In December 2013, the European Commission restricted the use of three highly bee-toxic neonicotinoid insecticides, namely imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam. On the 4th anniversary of the partial ban on these substances, new scientific knowledge confirms that these restrictions do not go far enough. Therefore, more than 80 EU NGOs are gathering [...]
Update - 27th November - Glyphosate license renewed for a further five years PAN UK is disappointed to report that the controversial weed killer, glyphosate, has been given approval for use in the EU for a further five years. What is even more disappointing is that the new approval comes [...]
A review of pesticide use in global cotton production - 10th October 2017 (PLEASE FIND OUR REVISED ISSUE FOR JUNE 2018 HERE) A new report published today by PAN UK, with support from the C&A Foundation, investigates the current rate of pesticide use in cotton, and examines its trends [...]
A report by PAN UK, Solidaridad and WWF Leading brands improve performance on sustainable cotton but many still fall short Used in hundreds of everyday items, cotton is a vital cash crop for around 100 million households in 80 countries. However, conventional production of cotton is characterised by environmental, [...]
by Stephanie Williamson, Staff Scientist, PAN UK (26th September 2017) I was delighted to take part in a recent conference organised by the UK-India Agricultural Ecology Initiative and hosted by the British Ecological Society at its HQ in London. The conference brought together a range of mainly British and Indian [...]
by Sam Claydon, Communications Officer, PAN UK (19th September 2017) PAN UK is working with partners and colleagues in Ethiopia to teach smallholder cotton farmers how to manage their fields using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods in order to move away from an over-reliance on pesticides. In a lucky turn [...]
by Josie Cohen, Head of Policy & Campaigns (18th July 2017) The movement to end the use of pesticides in the UK’s towns and cities enjoyed its first foray into Scotland a few weeks ago. Me and two PAN UK colleagues headed north of the border for a couple of [...]
by Stephanie Williamson, Staff Scientist, PAN UK I’ve recently returned from an exciting ten days in Costa Rica, working with our partners at the Regional Institute for Research on Toxic Substances (IRET) at the National University. The aim of my visit was to share findings from our project on Phasing [...]
Since 2013 we have been working to support cotton farmers in Southern Ethiopia to adopt safer and more sustainable methods of growing pesticide-free cotton. We now have 2000 smallholder farmers achieving average yields over 100% higher than before. An organic cotton producers’ cooperative is selling Grade A organic cotton [...]
by Professor Dave Goulson, Sussex University Take a walk around your local garden centre and you will see a mouth-watering range of gorgeous plants on display. You might note that some are specifically labelled as pollinator or bee-friendly, with a picture of a cartoon bumblebee on the label. The Royal [...]
by Dr Meriel Watts, Senior Science Advisor of PAN Asia Pacific (PANAP) PAN UK recently attended the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions Conferences of Parties (Triple COPs), held in Geneva in May 2017. These conventions are international initiatives attempting to establish basic regulatory measures for pesticides at the global [...]
On Tuesday 28th March 2017, Sheila Willis, PAN UK's Head of International Programmes, travelled with a group from Obepab to the small village of Aliwou in central Benin. The temperature was around 40 C and it had not rained for weeks. Villagers gathered to meet them and although they were already [...]
by Nick Mole, Policy Officer, PAN UK It's National Gardening Week, a time for people to get out in their gardens, enjoy the spring weather and get those ornamental beds looking good in time for summer. But, there are some things that have no place in a garden. You're probably [...]
by Vicki Hird, Independent Campaign Strategist and Farming Campaign Coordinator, Sustain With Article 50 triggered and a White Paper on the Great Repeal Bill published, we have a slightly better sense of where Britain intends to go in terms of Brexit negotiations and on the transposing, or not, of European laws [...]
Today’s opinion from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – that glyphosate does not present an unacceptable risk to human health – is not only a huge disappointment, but also a complete abandonment of the precautionary principle. It puts the health and wellbeing of millions of EU citizens at risk. It [...]
A new report from the United Nations has, once again, highlighted the fact that while there is no shortage of international and national legislation, people and the environment are still being failed in terms of protection from hazardous pesticides. Quotes from the report: Hazardous pesticides are in excessive use, inflicting [...]
The spring is fast approaching and bees are starting to come out of hibernation, we saw our first this week, and they will be desperate for food. Dandelions are a great source of food for them and they are hugely abundant everywhere, in towns and cities, the countryside, parks, [...]
PAN UK and IEEP have published a new report examining the effectiveness of the UK’s approach to managing pesticide risks and reviewing innovative policy measures used by other countries. The report finds that, between 2000 and 2013, the overall crop area being treated with herbicides, insecticides and fungicides and the [...]
Brexit has major implications for UK agriculture. PAN UK is calling on the government to take this opportunity to create a new agricultural system that works for farmers and the environment by replacing the flawed common agricultural policy with a new system that rewards farmers for looking after our environment; [...]
A new publication by PUBLIC EYE (Switzerland), PAN ASIA PACIFIC (PANAP) and PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK UK (PAN UK): Adverse health effects caused by paraquat – A bibliography of documented evidence Paraquat is now banned in over 40 countries, including the European Union and Switzerland, Syngenta’s home country, because of its adverse health [...]
