The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development has announced its intention to prohibit the use of pesticides containing chlorpyrifos and/or cartap hydrochloride. With that in mind, a notice has been gazetted calling for public comments by 25 August 2023.
According to Wikipedia, chloropyrifos was banned in the UK in 2016 (with one minor exception), in the EU four years later and in the US the following year on food crops only. ‘Exposure surpassing recommended levels has been linked to neurological effects, persistent developmental disorders, and autoimmune disorders. Exposure during pregnancy may harm the mental development of children.’
Although cartap hydrochloride is described as ‘largely obsolete’ and appears not to have been banned elsewhere, it has been found to be ‘moderately toxic’ to humans and fish – and ‘highly toxic to aquatic vertebrates’.
Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch