[STUDY] Over 30 Harmful Pesticides in UK Still Sold; PAN Expert Says UK is Europe's 'Toxic Poster Child'

A new study revealed that over 30 harmful pesticides are still being sold in the U.K. Because of this, the United Kingdom is believed to be becoming the "toxic poster child" of Europe.

Here's what the Pesticide Action Network revealed about the failing pesticide restrictions of the U.K.

[STUDY] Over 30 Harmful Pesticides in the UK Still Sold

According to The Guardian's latest report, the United Kingdom's ministers promised that they will not disregard EU-derived environmental standards after Brexit.

However, there are numerous instances when the U.K. has shown divergence ever since it left the country bloc. One of these is by allowing harmful chemicals to be sold in its market.

Pesticide Action Network's new study revealed this detail, showing that the U.K. government is failing to ban a total of 36 harmful pesticides that are restricted by the European Union.

Four of these pesticides are considered to be highly toxic to bees. Meanwhile, one of them can contaminate water and another one is deadly to aquatic organisms.

Due to this fact, Nick Mole, one of the experts at PAN UK, said that the country is now becoming the toxic foster child of Europe.

"The government has repeatedly promised that our environmental standards won't slip post-Brexit. And yet here we are, less than four years later, and already we're seeing our standards fall far behind those of the EU," he said.

Mole explained that the U.K. should start taking action since the country's bees and pollinators are suffering from population declines.

Nick further added that the waters in the United Kingdom are also becoming more polluted.

He criticized the U.K. government saying that instead of ensuring the safety of the environment, the U.K. government is exposing the wild-life to an "ever-more toxic soup of chemicals.

PAN's Suggestion to the UK

The Ecologist reported that PAN is urging U.K. officials to maintain alignment with the pesticide norms of the European Union.

The international coalition also wants the U.K. government to make efforts to prevent any further deterioration of its existing standards.

Aside from this, the Pesticide Action Network is advocating for fast implementation of long-overdue measures.

These include restriction pesticide use in urban locations, pesticide reduction targets, as well as improving the state support for farmers so that can reduce their reliance on agrochemicals.

Tags

Study, Europe, Pan