A decision will “shortly” be made on the possible banning of terbufos in South Africa, Agriculture Department director-general Mooketsa Ramasodi told MPs on Tuesday, while experts have slammed the government’s delay in taking any action on the pesticide.
The chemical is prohibited in Europe, and local civil society organisations say this is long overdue in South Africa, reports Business Day.
An inter-ministerial technical committee had been examining the question of terbufos and pesticide regulation, including a possible ban, Ramasodi said during a meeting of Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, and had heard testimony from panellists of a two-day tribunal on agrotoxins in Stellenbosch in March, during which evidence was presented by farm and factory workers as well as communities exposed to highly hazardous pesticides.
The tribunal still has to finalise its recommendations.
One of the tribunal panellists, Judge Navi Pillay, said there were 192 highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) registered and in use in SA, only 16 of which had partial bans or restrictions, 57 of which were banned in the EU “due to their unacceptable risks to human health and the environment”, and 36 of which belong to the most hazardous class of pesticide, which are known to have carcinogenic potential and can cause death.
Apart from terbufos, other HHPs in use in SA include mevinphos and carbofuran.
Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said his department was considering alternatives to terbufos.
Pillay said the department must urgently start phasing out the use of toxic chemicals, beginning with HHPs. She said it was “very disappointing” that SA was a party to international conventions but had not implemented them.
Almost all South African Development Community (SADC) countries observed the ban on HHPs, except SA, which is the largest consumer of agrotoxins in Africa.
Pillay said research and evidence presented to the tribunal indicated a “connivance between government and the corporate world” in the continued use of chemicals, and that pesticides were sprayed without farmworkers having protection, and in proximity to their homes and children. They had no idea of the names of the chemicals and the harm they could cause, like infertility and cancer.
Another panellist, Dr Sophia Kisting-Cairncross, described the effects of pesticide exposure on children, including cognitive and neurological problems, respiratory diseases and skin problems.
She said “it boggles the mind” that the government allowed tons of these pesticides to be imported, and urged that their phase-out be no longer than six months.
DA MP Willie Aucamp acknowledged the need to protect lives but called for a pragmatic approach, warning that a ban on certain pesticides would cause a crisis in agriculture and food production, food security and jobs. A balanced approach was needed, he said.
However, his views were shot down by EFF MP Mothusi Montwedi, who said the sanctity of human life trumped all other concerns.
Pillay said what had been seen of a “pragmatic approach” in the name of food security and profit for farmers was to not take any decision, and delay it for years and years. Quick action was needed.
UCT Professor of Public Health Leslie London highlighted the government’s long delay since 2010 in dealing decisively with the issue, which had not been taken seriously.
He questioned the ability of the department to supervise the conditional use of HHPs if they were not banned outright.
“Trying to restrict use of an HHP requires a lot of effort and infrastructure… It is not clear that there are not alternatives.”
London said the agricultural sector should find other options and had been aware for a long time of the European Green Deal, which expects the reduction of HHPs by at least 50%.
Business Day PressReader article – SA riddled with pesticides, jurist warns (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Child cancer risk tied to multiple pesticide exposure – US study
SA finally to ban certain toxic pesticides
Action plan launched to combat food poisonings in SA
Health experts urge banning of toxic pesticides after children’s deaths