To protect Europeans’ health and the environment, the EU has banned or severely restricted the use of many hazardous chemicals. Furthermore, the European Commission and its commitment in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability to protect people’s health and the environment, and put an end to its export of hazardous chemicals and pesticides that are already banned in Europe.

However, companies remain free to manufacture these hazardous pesticides in the EU for export to other countries with weaker regulations, putting human health and the environment at risk. The EU also allows the import of food and agricultural goods grown with pesticides banned on its own fields, exposing European consumers to cocktails of dangerous residues and creating unfair competition for European farmers. 

Over the past years, EU institutions have all recognised that there is a double standard here, which is problematic and should end. If the EU bans the use of certain pesticides because they are proven to be too dangerous for Europeans, it should not allow companies to keep manufacturing them for export, nor should it accept the import of food produced and contaminated with these substances.

Together, over 300 civil society organisations and trade unions demand an immediate ban on the EU’s exports of toxic pesticides that endanger people and the environment in other parts of the world.

Read the joint statement here.