News

The European Commission will present to the EU Member States a proposal not to renew the license for the use of the active substance chlorpyrifos. This is a reaction to the recommendations of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which has recently published an evaluation of this substance, often used for the cultivation of, for example, broccoli or oranges. According to the EFSA assessment, chlorpyrifos may be a genotoxic substance and may therefore interfere with the proper development of children. The current license expires in January 2020, and the vote on the ban should take place in November 2019. The discussion between EU health experts is scheduled for the end of September.

The French public health organization Santé publique France published results of a study on the occurrence of endocrine disruptors in the human body. Tests with 1104 children and 2503 adults showed the presence of glycol ethers and parabens not only due to food contact, but also to toys and cosmetics. According to the study, endocrine disruptors are more of a risk to children's health than to adult health. The study was also discussed at the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Both the EP and EU Member States urge the European Commission to publish the long-awaited comprehensive report on the regulation of chemicals in this context as soon as possible.
More information is available here and here.

On 05/09/2019, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered a judgment on the spread of Xylella fastidiosa in Italy. According to the Court of Justice, Italy has failed to comply with its obligation to take measures to prevent the spread of that bacterium, which may cause the death of a large number of plants, in particular olive trees. In 2015, the European Commission instructed EU Member States affected by the spread of bacteria to remove all trees at a given distance from a confirmed outbreak, even if the trees around the outbreak did not show signs of bacterial attack. However, Italy did not follow the European Commission's guidelines in 2017 and did not cut over 800 trees near the outbreaks. Moreover, according to the Court, Italy did not regularly monitor the spread of the bacteria.
More information is available here.

A team of scientists from Herriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, after five years of research, isolated the HvMYB1 gene, which is believed to be responsible for the barley's resistance to water scarcity and allows it to grow during drought. This is an important discovery that could help develop drought-resistant crops in the future.
More information is available here.

Agrochemical Company ChemChina & Syngenta bought digital agricultural company Cropio. In the EU, the Cropio innovation system is focused on Eastern Europe, the dashboard and applications are already used to manage about 10 million hectares of land around the world. The system enables farmers to monitor their agricultural land remotely and helps to improve farmers' sustainability, productivity, efficiency and profitability.