatives to endosulfan use in a key crop - soy bean- that is not only prevalent in the South Cone of Latin America, but also a growing market. María Elena Rozas (Chile), Javier Souza (Argentina), Jaime Weber (Brazil) and Fernando Bejarano (Mexico) are the working team for this two years project (January 2007 to December 2008) supported by Marisla Foundation and other organizational funders. Endosulfan is an insecticide from the organ chlorine family (as well as DDT or lindane) responsible for long-term harm to human beings and wildlife: it is acutely toxic and has poisoned many people, livestock and wildlife. It is an endocrine disruptor which threatens reproductive capacity, and increases risks of breast cancer; it is volatile and globally mobile as it can pollute environments far from where it is used; it is persistent in the environment, and its main metabolite is even more persistent. For these characteristics endosulfan is defined by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as a persistent toxic substance. Moreover, we believe that endosulfan should be added to the Stockholm Convention’s list of candidates to be reviewed by the POPs Review Committee (POPRC) and eventually scheduled for elimination. Europe Union decided that endosulfan will be removed from the list of authorized pesticides in 2007 with a few time limited exemptions. In addition endosulfan has also been recommended for inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Inform Consent (PIC), which is another mechanism aimed at raising awareness of the threat of this chemical and an attempt to curb its importation. Presently endosulfan is banned in 20 countries, and restricted in another 23. Public awareness materials related with endosulfan will be circulated among RAP-AL members. We will focus in Latin America and Caribbean countries, while the materials production will be coordinated in the RAPAL Chile office. Focus will be in the South Cone where in the 2005 RAPAl subregional meeting, some governments had expressed their interest in national phase out or stricter restrictions to endosulfan. Brazil will be a special focus area because health officers have announced a process of review the regulatory status of endosulfan. Brazil’s decision will also affect similar reviews in Uruguay and Paraguay. As RAP-AL is active with local communities, we will highlight episodes/cases of endosulfan poisoning and relevant studies about the environmental and hazard problems associated with endosulfan. This project will maintain an update of the endosulfan campaign through RAP-AL news release, web site and an internal electronic list. Moreover, the outputs and experiences of RAPAL endosulfan work will be considered especially in the South Cone meeting organized by RAP-AL. Thus, the sub regional groups will be able to discuss and assess the progress of the project and our efforts to enclose endosulfan into the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention. This project will also provide insight for alternatives to endosulfan. It will include chemical pesticide substitution but focus mainly in the practice of agro-ecological management practices and the need to avoid transgenic farming. Soybean production in Brazil and Argentina are critical areas where RAPAL will raise attention on the growing organic soy bean farming practices. Brazil’s organic farming at commercial scale will be highlighted in order to go beyond the consideration of simply another synthetic pesticide replacement. In Argentina, Brasil, Uruguay and Paraguay the expansion of the transgenic soybean has increased herbicide and pesticide use, including endosulfan, thus creating new toxic impacts and environmental health threats. At the international level this project will coordinate activities with other IPEN and PAN members to support a government nomination of endosulfan to be included in the Stockholm Convention. RAPAL member in Mexico, RAPAM –who is also Co Chair of the IPEN Pesticides Working Group, will coordinate, translate and communicate the developments within Latin America to both the IPEN and PAN network globally. In addition, RAPAM will continue to coordinate with contacts in the European Union (EU). Recently a endosulfan risk profile was performed, which has been used as the basis for the EU decision to phase out endosulfan in the EU. Moreover, this has created an opportunity and has the potential initiate a nomination process of endosulfan to the Stockholm Convention’s POP Review Committee (POPRC), which is the broader objective of this proposed project. In addition to our efforts/work related to raising awareness among NGOs and governments about endosulfan, we will utilize the Third Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention (COP3) in Dakar, Senegal in May 2006 as a venue to promote our objective.; Date: 17.08.2007

Country: Chile: Name: Lucia Sepulveda; Organization: RAP-AL; Contact: secretaria@rapal.cl; Link: www.rap-al.org; Description:

TOWARDS ENDOSULFAN BANNING

RAPAL aims to strategically take advantage of emerging national bans on endosulfan, growing concern among European Union (EU) and Latin American governments, and its own expertise, in order to create awareness of environmental health problems due to endosulfan and the need for a global phase out. At the international level RAPAL will coordinate activities with other IPEN and PAN members to promote the nomination of endosulfan by a national government to be reviewed and considered for inclusion into the Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants. This would set the pathway for a potential global phase out. RAPAL’s proposed regional activities in Latin America will look into national endosulfan bans, phase out or restricted use, where we have targeted some specific countries willing to agree to these points. Assuming endosulfan´s agricultural uses, the project will also provide alternatives to endosulfan use in a key crop - soy bean- that is not only prevalent in the South Cone of Latin America, but also a growing market. María Elena Rozas (Chile), Javier Souza (Argentina), Jaime Weber (Brazil) and Fernando Bejarano (Mexico) are the working team for this two years project (January 2007 to December 2008) supported by Marisla Foundation and other organizational funders.

Endosulfan is an insecticide from the organ chlorine family (as well as DDT or lindane) responsible for long-term harm to human beings and wildlife: it is acutely toxic and has poisoned many people, livestock and wildlife. It is an endocrine disruptor which threatens reproductive capacity, and increases risks of breast cancer; it is volatile and globally mobile as it can pollute environments far from where it is used; it is persistent in the environment, and its main metabolite is even more persistent. For these characteristics endosulfan is defined by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as a persistent toxic substance. Moreover, we believe that endosulfan should be added to the Stockholm Convention’s list of candidates to be reviewed by the POPs Review Committee (POPRC) and eventually scheduled for elimination.

Europe Union decided that endosulfan will be removed from the list of authorized pesticides in 2007 with a few time limited exemptions. In addition endosulfan has also been recommended for inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Inform Consent (PIC), which is another mechanism aimed at raising awareness of the threat of this chemical and an attempt to curb its importation. Presently endosulfan is banned in 20 countries, and restricted in another 23.

Public awareness materials related with endosulfan will be circulated among RAP-AL members. We will focus in Latin America and Caribbean countries, while the materials production will be coordinated in the RAPAL Chile office. Focus will be in the South Cone where in the 2005 RAPAl subregional meeting, some governments had expressed their interest in national phase out or stricter restrictions to endosulfan. Brazil will be a special focus area because health officers have announced a process of review the regulatory status of endosulfan. Brazil’s decision will also affect similar reviews in Uruguay and Paraguay. As RAP-AL is active with local communities, we will highlight episodes/cases of endosulfan poisoning and relevant studies about the environmental and hazard problems associated with endosulfan.

This project will maintain an update of the endosulfan campaign through RAP-AL news release, web site and an internal electronic list. Moreover, the outputs and experiences of RAPAL endosulfan work will be considered especially in the South Cone meeting organized by RAP-AL. Thus, the sub regional groups will be able to discuss and assess the progress of the project and our efforts to enclose endosulfan into the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention.

This project will also provide insight for alternatives to endosulfan. It will include chemical pesticide substitution but focus mainly in the practice of agro-ecological management practices and the need to avoid transgenic farming. Soybean production in Brazil and Argentina are critical areas where RAPAL will raise attention on the growing organic soy bean farming practices. Brazil’s organic farming at commercial scale will be highlighted in order to go beyond the consideration of simply another synthetic pesticide replacement. In Argentina, Brasil, Uruguay and Paraguay the expansion of the transgenic soybean has increased herbicide and pesticide use, including endosulfan, thus creating new toxic impacts and environmental health threats.

At the international level this project will coordinate activities with other IPEN and PAN members to support a government nomination of endosulfan to be included in the Stockholm Convention. RAPAL member in Mexico, RAPAM –who is also Co Chair of the IPEN Pesticides Working Group, will coordinate, translate and communicate the developments within Latin America to both the IPEN and PAN network globally. In addition, RAPAM will continue to coordinate with contacts in the European Union (EU). Recently a endosulfan risk profile was performed, which has been used as the basis for the EU decision to phase out endosulfan in the EU. Moreover, this has created an opportunity and has the potential initiate a nomination process of endosulfan to the Stockholm Convention’s POP Review Committee (POPRC), which is the broader objective of this proposed project. In addition to our efforts/work related to raising awareness among NGOs and governments about endosulfan, we will utilize the Third Conference of Parties of the Stockholm Convention (COP3) in Dakar, Senegal in May 2006 as a venue to promote our objective.; Date: 22.08.2007

Country: United States: Name: Kathryn Gilje; Organization: Pesticide Action Network North America; Contact: kathryn@panna.org; Link: www.panna.org; Description: Pesticide Action Network North America, one of five Regional Centers of Pesticide Action Network International, combines science and community-led campaigns to force global phaseouts of highly hazardous pesticides. We promote solutions that protect the health of communities and the environment. We work to advance environmental justice, sustaianble agriculture and food sovereignty.; Date: 20.07.2007

Country: Switzerland: Name: François Meienberg; Organization: Berne Declaration; Contact: food@evb.ch; Link: http://www.stop-paraquat.net; Description: Tens of thousands of people are poisoned by the Syngenta herbicide Paraquat (Gramoxone) every year. The Berne Declaration has started a broad public proceeding against Syngenta on the Website (see Link).; Date: 30.11.2006

Country: Germany: Name: Carina Weber; Organization: PAN Germany; Contact: carina.weber@pan-germany.org; Link: http://www.pan-germany.org; Description: We will continue to develop this website to support civil society organisations and others in implementing the Code of Conduct.; Date: 22.11.2006

Country: Iran: Name: Ahmad Mahdavi; Organization: Sustainable agriculture and environment; Contact: bugmahda@yahoo.com; Link: mahda.virtualactivism.net; Description: Less than 1/100 of the known species of insects are pests to our food and health so tolerate them with IPM concepts instead of polluting the environment with overusing dangerous pesticides. We advocate practicing safe and organic agriculture by STOPPING the use of dangerous pesticides in developing countries, using safe pesticides such as neem products (Azadirachta indica), pyrethrum (Chrisanthemum cinerariaefolium), essential oils, soap, etc. in the region, and addressing environmental regulations for using genetically modified crops. Due to lack of knowledge heavy use of these dangerous compounds have been continuing in developing countries for decades and in many of these countries stockpiles of the obsolete pesticides are already exist. This story is worse in three Northern provinces of Iran by the Caspian Sea: Mazandaran, Golastan and Gillan. About 60% of the pesticides used in Iran each year are used in these three beautiful provinces. The situation is the same in most Middle Eastern countries. I basically started this field named Pesticide Environmental Toxicology more than 25 year ago (starting of my MS which was about pesticide residue analysis by gas chromatography) in Iran. Perhaps the main motivation for me to found this organization came from living more than ten years in the Mazandaran province by the Caspian Sea and observing heavy use of pesticides there.; Date: 17.12.2006

Country: Canada: Name: Ahmad Mahdavi; Organization: Individual; Contact: bugmahda@yahoo.com; Description: Bridging the gap between South and North for pesticide/ chemical regulations and research The situation of pesticide and chemical market, advertising, transportation and distribution, labeling, worker protection and in general regulatory activities in developing countries is very bad and need immediate support from international scientific community and also from international regulatory agencies to prevent more misuse. Due to the lack of regulatory bodies and enforcement in these countries and specially lack of proper labeling and distribution and finally lack of knowledge in final consumer many cases of suicide using pesticides happens every year in each of these countries. Pesticides are sold in food stores and sometimes in open containers with no labels. Reading the labels before use rarely happens due to lack of ability for reading. In most of these developing countries there is absolutely no enforcement power (if there is a written regulations at all) and licensing procedure for agricultural worker protection and these workers do their spraying with any type of equipment that they can find with no protecting clothing. Role of local governments and politics: Due to the unstable situations of governments in many of developing countries some very important tasks like pesticide/ chemical regulations and enforcement are ignored and in most cases they only exist on paper. In some of these countries mafia like groups are clearly involved in pesticide marketing and distribution and they also cover some government agents. Unfortunately the recent Global political problems and also the very recent food and environmental crisis are adding to the problem by widening the gap between North as the provider of these compounds and also the place of research bodies and regulatory agencies and South as the receiver of these compounds (sometimes as gift!) and as the blind consumer. Perhaps the worst part of governments and political roles in this bad scenario in developing countries is that all of international conventions that deal with Global pesticide/ chemical problems are in the hand of governments in developing countries and in absolute control of them and this is a big problem. These governments simply and rudely send their political and in most cases non-scientific agents to these international conventions like Stockholm, Basel, IFCS etc. and in surprise these international conventions accept these governmental agents instead of genuine scientific people. I as a pure scientist putting my life on this science for good think that now in the 21 Century it is the time that those people involved in international conventions give more opportunities to representatives of NGOs from developing countries, to the real academic/ scientific people from developing countries instead of only dealing with governments. Role of scientific/ academic research: Unfortunately academics and those scientists employed by these governments cannot do so much to solve the problem. In most of these developing countries research funds are not available or if it is, is not distributed correctly to reach the real final scientist to conduct the research. Due to the lack of local research on pesticide/ chemicals in these countries scientists use those regulations provided by researchers from developed World and also from Global regulatory agencies and this in part makes more problems. For example regulations written for developed countries are not suited for developing countries due to the lack of proper infrastructures and also different consuming/ eating habits. In oil producing developing countries allocation of the research money is not correct and is never distributed according to the need and according to the country’s problem but unfortunately the money is simply allocated to unnecessary programs and in most of these countries to research on military etc. Consumer lack of knowledge in developing countries: One big difference between consumers in Northern and Southern countries is level of knowledge of final consumers. In developed countries not only most of people are more scientifically educated as compared to the people in developing countries but also many other factors help the final consumer in developed World about compounds like pesticides. In developed countries many NGOs and community workers are working to make the people aware about what they consume and eat but in developing countries not only the existence of NGOs is under threat but also there is no community work. With best regards, Ahmad Mahdavi, PhD, pesticide environmental toxicologist, Sustainable agriculture and environment, Guelph, Ontario; Date: 28.05.2008

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