PAN Europe’s impact assessment of the endocrine pesticide regulation shows that out of a total of 50 priority pesticides with some endocrine activity surveyed, 31 should be regulated to protect EU citizens. However, the application of the option 3-criteria of EU Commission’s roadmap would reduce this number to 7 (caused by “human relevance”+ “secondary/ non-specific effect” criterions), or to 4 (including the criterion potency, option 4) or even to 0 (changing risk assessment/introducing thresholds, option B).
The massive protests from industry and farmers on a claimed agricultural need of major endocrine disrupting pesticides are never reviewed by an independent party. PAN Europe looked at the available alternatives and the feasibility of application with its network of experts. The outcome is that a potential ban of a number of harmful pesticides with endocrine disrupting properties is feasible. There are a range of alternatives available, non-chemical and many times also synthetic alternatives preventing any substantial yield loss. Alternatives are readily available and they can be introduced, if needed, with the help of existing extension services.