This Friday saw the adoption of an important royal decree concerning the export of banned pesticides outside Europe. After weeks of discussions between cabinets, the bill put forward by Minister Zakia Khattabi was finally adopted by the Council of Ministers on Friday 23 June.
On behalf of the coalition of NGOs that has been working for over a year to put an end to this toxic trade in Belgium, we can only welcome this decision:
« This is excellent news for environmental protection, the health of farmers in third countries, human rights and, more generally, for the transition to sustainable food systems. »Jonas Jaccard, Advocacy Officer, is delighted. Humundi (formerly SOS Faim) and in charge of the campaign.
« The protection of the environment, the health of farmers in third countries and the health of European consumers thus took precedence over the market share of a few multinationals. This is an important step in the long struggle to phase out synthetic pesticides and eliminate the most dangerous ones! »
Suzy Serneels, Food Systems Campaigner at Broederlijk Delen.
But that's not the end of the road. To be more consistent, the entire European Union should stop exporting banned pesticides. Following in the footsteps of France, Belgium is now leading the way with this measure. It sends out a strong signal to Europe! But pressure from the lobbies remains strong: we have come up against very strong resistance from the industry, which has used all sorts of pretexts to avoid possible regulations. At EU level, this reluctance will be even stronger, and we need to be prepared for it.
For the time being, these Belgian exports will soon be a thing of the past! It's a great victory for human rights and environmental protection!
