Pesticides are approved in two distinct stages. Firstly, the active substance – the chemically active part of a manufactured pesticide product – is authorised. For the second stage, pesticide products containing that active substance (usually alongside many other ingredients known as ‘co-formulants’) are authorised. For example, the active substance glyphosate [...]
‘Highly toxic to bees’ – This classification is assigned if the LD50 (lethal dose 50%) for acute and dermal absorption by honey bees is lower than 2 micrograms per bee (μg/bee). The value of LD50 for a substance is the dose required to kill half the members of a tested [...]
Companies that manufacture pesticides are required by national regulators (such as the European Food Safety Authority, US Environmental Protection Agency and UK Health and Safety Executive) to conduct toxicity testing as a key part of the process through which an active substance is approved. The data generated by this toxicity [...]
While voluntary and stewardship approaches may work in other areas, they have repeatedly proven to be ineffective at reducing pesticide-related harms to either human health or the environment for a number of key reasons, including: Hazard vs. risk-based approaches – Arguably the most fundamental problem with voluntary and/or stewardship approaches [...]
An ectoparaciticide is an antiparasitic drug (usually a ‘spot-on’ treatment) used to kill parasites that live on the body’s surface (such as ticks and fleas). In the UK, there are 676 ectoparaciticide products approved for use in veterinary medicines for dogs and cats. Of this total, 523 products (77%) contain [...]
PAN UK’s 30+ years of expertise is on pesticides used on agricultural crops (or ‘plant protection products’ as they are also known). Therefore, we came to the issue of veterinary medicines with this background and so began our research by looking at active substances that are not approved for use [...]
They are by far the most common animals kept as pets in the UK, with 10.2 million dogs and 11.1 million cats. According to the PDSA, 80% of UK dogs and 82% of cats are treated with parasiticides (more commonly known as tick and flea treatments). Dogs and cats therefore [...]
Many of the other chemicals used in tick in flea treatments are known to be harmful to human health or the environment. They are, after all, designed to kill living organisms and therefore need to cause harm – at least to the target species – in order to be effective. [...]
There are currently more than 1,000 parasiticide products for cats and dogs in the UK. While a ban on pesticide active substance being included in pet medicines would mean removing 67% of these from the market, it would still leave almost 350 alternative products available. The list of alternative products [...]
Unfortunately, there is no law or official way you can make them stop. We advise that you contact that farmer directly. Your council will not have the authority to dictate what an individual does on their private land. It is the farmer’s discretion to decide what pesticides to apply and [...]
The government’s Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF) test food products every few months for pesticide residues due to health concerns. However, they only take samples of some foodstuffs and this is by no means a comprehensive picture of exactly which pesticides (and how much of them) is [...]
Yes, organic farmers sometimes use pesticides. However, there are only 20 pesticides that they can use (as opposed to the hundreds used on conventional farms) and all of them are derived from natural ingredients. This means that they tend to be much less harmful to human and environmental health than [...]
There are many viable alternatives to industrial farming which are encompassed within ‘sustainable agriculture’. Sustainable agriculture refers to farming that is based on a whole ecosystem approach, investing in a healthy system which works with the environment, animals and people. It can take the form of various practices such as [...]
Conventional farming practices rely on pesticides to maintain adequate yield production levels. Spraying these dangerous chemicals requires very careful managing and farmers must wear appropriate protective gear. Rural residents living next door to farms can also be exposed to pesticide drift. Unfortunately, through chronic exposure and accidents, pesticides are a [...]
The agrochemical industry often claim that GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are designed to help reduce the need for pesticides, as they are developed to be resistant to certain pests. There is no evidence to support this. In fact, it is quite the opposite: genetically modified organisms are driving up pesticide [...]
Industrial farming, which relies on pesticides, is heavily subsidised by EU agricultural funding which has, to-date, favoured this large-scale production. In other words, pesticides don’t make food cheaper in and of themselves, but they do prop up a system of industrial farming which is designed to churn out masses of [...]
In short, no. The most comprehensive study of global food supply chains to date carried out by the United Nations found that small farmers (who often farm without pesticides) feed 70% of the world’s population. It is a myth that we need to produce more to “feed the world”, as [...]
For decades, the way the UK regulates and uses pesticides has been largely decided at the European level. However, as a result of the EU exit, the UK will soon be operating its own standalone pesticide regime. This change presents some major threats and opportunities in terms of protecting human [...]
Recent data suggests that pesticide use is actually increasing in the UK. While the weight of pesticide amounts has decreased, the toxicity (how powerful a pesticide is) has increased. Since 1990, the exposure of the UK public and environment to pesticides has increased in the following ways: The toxicity of [...]
Some people do advocate for an immediate ban on all pesticides. However, from our years of working with farmers and councils, we have found that a phasing-out process is more conducive to long-term success in the adoption of alternatives. Farmers in particular need help to make a transition to a [...]
