Europe exports more banned pesticides than ever

You’d think Europe had stopped exporting dangerous pesticides. The opposite is true. European companies are actually producing and exporting even more than just a few years ago. That’s according to new research by Unearthed and Public Eye – and the findings are causing a stir.

Exports despite promises

2023 set a record: 122,000 tonnes of agricultural chemicals crossed the border. They contained 75 substances that can no longer be used within the EU. In 2018, that number was only half as high. More than half of these shipments went to countries such as Vietnam, Ecuador, Morocco and Ukraine. And this despite the European Commission’s 2020 pledge to stop production for export.

BASF tops the list

BASF is firmly at the top of the exporters list. The German chemical giant reported over 33,000 tonnes – three times more than the runner-up. The fungicide mancozeb stands out. It was banned in 2020 because it is “toxic to reproduction.” Yet in 2023, another 8,500 tonnes were reported as exported to 59 countries.

The poison boomerang

Foodwatch calls this the poison boomerang: what Europe exports comes back to our plates via imported products. Tea, fruit, vegetables and spices, for instance. “This is an absurd and immoral situation,” says director Nicole van Gemert. The organisation is demanding that the European Commission finally step in, force chemical companies to be transparent and tighten controls on imports. Nearly 100,000 signatures support this call.

Foodwatch.org