The European Union (EU) continues to manufacture pesticides that are banned within its own territory due to their harmful effects on human health and the environment and exports them to countries with weaker regulations. This practice not only poses a serious threat to people and nature but also creates a profound ethical contradiction.
Rising Exports and the Commission’s Silence
According to research by Unearthed and Public Eye, despite the European Commission’s pledge to stop the export of banned pesticides, this trade has increased rapidly in recent years.
In 2023, EU companies announced plans to export 75 different chemicals that are banned for use within the Union — nearly double the number reported in 2018.
The main reason for this increase is that, while many pesticides have been banned within the EU over the past seven years due to proven harm to human health and the environment, there are still no measures preventing companies from selling these chemicals to countries with more lenient laws.
Although five years have passed since the Commission’s promise to halt exports of banned chemicals, no concrete legal action has been taken. During this period, for example, exports of mancozeb — a pesticide banned at the end of 2020 for being toxic to reproduction — have actually increased.
In 2023, EU companies filed export notifications for more than 8,500 tons of mancozeb, the majority destined for low- and middle-income countries. The Women on Farms Project in South Africa has described this practice as “a double standard and a colonial attitude.” Campaigns are also underway to completely ban cyanamide, which has been prohibited in the EU for nearly two decades but is still exported from Germany for use in South African vineyards.
A New Form of Exploitation: Chemical Colonization
While EU exports of banned pesticides amounted to about 81,600 tons in 2018, this figure rose by 50% to 122,000 tons in 2023. During the same period, the number of banned chemicals exported increased by 83% — from 41 to 75.
More than half of these exports were sent to low- and middle-income countries. The main destinations included Brazil, Ukraine, Morocco, Malaysia, and China.
Although France and Belgium have implemented their own national bans, the absence of an EU-wide regulation has allowed the trade to continue growing. While these exports are officially recorded under the Rotterdam Convention, the declared figures do not always reflect the actual quantities shipped.
The largest exporter in 2023 was the German company BASF, which accounted for 33,600 tons of shipments.
Companies claim that these chemicals are legal and safe in the importing countries, but international experts and NGOs consider this practice a form of double standard and a violation of human rights.
UN rapporteurs have explicitly described Europe’s export of pesticides — banned for its own farmers — to countries with weaker regulations as a form of exploitation.
The Situation in Turkey
According to the report, many hazardous pesticides banned in the EU are also being exported to Turkey.
Thiamethoxam, banned in 2018 for its deadly impact on bees, continues to be sent to Turkey as a seed treatment product. Clothianidin, belonging to the same category, is also among the chemicals imported by Turkey.
The carcinogenic pesticide cyproconazole, banned in Europe, is transported to Turkey in barrels. Other substances such as phosmet, imidacloprid, cyfluthrin, and picoxystrobin — all linked to neurological harm, reproductive issues, or DNA damage — are also among the pesticides reaching Turkey.
While some products are reported to be imported for “re-export” purposes, there are no effective monitoring mechanisms to determine whether these substances actually remain within the country.
Who Produces These Poisons?
The main companies that manufacture and export these pesticides from Europe to developing and emerging economies include:
Bayer, Syngenta, BASF, Gowan, Corteva, FMC Agro Italia, Limagrain, MAS Seeds, and Alzchem.
These agricultural chemical giants claim in official documents that the problem lies in “poor enforcement rather than the bans themselves.” However, scientific studies have clearly shown that these chemicals pose serious health risks — and it was precisely on this basis that they were banned in Europe.
Profit or Human Health?
The European Union continues to export pesticides — banned to protect its own farmers — to countries with weaker regulations. This not only creates severe environmental and health risks but also represents a deep ethical dilemma.
In countries like Turkey, the lack of effective oversight makes the use of these chemicals even more dangerous. Growing public pressure and the efforts of local communities are becoming increasingly crucial in holding Europe accountable to its own commitments.
The real solution lies in developing a global pesticide policy that puts human life and the environment — not profit — at its core.
Sources
- Greenpeace Turkey – Double Standards: Europe Sells Banned Pesticides to Turkey
- Greenpeace Turkey – Pesticides and Children Report
- Chemistry World – Data on the increase in EU exports of banned pesticides
- Public Eye & Unearthed – Export data on neonicotinoid pesticides
