Neonicotinoid based pesticides have been implicated in the alarming deaths of bees and other pollinators that are so crucial to pollination and biodiversity in the UK as a whole. It is not just agricultural products that they are used in but also a number of products aimed at the domestic home and garden market. The following is a list of products currently approved for use in the UK that may be available to purchase by the general public.
So that people can make informed choices about their purchases PAN UK has compiled a list of the products currently available.
PAN UK has launched its brand new “bees” website. The site contains all you need to know about bees and other pollinators and the effects that pesticides are having on them.
The website takes an in depth look at the key issues and provides links to what other organisations are doing on bees. There are sections on neonicotinoids, herbicides, what you can do and the wonder of bees.
“We hope that this will be a one stop shop for those interested in bees and pesticides”, said PAN UK Director, Keith Tyrell.
Please do visit the site and feel free to contact us with your feedback and suggestions on
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
PAN UK and 13 other organisations write to DEFRA Minister to demand an immedeate suspension of the use of neonicotinoid pesticides
Following the recent publication of new research on the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees and other pollinator species PAN UK and 13 other UK based organisations have sent an open letter to DEFRA Minister Caroline Spelman asking for the immedeate suspension of use of neonicotinoids as a precautionary measure.
To read the letter signed by; PAN UK, Soil Association, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, CHEM Trust, Natural Beekeeping Trust, Earth Open Source, Bee Guardian Foundation, Garden Organic, Capital Bee Campaign, Client Earth, Environmental Justice Foundation, Small Blue Marble and Biodynamic Agriculture Association please click read more.
The jury of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal has returned its preliminary verdict on the six agrochemical companies accused of gross human rights abuses. It is damning in its conclusions and calls upon national governments and international institutions to take action to hold the companies criminally responsible for their actions and to ensure that the power of these companies is no longer put before people and planet.
The preliminary verdict and recommendations can be read at the following link: Preliminary verdict
The full verdict will be passed down in two weeks time and we will report further on the outcome and implications then.
PAN UK is the only organisation in Britain dedicated to raising awareness of the problems with pesticides.
Pesticides are the only chemicals deliberately made to be toxic and introduced directly into the environment.
They are used in agriculture, in homes, and in urban areas to kill or control insects, weeds and diseases.
Pesticides are used everywhere: in crops and carpets, boats and bananas, and unwanted residues can be found in humans, water, food, air and soil.
PAN UKis part of a global network. We work closely with partners in developing countries, where pesticide problems are sometimes far worse. In developing countries there are as many as three million poisonings and 20,000 deaths each year from pesticide incidents. Unnecessary use puts farmers on an expensive pesticide treadmill. This means that:
Over 800 different chemicals are made globally and sold in tens of thousands of mixtures.
*Some pesticides areacutely toxic, and cause death and ill health
to users, particularly – but not only – in developing countries.
*Chronic exposure to some pesticides can cause
cancer or birth defects. *Some persistent pesticides ‘travel’ from where they are used, and end up in remote .......arctic regions where they may stay for centuries.
*Persistent pesticides are found in the body fat of humans
and wildlife, including in human breast milk,
throughout the globe.
* Other pesticides affect hormone systems and may be
altering the basis of life: tributyltin.can make sea whelks
sterile at infinitesimal levels.
Our projects are designed to tackle these problems in different ways, and at different levels
* Toxic dumps of obsolete pesticides are found throughout Africa, amounting to an estimated 50,000 tonnes.
The Africa Stockpiles Projectaims to clear these hazardous stocks that are polluting the local
and global environment.
* Cotton uses consistently more hazardous pesticides than any other crop. Working with our African partners,
we have identified the pesticide endosulfan causing death and poisonings, and are working for a ban.
*Organic cotton is a reality for small-scale farmers in Africa, and can dramatically improve their income.
We have helped farmers convert.
* Corporate sales strategies encourage poor farmers without training to use hazardous pesticides.
We promote farmer field school training to reduce pesticide dependency and
increase yields and income.
* Europe is the second biggest market for pesticides
after the US. Our campaigns to ban certain very hazardous
pesticides and to encourage least toxic alternatives is
promoting a new approach to regulation. * In the UK many people exposed to even small amounts
of pesticides sufferchronic severe allergic reactions.
We provide practical information and advice to sufferers. * We work in urban areas with high levels of pesticide exposure,
helping local councils reduce their pesticide use, and raising
awareness in schools and communities.
PAN UK Launches new bee website
