Farm to Fork: Commission takes action to further reduce the use of dangerous pesticides

As part of the EU’s commitment to make food systems more sustainable and to protect citizens from harmful substances, the European Commission has today decided to withdraw Mancozeb from the EU market. Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “The protection of citizens and the environment from dangerous chemicals is a priority for the European Commission. Reducing the dependency on chemical pesticides is a key pillar of the Farm to Fork strategy we presented last spring. We cannot accept that pesticides harmful to our health are used in the EU. Member States should now urgently withdraw all authorisations for plant protection products containing Mancozeb”. Mancozeb is an active substance which is used in a number of pesticides in the EU. The proposal was supported by Member States in the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed in October. It follows the scientific assessment by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) which confirmed health concerns, in particular having a toxic effect on reproduction, and the protection of the environment. Mancozeb also has endocrine disrupting properties for humans and for animals. Member States will now have to withdraw authorisations for all plant protection products containing Mancozeb by June 2021.