Campaing Text

No pesticides on our plate for all living beings: Ban agricultural poisons

Agricultural
pesticides harm us and our environment, and they should be banned.

Pesticides
harm human health; they cause neurological damage and endocrine
disruption, lead to many cancer types, infertility, developmental
disorders in children, biodiversity loss by effecting bees and other
living beings, damage ecosystems, pollute our water and air, thus, we
demand a hasty ban on 13 active ingredients commonly used in
pesticides, which are listed as ‘extremely hazardous’, ‘highly
hazardous’, and ‘possible carcinogen’ by the World Health
Organization.

Many
pesticides are found in breast milk, umbilical cord and meconium of
newborns and even baby food, and pose the highest threat to babies
and young children. They cause increased risk of miscarriage and
premature birth in pregnant women, as well as birth defects, leukemia
and other cancer types, autism and respiratory diseases in newborn
babies.

Many
similar pesticides are banned, but only many years after their
adverse health effects are identified and thus, after many years of
exposure to them; the authorities have failed to fulfil their
responsibilities. Even after years of scientific evidence pointing
their adverse effects, nothing has been done to ban these 13 active
ingredients in question.

As
the No
Pesticides on My Plate Civil Society Network,
which constitute more than 100 organizations and initiatives, and
including thousands of citizens who signed this petition, in light of
the evidence for adverse effects of these pesticides, we demand that
the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry take into account,
and take proper action towards our following demands:

1. 13 active ingredients used in agriculture, listed as ‘extremely hazardous’, ‘highly hazardous’ and ‘‘possible carcinogen’ by the World Health Organization (difenacoum, ethoprophos, cyfluthrin, beta-cyfluthrin, zeta-cypermethrin, fenamiphos, formetanate X formetanate hydrochloride, methiocarb, methomyl, tefluthrin, zinc phosphide, glyphosate, malathion), must be banned primarily and immediately.
2. We ask the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to take necessary actions aiming to ban all pesticides by 2030, and to move towards pesticide-free, eco-friendly food production methods; and to develop policies, which support environmentally safe farming practices and smallholder farmers using these practices, and which encourage farmers to use eco-friendly and pesticide-free methods.
3. We demand increased controls and audits on pesticide use in agricultural food products in Turkey, and results of these audits to be made transparent and public.

Note:
Pesticide use is of relevance to the Ministry of Health, and the
Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning because of their effects
on human health and the environment. However, this campaign is
focused on active ingredients used in agriculture, labelled as
‘extremely hazardous’, ‘highly hazardous’, and ‘possible
carcinogen’ only, thus, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is
our sole addressee, because of their authority on evaluation,
licensing and assessment of these pesticides.