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Kenya Urged to Ban Use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides
September 13, 2023
In a recent study conducted in Kenya, it has been revealed that pesticides that are banned in the European Union due to their health and environmental risks continue to be sold by European and other international companies in Kenya. According to the study, highly hazardous pesticides accounted for over 75 percent of the total pesticide volume in Kenya, and nearly half of them were substances already banned in the EU. Human Rights Watch and The Route to Food Initiative (RTFI), a program advocating for the right to food in Kenya, have called on the Kenyan government to ban all imports of highly hazardous pesticides, phase out their use within the country, and invest in safer and more sustainable methods.
The Risks of Highly Hazardous Pesticides
Highly hazardous pesticides, as defined by the Pesticide Action Network, present particularly high levels of acute or chronic hazards to health or the environment. These pesticides have been found to have severe effects on the human rights to health, adequate food, safe drinking water, and a healthy environment. The dangers posed by highly hazardous pesticides are even more pronounced in Kenya, where strategies and resources to minimize exposure are limited or not feasible. The size and location of farms in Kenya make it nearly impossible to implement buffer zones to limit pesticide drift or runoff to nearby homes, schools, and waterways. Furthermore, a lack of availability and affordability makes it challenging for farmers to obtain full protective equipment when using pesticides.
The Role of Companies and Governments
The study revealed that Chinese-owned Swiss company Syngenta and German Bayer AG had the largest market share for pesticides in Kenya, accounting for 35 percent of the total volume. Over 65 percent of the pesticides sold by Syngenta and nearly 85 percent of those sold by Bayer in Kenya were classified as highly hazardous. Some of these pesticides had already been banned in the EU, raising concerns about the double standard of exporting dangerous pesticides that are deemed harmful in Europe to countries like Kenya.
The Kenyan government has taken steps to address the issue by initiating a regulatory review of a priority list of active ingredients. However, the full results of this review have yet to be published, and civil society organizations continue to call for stricter regulations on a comprehensive list of hazardous pesticides to ensure food safety, protect health, and preserve the environment.
Recommendations for Kenya
Human Rights Watch has called on Kenya‘s Pest Control Products Board to expedite the publication of its findings from the review of hazardous pesticides initiated in 2020. The board should adopt and enforce strict regulations and policies to phase out highly hazardous pesticides. The Kenyan government should prioritize the adoption of integrated pest management strategies that combine methods including crop rotation and diversification, biological controls, and the phasing out of hazardous pesticides. Additionally, the government should collaborate with independent civil society organizations, agroecologists, health experts, and organic farmers to develop and subsidize the use of alternatives to hazardous pesticides.
The Need for International Regulation
The issue of hazardous pesticides extends beyond Kenya. In 2017, UN special rapporteurs called for a new global treaty to regulate the use of hazardous pesticides to address the widely divergent standards of production, use, and protection in different countries. Currently, binding international conventions apply to fewer than four percent of pesticides. The European Commission has committed to ensuring that hazardous chemicals banned in the EU are not produced for export. It plans to propose legislation by the end of 2023 to address this issue.
It is essential that the international community takes collective action to better regulate pesticides to protect the right to health, adequate food, and a healthy environment. Stricter regulation and greater accountability are necessary to ensure that dangerous pesticides are not exported from countries where they are banned to vulnerable countries like Kenya.
Image Source: Garda Pest >>
The image is for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the actual situation.
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