5 November 2008 - Responding to today’s decision by the European Parliament’s Environment Committee to adopt a report calling for better protection against the harmful effects of pesticides, Green MEP for the South East and member of the Environment Committee Dr Caroline Lucas said:

"With today’s vote, MEPs have rejected industry scaremongering and sent a clear message to the European Council that they want to see a reduction in the use of potentially harmful pesticides.

"Human health must be given better protection from the chemicals entering into our environment. The Commission already acknowledges that long-term exposure to pesticides can lead to ’serious disturbances’ to the immune system, cancers, and genetic damage.

"Heavy pesticide use also poses a well documented risk to the natural world through the contamination of drinking water, threats to biodiversity, and long term soil degradation."

She continued: "Just a few weeks ago, the EU’s latest Food Monitoring Report revealed that a record level of pesticides are being found in food items sold in the EU, with almost half of all fruit, vegetables and cereals containing pesticide residues, and 5% of them at concentrations above maximum legal limits.

"This is the highest ever level of pesticide contamination recorded in the EU, and represents an increase of around 20% over the past 5 years alone. Food products sold in the EU now contain 354 different pesticides.

"Today we are living with over 100,000 man-made chemicals in our environment, and we know that some of these are toxic. The concern lies not just with the behaviour of individual chemicals, but also how they react in combination with each other. Recent studies have found up to 300 man-made chemicals in human fat tissue.

"When you hear that a Cox’s apple can typically be sprayed 18 times with various pesticides (1), you really have to question the wisdom of current methods."

Dr Lucas welcomed the fact that residents living near sprayed crops have been recognised in today’s adopted report as "vulnerable groups", in recognition of the fact that they are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of being exposed to repeat spraying with a cocktail of potentially dangerous pesticides.

She highlighted the benefits of organic farming and a more sustainable system of food production, commenting:

"A major study by the UN last week showed an analysis of 114 projects in 24 African countries and found that yields more than doubled where organic, or near-organic practices had been used. It was even reported that organic farming had increased yields in East Africa by 128%, indicating that organic farming carries a far greater potential to improve food security than some may claim."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

(1) Soil Association briefing - http://www.soilassociation.org/Web/SA/saweb.nsf/ed0930aa86103d8380256aa70054918d/50e5e6a2558967b280256f3f004ff4c2!OpenDocument