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Pesticides: NGOs complain against the new EU rules

The limits on the use of pesticides, which will come into force next week, often lead to increasing doses allowed to generate a real risk for children. That is what several organizations, which just published a report.
From the first Monday of September, a new European regulations come into force, imposing a limit to the use of pesticides, ie of pesticides used in agriculture to fight against pests, insects, fungi, worms or undesirable plants. These molecules pénètrant in the plant or leaving by-products, the regulation also applies maximum residue levels (MRLs) that are tolerated in fruits and vegetables.
In 2005, European legislation has been introduced to harmonize the MRL within the European Union, in a progressive manner so as not to distort the market and because the work is very long. It is important to consider each of the 349 pesticides approved in Europe for all cultures in which it is likely to be used. Provisionally, MRLs have been proposed by the European Commission, pending the final results. The EU has defined 170,000 on 443 pesticides and 380 food products. These are the limits which come into force on September first.
lignment with the most tolerant to pesticides?
One might expect that these new LMR lead to more stringent limitations or at least slightly different from those currently imposed by national regulations. But according to a report published jointly last Thursday by the German branch of Greenpeace and an Austrian organization, Global 2000, the quantities of residues allowed to increase considerably in reality, more or less depending on the country and especially for grapes, apples, tomatoes and pears. This would be the case for 200 pesticides in most European countries. In Austria, according to the report, 65% of MRLs would be increased and, in some cases, 1,000%.
This insecticide is classified as "probable human carcinogen" and his WRL present in France and for citrus, is 0.05 mg / kg. . The new regulation authorizes 2 mg / kg, or 40 times more ... The experts cited by the report (including a German biochemist, Helmut Burtscher) announced a health risk, especially for children most at risk because of their lower body mass.
A set of European associations (including MDRGF), grouped under PAN Europe, have complained against the European Commission.. Their argument is that it has retained limits for the highest values among the EU countries, failed to take into account its own studies and, finally, would not "properly evaluated the cumulative effects of pesticides on human health. "
The Commission has so far not responded to these attacks.

Release link: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:070:0001:0016:EN:PDF