Open letter to the German minister of food and agriculture to follow through on Germany’s move to prohibit the export of EU-banned pesticides
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APN | Amman

November 2022

 

APN signed an open letter to the German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, regarding the legal ban on the exportation of German-manufactured and EU-banned pesticides to countries around the world, particularly those in the south.

The letter comes in support of Ozdemir’s statements, made on September 11, acknowledging that it is unacceptable for Germany to continue to produce and export pesticides that have been banned on its own territory to protect its people's health and that people throughout the world have the same right to health.

The letter points to the role Germany plays in exporting8,525 tonnes of unauthorised active pesticide substances exported in 2021 alone. Pesticides are known to cause acute poisoning among farmers as well as chronic illnesses like cancer, or have the potential to disrupt peoples’ endocrine systems, specifically putting unborn babies at risk.

Some of these pesticides are also water contaminants. They harmfully impact and even eradicate populations of beneficial insects, which endangers biodiversity, pollination, natural pest control, and, consequently, people’s food security and health.

 

To read the full letter: https://bit.ly/3Vh6zii