2020-02-11
A major manufacturer of the insecticide chlorpyrifos Corteva Inc will stop making the chemical at the end of the year. This became possible thanks to Journalismfund.eu-supported cross-border investigation on chlorpyrifos conducted by the collaborative team of journalists from Poland, Denmark and Slovenia.
Chlorpyrifos has been widely used on corn, soybeans, almonds, citrus, cotton, grapes, walnuts and other crops, but cross-border journalistic research explained the devastating effects of chlorpyrifos for consumers across Europe and found serious health effects in children, including impaired brain development. After this year, farmers will not be allowed to use this agricultural pesticide.
The investigation process has been initiated by Investigative Reporting Denmark and Danwatch with the support of media from Belgium, France, Norway, Spain and the United States. The collaborative team of Polish, Danish and Slovenian journalists was supported by the European Cross-Border Grants and received €14,500 allocated on 20th June 2018. Such a great collaboration produced more than 16 stories in over 6 countries in Europe and beyond.
Earlier last December chlorpyrifos-methyl and ethyl have been banned by the EU. The EU Member States voted yes to ban chlorpyrifos from the market. During a meeting of the the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCOPAFF) on 6 December 2019, the Member State representatives voted against the renewal of the authorisation for both insecticides, which was due to expire on 31 January 2020. Corteva is a leading seller of chlorpyrifos in the United States and has 20 % of the global market.
Read the full story here.
© Photo: Marcos Garcia Rey
