December 01, 2019 07:30 PM

As a new Pesticides Management Bill was listed for introduction in the Parliament in the Winter Session of 2019, Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture submitted its inputs on such a proposed statute, based on the version of the Bill that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare had put out in 2018. ASHA argues that regulation has to reflect the evolution of evidence around the ill effects of pesticides, as well as the post-modern science of pest management.

December 01, 2019 07:26 PM

The 2019 report is now available on the FSSAI website : https://www.fssai.gov.in/upload/advisories/2019/10/5da705b31ca78Letter_Report_Pesticides_MRL_16_10_2019.pdf

December 01, 2019 07:23 PM

1) India and 16 other countries complain to WTO about EU's reduced pesticide residue limits not being backed by science. https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9162311/india-and-16-other-nations-complain-to-wto-about-eu-s-pesticide-residue-limits/

2) Thousands of migratory birds died in Jaipur, pesticide laden seed suspected to have been the reason behind it. www.indiatoday.in/india/story/jaipur-1000-migratory-birds-dead-sambhar-lake-1618141-2019-11-12

3) A new study uses primary survey data collected from Vidarbha, Maharashtra, to analyse pest attacks and pest management practices among cotton farmers who are at the risk of long-term exposure to toxic pesticides. We find that despite a reduction in bollworm infestations, secondary pest pressure is high. Farmers use pesticides indiscriminately and there is widespread practice of using “pesticide cocktails.” Farmers also mix pesticides with fertilisers. The use of weedicides and “tonics” is also widely prevalent. Farmers who perceive pesticides as yield-enhancing input spent more per acre on them. These findings raise concerns about the role of agricultural input dealers in filling up the agricultural information void for pest management.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2019/44/special-articles/curious-case-cocktails-weedicides-and-tonics.html

4) ‘Raising awareness, compliance were key to reducing pesticide use’: Punjab Agriculture Secretary, Kahan Singh Pannu, states that Punjab has been able to cut down its pesticide use quite significantly.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/kahan-singh-pannu-raising-awareness-compliance-were-key-to-reducing-pesticide-use-6113572/

5) A pesticide series special by Deccan Herald (on risk of multiple pesticide residues, lack of science in pesticide management in India and how farmers, consumers and ecology fall prey to pesticides): https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/insight/risk-of-multiple-pesticide-residues-774952.html

https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/insight/farmers-consumers-and-ecology-fall-prey-to-pesticides-774954.html
https://www.deccanherald.com/specials/insight/how-scientific-is-our-outlook-774953.html

6) Maharashtra state government doubles compensation for pesticide inhalation deaths from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 4 lakhs. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/compensation-for-pesticide-inhalation-deaths-doubled/articleshow/71912482.cms

March 31, 2019 12:54 AM

The Guardian, 29 Mar 2019

Officials say chlorothalonil poses high risk to wildlife and may potentially harm humans

March 28, 2019 12:47 AM

Pesticide Action Network International, 26 Mar 2019

PAN redoubles its call for a global legally binding mechanism for the lifecycle management of pesticides, either as a new standalone treaty or as a legally binding protocol within a new overarching chemicals framework to phase out Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). PAN is releasing updated versions of two documents underlining the strong need for a legally binding treaty to ban HHPs. These are a PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides and a PAN International Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides.

March 24, 2019 12:39 AM

The Real News Network, 22 Mar 2019

Monsanto is about to face 11,200 more trials over the potential carcinogen in Roundup, which has prompted legislation to limit the chemical’s use

March 23, 2019 08:33 PM

AlterNet, 20 Mar 2019

In a landmark verdict against Monsanto that could have far-reaching implications, a federal jury on Tuesday found that the weed-killer Roundup was “a substantial factor” in causing a 70-year-old plaintiff’s cancer.…

March 21, 2019 12:37 AM

Colombia Reports, 20 Mar 2019

President Ivan Duque and the administration of US President Donald Trump suffered a major setback in their attempt to regain permission to spray glyphosate on Colombian coca fields, when a US jury–in a widely-watched case–ruled that the pesticide was a “substantial factor” in causing cancer.

March 21, 2019 12:35 AM

Madras Courier, 19 Mar 2019

Unless we put a check on the uncontrolled use of pesticides and weedicides, we are paving the way for disaster

March 17, 2019 03:23 AM

Firstpost, 13 Mar 2019

Punjab’s Malwa region, of which Sangrur is a district, has hundreds fighting cancer.

March 16, 2019 06:31 PM

Hindustan Times, Anand Zachariah and Michael Eddleston, 12 Mar 2019

The ban of HPP as a public health strategy can reduce deaths in the young and active working population to protect life and contribute to the health of the country.

March 14, 2019 12:52 AM

CBC News, 12 Mar 2019

Canadian firm hired to recruit scientists to publish studies that ultimately defended Roundup's key ingredient

February 17, 2019 03:21 AM

The Guardian, 14 Feb 2019

Study says evidence ‘supports link’ between exposure to glyphosate and increased risk

February 17, 2019 03:19 AM

Scroll, 16 Feb 2019

Two labourers died of suspected pesticide poisoning in Kuttanad, the state’s rice bowl, in January.

February 11, 2019 03:17 AM

The Guardian, 10 Feb 2019

The world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century.