Stakeholders Want hazardous pesticides address

Nyeri,

Monday, October 9, 2023

KNA by Samuel Maina

Three nongovernmental organizations are now calling for a united approach by stakeholders in the agricultural sector in addressing the use of highly hazardous pesticides(HHPs).

 Kenya Organic Agriculture Network(KOAN), the Biodiversity and Biosafety Association of Kenya (biba), and the Route to Food Initiative(RTFI) expressed fears that current efforts to protect the safety of crops through enacting measures in regard to the use of pesticides should be inclusive.

“A collaborative effort among regulatory bodies, farmers, environmentalists, and civil society is crucial to finding a balanced and sustainable approach to pesticide use, especially concerning the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides(HHPs) in Kenya,” reads a joint press statement from the trio.

“We agree that the responsible use and handling of pesticides are essential. However, we must acknowledge that the responsibility for safe pesticide use is beyond the farmers' ability. Required mitigation measures like buffer zones to safeguard communities or water resources often can't be implemented. Beyond the responsibility of the farmer, pesticide companies should also play an essential role in ensuring the safe use, disposal, and handling of their products through extended producer responsibility (EPR),” continues the statement.

On September 13 this year RTFI released a report detailing how the majority of Kenyans were consuming foods laced with HHPs posing a threat to their overall well-being.

The report Toxic Business; Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Kenya , which is a program of the Heinrich Böll Foundation identified maize, wheat, coffee, potatoes, kales, and tomatoes as consumers of the largest volumes of pesticides heavily laced with HHPs.

Accordingly, the crops that form the bulk of the country’s food sources are exposed to a range of toxic substances that pose a threat to both consumers and the environment. 

Further, according to the 40-page report which was issued by Heinrich Böll Foundation Country Director Joachim Paul, only six out of 310 pesticides being used in the country are biopesticides (derived from natural materials such as plant and animal products and therefore considered safe), accounting for a paltry 2 percent of the total pesticide volume. “Common food items in Kenya households such as Maize, wheat, coffee, potatoes, kales and tomatoes require the largest volumes of pesticides, with a heavy reliance on HHPs. These crops are exposed to a range of toxic substances, posing significant threats to both consumers and the environment,” reads the report’s findings.

“Only six out of the 310 pesticide products used in Kenya are biopesticides, accounting for a mere 2 percent (47.3 t) of the total pesticide volume. Highly Hazardous Pesticides account for a shocking 76 percent of the total volume used. This huge disparity indicates the urgent need to promote biopesticides,” the report added further.

 But last week Pest Control Products Board (PBCB) and GROW Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya (FPC Kenya) faulted the report insisting the State has always been keen in ensuring pesticide use in the country does not impair the health of man, beast and the environment.

The board also dismissed calls to have pesticides deemed toxic from being imported into the country by clarifying that only insecticides that meet the required Maximum Residue Level(MRLs) are allowed into the country.

MRL is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue in or on food or feed of plant and animal origin that is legally tolerated.

 “Ensuring consumer and pesticide user safety is our top priority. Food safety is key during the approval of pesticides that is why Maximum Residue Levels are required," said PCPB acting CEO Fredrick Muchiri.

“The Route to Food initiative report is not factual. Ban means total ban on manufacture and use. You cannot ban a pesticide and continue producing for other people,” he said.

The official similarly defended the use of pesticides in the country saying they do play a crucial role in safeguarding crop production by combating pests and disease-causing agents. 

But KOAN, RTFI, and biba claim there is a need to follow a hazard assessment for registering very toxic pesticides (WHO 1a, WHO 1b, and so-called CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproduction toxic pesticides)) as a matter of urgency.

 The NGOs say such hazard assessments should focus on the inherent properties of pesticides, regardless of their use patterns.

“It is essential to strike a balance between risk and hazard assessments to ensure comprehensive safety, as many of the Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHP) mentioned in the recently launched report Toxic Business: Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Kenya are very toxic, for example, beta-cyfluthrin. We agree that the responsible use and handling of pesticides are essential. ” they pointed out.

“However, we must acknowledge that the responsibility for safe pesticide use is beyond the farmers' ability. Required mitigation measures like buffer zones to safeguard communities or water resources often can't be implemented. Beyond the responsibility of the farmer, pesticide companies should also play an essential role in ensuring the safe use, disposal and handling of their products through extended producer responsibility (EPR),” the joint statement explains further.

And in response to PCPB’s stand on the importation of pesticides currently flagged in Europe, the NGOs said the products under question have been outlawed due to their health risk to both human and ecological concerns.

They are therefore calling for the exploration of friendlier means of food production that relies less on agrochemicals and also guarantees bumper harvests and access to safe food for in the country.

 “We encourage PCPB to explore sustainable pest management alternatives that prioritize both crop protection and the long-term health of Kenyan farmers and consumers, and the environment. We would like to emphasize that most of the pesticides that are banned in Europe are withdrawn from the market because of their unacceptable risk towards the environment and human health and not because of less pest pressure,” they stressed.

“We would also like to emphasize that a system change of agricultural production is necessary and not just a substitution from one pesticide to the other, to achieve safe food in an enabling environment.” added the report.

 In February this year the Government disclosed an ongoing probe to unearth a possible link between the use of pesticides on crops and the rise in cases of cancer in the Mount Kenya region.

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) chair Mr. Peter Weru said the study which was to be conducted in the 10 counties that straddle the Central region will help in coming up with mitigation measures against the proliferation of toxic farm inputs into the region.

A 2022 report by the Ministry of Health revealed that Nyeri, Murang’a, Kirinyaga and Embu had the heaviest cancer burden in the country.

 At the time, cases of cancer in Nyeri stood at 2,127 for every 100,00 people while Murang’a had 2,123 cases followed by Kirinyaga at 2,033.

Others were Kiambu (1,783), Meru (1,789), Nyandarua (1,776),Tharaka Nithi (1,644) and Nakuru (1,612).

“We are working in partnership with all the ten counties that constitute the Mount Kenya Economic Block to unravel the riddle behind the spike on the number of cancer cases in this region and whether the surge is in any way related to use of agrochemicals on food crops,” Weru told reporters on the sidelines of a courtesy call at the Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s office.

Among pesticides ingredients considered highly toxic and commonly used by farmers in the country include chlorpyrifos, acetochlor, glyphosate, 2,4-D, mancozeb, and chlorothalonil.

Active ingredients, such as bifenthrin, dichlorvos, diazinon, carbaryl, fipronil,thiamethoxam, and carbendazim, have already been outlawed in Europe, highlighting theurgent need for regulatory measures in Kenya, according to RTFI.

Courtesy; KNA