In France, thirty groups and MPs are preparing to go to court to force the governmnet to take into account the "cocktail effect" of pesticide ingredients that are not declared by manufacturers. The groups sent a letter on October 5 to the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, to ask the government to strengthen the criteria for authorizing pesticides marketed in France, in order to take into account the effects of all the formulants included in their composition. This is a preliminary request through a lawyer, the first formal step before a legal case, in two months' time, before the Council of State. The government is urged to modify the decree governing pesticide authorization to require manufacturers to produce long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity studies on the complete formulations of their products. The required analyses must take into account the cumulative and synergistic effects within the pesticide formulations as well as the cocktail effects of different formulations with each other. For greater transparency, this data must be made available in public evaluation reports. Le Monde (French language article)

 

 

The Kenyan government has decided to lift the ban on the cultivation and importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the country. The ban was put in place 10 years ago following growing concerns over the safety of GM food. For the last 10 years, there has been no need to import or allow open cultivation of GMOs. But now more than 4.2 million Kenyans are facing severe hunger and high food prices due to the ongoing drought and effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, among other factors, and this current situation is being exploited to allow GMOs in the country. Please sign the petition to support Kenyans in keeping their food and farming GMO-free! Change.org

 

 

The UK government should introduce an ambitious target for pesticide reduction, aimed at decreasing the overall amount used and toxicity levels. This should be coupled with new support for farmers to adopt alternative approaches to protecting crops, such as integrated pest management. Sign the petition! Petitions: UK Government and Parliament

 

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible by readers’ donations. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you!