EU Exports of Banned Pesticide Spark Outcry in South African Vineyards
The EU continues to export cyanamide, a chemical banned in Europe since 2009 due to severe health risks, to South African vineyards. Farmworkers, exposed without adequate protection, report lung damage, prompting protests and NGO condemnation as a human rights scandal. While South Africa's agriculture ministry acknowledges risks, it defends the chemical's use as vital for the wine industry. The EU Commission, despite pledges, has yet to implement concrete measures to ban such exports.
The article details the controversy surrounding the EU's continued export of cyanamide, a chemical banned within Europe since 2009 due to links with carcinogenicity, infertility, and lung damage. This chemical, used in products like Dormex for vine dormancy, is shipped to South African vineyards where farmworkers are reportedly exposed without proper protective gear, leading to health issues and protests. NGOs have labeled this trade a human rights scandal, demanding an end to the exports.South Africa's agriculture ministry, while acknowledging the risks, defends cyanamide's use as crucial for the country's wine industry, which contributes significantly to GDP, arguing that current alternatives are less effective. They have pledged to expedite the approval of safer options. Meanwhile, German chemical exporters like BASF maintain the product is authorized in South Africa. The European Commission, despite a 2020 pledge to ban toxic pesticide exports, has not taken concrete action, citing the issue as a complex matter with trade implications. The Commission is reviewing studies and conducting an impact assessment, noting that a unilateral ban could allow competitors like China to fill the market gap. The article highlights that cyanamide is also exported to other low- and middle-income countries.
