With the release of the newly updated list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and the consolidated list of banned pesticides Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International provides two key tools that enable stakeholders to identify HHPs and encourage them to take action to phase out their use in agriculture.
Today, the Pesticide Action Network has published the updated Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides and the List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) as a contribution to the global commitment to phase out of HHPs as mandated by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution on Highly Hazardous Pesticides and by the newly adopted Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC) ‘For a planet free of harm from chemicals and waste’.
The PAN HHP List provides a transparent overview of pesticide active ingredients meeting the HHP criteria set jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), with a few additional criteria set by the global PAN Network. The consolidated list of banned pesticides contains country-specific information on pesticide active ingredients that are banned at the national level.
The consolidated list of banned pesticides lists 568 different pesticide active ingredients that are banned in one or more countries around the world. The majority of those banned pesticides are HHPs. This indicates that HHP phase-outs are already happening. The goal of phasing out the use of HHPs as the world’s most toxic pesticides, as stated by the UNEA HHP resolution from February 2024, is reachable with engagement by countries and the global community. PAN International appeals to countries and all GFC stakeholders to respect their obligation to make urgent progress towards the goal of phasing out HHPs by 2035.
Despite the progress made, there remains an urgent need for all countries to take strong action to ban highly hazardous pesticides, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America where people suffer the most from their use and where most of these pesticides are used.
María Elena, RAPAL, Member of PAN International HHPs WG mentioned: “In Latin America, more than 30% of the active ingredients registered have the characteristics of HHPs, however, many of them are classified only for their acute effect, with a green label, omitting their chronic effects, despite the fact that for decades epidemiological surveillance and scientific studies have been demonstrating serious socio-environmental health problems associated with the use of HHPs, including acute intoxications, deaths and chronic diseases, alarming losses of beehives and serious damage to ecosystems”.
Tadesse Amera, PAN International co-coordinator said: “Africa perceived the human health and environmental impacts of HHPs in the region and the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) in its meeting in 2023 in Addis Ababa urged the World Chemical Conference ICCM5 to consider the phasing out of HHPs and the establishment of the Global Alliance on HHPs. Following this the African negotiators led the discussions at the ICCM5 in September 2023, where the GFC was adopted, and at UNEA in February 2024 which resulted in the two big resolutions respectively that would save Africa from the hazardous impacts that arise from HHPs. The two important lists released by PAN-International are, therefore, very big support for Africa’s commitment to phase out HHPs from the region and beyond.”
Terence Krishna Lopez PAN Asia Pacific, Chair of WG Agroecology added: “Farmers movements and CSOs in Asia and around the world have long been pushing for agroecology as an alternative to HHPs. Concrete scientific evidences show how the practice of agroecology helps improve the health of the environment, increase biodiversity and improve the economic conditions of food producers over time. As a movement, people-led agroecology is a solution to food systems transformation and to the climate crisis”.
Jago Wadley, International Advocacy Manager at PAN UK, and Chair of PAN International Advocacy WG said “The recent adoption of new international commitments on pesticides, including the phase-out of HHPs in agriculture under the GFC, and the reduction of the risk to biodiversity from pesticides by at least half under the Global Biodiversity Framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), is historic, if overdue. Phasing out HHPs is critical to delivering on the CBD target, and PAN’s updated HHPs list – the only one of its kind – will help ensure reforms are efficiently targeted on the most harmful pesticides and ensure countries can deliver under multiple UN environment, health, and human rights frameworks”.
Susan Haffmans, Chair of PAN International said: “In recognition of the increasing chemical pollution, the threat to the health of millions of people, the asymmetry of who profits from and who is paying with their health and lives from the current chemical-intensive agribusiness model and pesticide export practice, we call on all stakeholders to take their responsibility and contribute to the phase-out of highly hazardous pesticides and to promote non-chemical alternatives. The time for an excuse not to act is over. The tools to identify HHPs and start replacing them and country experiences on how to manage this are available”.
Emily Marquez Ph.D., Senior Scientist at PAN North America added: “The Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions address industrial chemicals that include pesticides, but these treaties are not focused on HHPs. We need to address the problems of pesticide-intensive agriculture by taking ambitious action on HHPs. The global north must take responsibility for its role in the circle of poison in promoting pesticide-reliant agriculture and exporting HHPs.”
The updated 7th edition of PAN’s consolidated list of banned pesticides lists 568 pesticides that are banned in at least one of the listed 168 countries. Since the last update, 41 new pesticide active ingredients have been banned by governments and added to the list. The European Union and the UK once again scored highest with the number of pesticides banned (499*), followed by the United Arab Emirates (272), and Saudi Arabia (254). Brazil (151) is the stand-out country in Latin America. Indonesia (61) and Cambodia (94) scored highest in Asia, and Mauritania (52) leads the African region.
*The figure 529 for the EU and the UK is constituted as follows: 225 ‘banned’ + 274 ‘not approved’ pesticides which are Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and/or banned by another country.
Notes:
- For more information on the Global Framework on Chemicals’ Targets see our press release from October 2023 ‘Commitments in new chemicals framework should catalyse strong global action on pesticides’.
For more information, press contacts:
- Susan Haffmans, PAN Germany, susan.haffmans@pan-germany.org
- Manon Rouby, PAN International, manon@pan-uk.org
- Tadesse Amera, PAN International & PAN Ethiopia, tadesse@panna.org
- María Elena Rozas, RAPAL, malena.rozas@gmail.com
- Terence Krishna Lopez PAN Asia Pacific, terence@panap.net
- Jago Wadley, PAN UK, jago@pan-uk.org
- Emily Marquez Ph.D., PANNA, emily@panna.org
Discussion about this post