In our current world where A.I. is taking over and data is king; it comes as a surprise that the UK does not have accurate data on the pesticides that are being pumped into our environment. Having said that, it doesn’t come as a surprise to those of us who [...]
by Dr Alicja Witwicka For a while now researchers have been warning governments, farmers and the public about the harm that pesticides cause to pollinating insects. And many have listened, some of the most toxic insecticides, called neonicotinoids, have been under strict restrictions within the EU and other parts of [...]
A coalition of 25 health, farming, trade, human rights and environmental organisations from around the world, including Parkinson's UK, The Wildlife Trust, the Central American Institute of Research on Toxic Substances (IRET), Trade Justice Movement and the Landworkers’ Alliance have signed an open letter calling on Sainsbury's to ban paraquat. [...]
A new report reveals the widespread use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in coffee-producing countries. These include chemicals linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, reproductive harm, endocrine disruption, and catastrophic biodiversity loss. Poison in Your Coffee brings together scientific literature, government data and field research across Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya, Colombia, and other major [...]
Farmworkers around the world are being put at risk due to the use of paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide (weedkiller). We’re calling on the UK’s second largest supermarket, Sainsbury’s, to end the use of paraquat in its global supply chains. Paraquat is responsible for poisoning thousands of farmworkers around the world. Repeated long-term exposure to [...]
by Jago Wadley, International Advocacy Manager This week, PAN UK will apply for membership of the new Global Alliance on Highly Hazardous Pesticides (GAHHPs). We encourage all relevant actors in agriculture and food systems to join this important new initiative and contribute to its success. Applications can be made via [...]
Analysis of official government data – launched today by PAN UK – reveals that the amount of glyphosate being applied to UK crops has risen from 200 metric tonnes per year in 1990 to more than 2,200 tonnes in 2024. Major increases have been seen on a wide range of [...]
By Professor Steve Ormerod, Cardiff School of Biosciences / Water Research Institute Anyone interested in pets or pesticides will have noticed that chemicals used in some veterinary flea or tick treatments occur as pollutants in streams, rivers and ponds. Focus has centred on imidacloprid (neonicotinoid) and fipronil (phenylpyrazole) - applied [...]
A new study published in Frontiers in Agronomy, has found that training farmers in agroecological practices helps to protect them from the harmful impacts of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). It also increases their income. Over 700 vegetable farmers in Ethiopia’s Lake Ziway region took part in a programme to promote agroecology [...]
Powerful commercial actors and the actions they take, affect us all, every day of our lives – many are undermining our health, our choices as individuals and the sustainability of the planet. They shape what we see, eat, and do. There is overwhelming evidence that the actions of many commercial [...]
An inflatable pesticides container the size of a 5-story apartment block calls for the phase out of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) outside the venue of the COP30 climate negotiations in Belem, Brazil. It aims to highlight their role in heating the planet and poisoning the future. [...]
by Dr Bruna Rubbo, Research Fellow, University of Bristol *Warning: This article discusses suicidal behaviour. If you have questions on self-harm or feel suicidal, use this link to find an international helpline.* Having worked in the field of clinical and environmental epidemiology, and in pesticide exposure more specifically, I’ve long been interested in [...]
PAN UK will shortly join colleagues from PAN International in Geneva, Switzerland, for the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions – the ‘BRS COPS’ – where important decisions on a range of hazardous pesticides are on the table. The Stockholm Convention is focused on persistent [...]
Cotton is an important crop in Tanzania, with over half-a-million households relying on cotton cultivation for their primary source of income. A new study, published in Toxics, reveals significant levels of pesticide poisoning among Tanzanian smallholder cotton growers following occupational exposure to highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs). Of the 1,074 cotton [...]
The 6th edition of the Chocolate Scorecard has ranked Tony’s Chocolonely and Ritter Sport as among the most sustainable chocolate companies in the world. Run by Be Slavery Free, the scorecard ranks companies based on traceability and transparency across supply chains, whether they pay farmers a living income, efforts to [...]
A study by the University of Sussex, published in Science of the Total Environment, has found that there is a high prevalence of veterinary drugs in bird nests. They analysed 103 blue and great tit nests sent in by volunteers on the Nesting Neighbour Scheme at the British Trust for [...]
In a recent interview with PAN UK, eminent Australian neurologist Dr David Blacker explains the urgent need for Australia to protect its farmers from exposure to paraquat, a very hazardous and widely used herbicide. With a ban already in place in 67 countries around the world, he expressed frustration that [...]
By Aline Pompermaier & Marilia Hartmann, Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation, Federal University of Fronteira Sul Our recent study published by Scientific Reports has found that glyphosate-based pesticides significantly affect the early life stages of amphibians. Amphibians are experiencing a global population decline, with over a third of species threatened [...]
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Food and agriculture play a major role. This week, the international community is convening in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As extreme weather events threaten lives and economies [...]
The need for sustainable farming has never been greater. This World Cotton Day we are celebrating the organic cotton farmers leading the way in Benin. A programme, supported by PAN UK and in collaboration with Organisation for the Promotion of Organic Agriculture in Benin (OBEPAB), is proving that organic cotton [...]
