*[Enwl-eng] Stopping secrecy on pesticides
ENWLine
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The European Parliament is debating legislation that could improve transparency in our food system and stop glyphosate for good! But industry players have been lobbying our MEPs to derail the proposal. Let’s show our representatives that we want more transparency, not corporate control! |
On Tuesday, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee gets to vote on legislation that could result in the toxic weedkiller glyphosate becoming banned in the EU by making previously-secret industry studies available to the public. [1]
During our struggle to ban glyphosate last year, scientific studies were key. The pesticide industry said it had studies demonstrating that glyphosate was "safe” - but kept them secret from citizens and independent scientists alike. The EU allowed the use of glyphosate for another five years - on the basis of these secret industry studies. [2]
Now, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are debating legislation that would end this kind of secrecy. But industry players have been lobbying our MEPs hard to derail the proposal. They want to keep full control over these studies, and to delay their publication until the EU evaluation is done!
That’s where we come in. Our community has a brand-new tool that allows us to contact our MEPs. Imagine: if we all do it together, MEPs will be inundated with messages demonstrating widespread support for transparency in our food system. With European elections right around the corner, MEPs won’t be able to ignore our demands.
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The proposed change to the General Food Law regulation is an ambitious departure from the industry-favoured procedures that currently exist in the EU. If this legislation passes, we’ll finally have the tools to challenge the likes of Bayer/Monsanto when glyphosate and other dangerous chemicals come up for approval in the EU.
This change didn’t come about by itself - it’s a direct response to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to ban glyphosate, which our community worked tirelessly for last year. One of the demands was to “ensure that the scientific evaluation of pesticides for EU regulatory approval is based only on published studies...” [3]
After our huge mobilisation, the EU wants to show that it’s responsive to citizens’ demands on transparency and food safety. But is it really? The Commission has proposed revising the General Food Law, but MEPs also need to vote to support it. [4] However, some MEPs are still swayed by industry. Let’s show them that we are still here, and that we will be watching this vote closely. If they vote for industry and against citizens, we will not forget when it’s time for us to vote in next year’s elections.
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It’s been over two years since our community began a massive EU-wide campaign to stop glyphosate. Since then, we’ve shifted the debate throughout Europe, achieved further restrictions on glyphosate in a number of EU countries, and kept industry on its toes. [5] If we can get this piece of legislation passed, we’ll have far more tools to oppose glyphosate and other dodgy chemicals entering our food chain in the future. Please contact your MEPs to make this legislation a reality. It will only take 30 seconds.
With hope,
Mika (Bordeaux), Jörg (Lübeck), Virginia (Madrid), and the rest of us at WeMove.EU
PS: There are now over 9,300 plaintiffs suing Bayer/Monsanto for health impacts from RoundUp, the top-selling glyphosate-based herbicide. [6] If we want to stop glyphosate for good, we need to see the studies that industry wants to keep secret. Tell your MEPs to vote to do just that.
References:
[1]
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/successful/details/follow-up/2017/000002/en?lg=en
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CONSIL:ST_8518_2018_INIT&from=EN
[2]
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/documents/3496/DS_Annex.pdf
https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/civil-society-questions-europes-perfect-pesticide-authorisation-system/
[3]
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative/public/initiatives/successful/details/2017/000002
[4]
https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/new-food-transparency-rules-risk-falling-victim-to-eu-institution-spat/
[5]
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20171020IPR86572/meps-demand-glyphosate-phase-out-with-full-ban-by-end-2022
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-sets-new-restrictions-on-glyphosate/a-46172338
https://phys.org/news/2018-09-czech-republic-restrict-glyphosate-weedkiller.html
[6]
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-13/bayer-earnings-beat-estimates-amid-growing-pains-of-monsanto-era
WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere.
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