Ending the toxic trail New international code on pesticide use adopted:


United Kingdom | Nov 4, 2002



Death, illness and environmental contamination from pesticide use in developing countries show few signs of diminishing. Meeting in Rome last week, the governing body of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation adopted a new pesticide Code to improve standards over the promotion, sale and use of pesticides.

Pesticide use in developing countries is expanding, even though these countries already account for over 95 per cent of serious poisonings and fatalities. Some of the most acutely toxic chemicals produced are widely used with no protection, by farmers and workers with no training and limited awareness of the hazards. The revised International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides sets higher standards and offers and more precise guidance to governments, regulators, traders and industry.

"For the first time, the Code calls on the food industry to help implement its recommendations. It is now up to all sectors and interests to ensure food is grown safely and without harm to farmers and workers," said Barbara Dinham, Director of Pesticide Action Network UK. "Consumers need to become more aware of the conditions of food production, and play a part in reducing the use of hazardous products."

Pesticide exposure occurs during mixing, from leaking equipment or inhaling fumes while spraying, and from saturated work clothes. Agricultural workers and rural communities are affected by spray drift, when entering or working in fields after spraying, by washing work clothes, through pesticide in the home, use of pesticide containers for food or water storage, polluted drinking water, or proximity to obsolete pesticide dumps.

In many instances, the only practical way to reduce acute poisonings is to restrict the availability of hazardous products, and provide better access to more sustainable and less toxic pest management strategies. The Code supports Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies that emphasise growing a healthy crop and encourage natural pest control mechanisms. It calls for an IPM "based on scientific and other strategies that promote increased participation of farmers (including women's groups), extension agents and on-farm researchers."

The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides was first adopted in 1985, but the revised version places greater emphasis on reducing risks and hazards, with a recommendation against using extremely and highly toxic in developing countries.

The Code is the globally accepted standard for pesticide management. "If all parties concerned applied the Code, many lives would be saved, environmental damage would be avoided and agricultural production would become more sustainable," said Gero Vaagt, Senior Officer, Pesticide Management. "Besides saving lives, applying the Code means avoiding toxic waste – millions of dollars for clean-up operations could be saved and spent on training, research and application of environmentally-friendly pest control measures."

Protection of the environment and biodiversity are explicitly recognised in the new Code. It calls for better monitoring of pesticide residues in food and the environment, and minimizing the adverse effects of pesticides in the water, soil, air and on non-target organisms.

Aspects of new Code were controversial. The research-based agrochemical corporations wanted stronger wording to protect their data when registering pesticides. However many governments felt that these intellectual property issues needed to be addressed in the World Trade Organisation. While the Code is voluntary, the industry association CropLife International had made it obligatory for members to support the provisions of the previous versions.

"Implementation of this revised FAO Code would make a real difference to the majority of the world’s population: women and men farmers and agricultural workers, especially in developing countries, who are daily exposed to pesticides," said Barbara Dinham.

Notes:

The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides was first adopted by governments in 1985. It was amended in 1989 to include conditions relating to Prior Informed Consent (PIC), giving importing countries information about banned and severely restricted pesticides and the right to stop imports. The PIC provisions were incorporated in the international Rotterdam Convention, agreed in 1998.

The decision making body of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is its Biennial Conference. Last held in November 2001, Conference failed to agree on the final wording in the revised Code in relation to data protection. Governments directed the FAO to set up an expert group to make recommendations and authorised the 123rd FAO Council Meeting of October-November 2002 to adopt the Code.

PAN submitted a paper entitled "Why we need a new Code of Conduct Now" to the Council setting out many recent examples of pesticide poisonings and fatalities in developing countries. The paper is available through  PAN UK website.

Barbara Dinham










Version: DRAFT 2.0 (June 1, 2006)