The European legislation governing the marketing of pesticides clearly defines the obligations of the Member States when assessing the risks and authorising pesticides. States, including Belgium, must put the protection of the population before the interests of production-oriented agriculture and refrain from authorising products that could harm human and animal health or the environment. However, 26% of pesticide authorisations in Belgium are granted to products that are potentially carcinogenic, toxic for reproduction, harmful to infants, or have endocrine disrupting effects (hormone disruption).
More than 300 of the most dangerous pesticides are still authorised when they should have disappeared from the Belgian landscape. Despite the promises of the federal administration, none of these pesticides have been replaced by safer alternatives. And for good reason: for 90% of them, Belgium does not comply with the European legislation requiring substitution, which has been in force for over 7 years.
Since 2011, Belgium has regularly issued derogations for pesticides that are highly toxic to human health. And when a pesticide is banned at European level for its excessive toxicity, the administration improperly provides temporary derogations. According to a recent report, Belgium ranks 8th among European countries providing the most derogations for pesticides normally banned in Europe.
The report makes a series of recommendations to bring certain practices of the Belgian administration that are incompatible with a high level of protection into line with the law, and thus better protect the health of Belgian citizens and their environment.