Will EU ministers support the ban of the pesticide chlorpyrifos?

The governments of the 28 Member States of the European Union are in the process of deciding on the future of a health-harming pesticide: chlorpyrifos. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), together with other civil society organisations, has written directly to all environment, health and agriculture ministers to express their concerns about the toxicity of this substance. 

The current authorisation of chlorpyrifos in the EU is set to expire on 31 January 2020. The pesticide is often detected in citrus fruits: more than 1 out of 3 sampled grapefruit and lemons, and 1 out of 4 sampled oranges and mandarins contain residues.

Over 212,500 people have already signed a petition to ban chlorpyrifos.

Read the letter (available in English and French) from HEAL, SumOfUs, Générations Futures, Ecologistas en Acción and the European and German branches of the Pesticide Action Network.