Pesticides can have unforseen consequences on nature - yet the EU proposes to remove periodic reassessment
Martina Vijver talks about the impact of pesticides on nature in many Dutch media outlets. This news is now also covered internationally. In Chemical & Engineering News, Vijver argues periodical reassessments of pesticides are crucial to prevent unexpected harm to nature.
Pesticides can have disastrous consequences on nature and sometimes that's only discovered years after they have been approved. 'Neonicotinoids are a good example of something that was put on the market with good intention before we realized they have effects we hadn’t foreseen,' says Vijver. 'This kind of new knowledge comes from considering the latest scientific evidence.' That's why she, and many other scientists, argue that pesticides should be reassessed regularly.
Meanwhile, the European Commission has put forward a proposal that would get rid of these periodic reviews.
Read the full article on the Chemical & Engineering News website.