Brussels (agrar-PR) -
Water sampling confirms “closed” greenhouses leak an alarming number of pesticides Sampling of rain and surface waters around greenhouses in Belgium, Netherlands, Spain and Germany shows contamination by an alarmingly high number of pesticides. This includes substances commonly used in greenhouses and even those outlawed years ago. The report, “It rains pesticides from greenhouses!” is published today by the Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe. It shows that greenhouses are not closed places and do not merit a less stringent regime when (re)approving pesticides.
Dozens of pesticides were detected in samples of rain and surface waters taken in areas where greenhouses were the only or predominant agricultural activity. As many as 35 different pesticides were detected in one rainwater sample from the Netherlands and 23 in a surface water sample from Spain. The number of pesticides detected was high in all four EU member states included in the snapshot sampling procedure, and included many prohibited substances.
While the concentrations of individual pesticides did not exceed national or European water standards, when available, their combined presence is cause for alarm. The study recorded combined concentrations of up to 90 μg/l in Belgian surface water and 21 μg/l in rainwater samples. This is 180 and 42 times more, respectively than the recently proposed 0.5 μg/l total pesticide threshold in surface water.¹
This is concerning because their toxicity in terms of mixture effects is not properly assessed under the EU pesticide safety/risk assessment procedure², despite legal requirements to account for cumulative - or additive, and synergistic - or magnifying effects.
The nature of these pesticides as well as their concentrations pose risks to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health. Hans Muilerman, Chemicals Coordinator at PAN Europe, said: “The EU should urgently stop approving otherwise banned pesticides for use in greenhouses. Greenhouses are not closed and must be subject to an adequate pesticide risk assessment..”
The findings add to an already large body of evidence, dissected by this new report, that using permanent greenhouses as a safeguarding measure against pesticides too toxic for approval in open fields - is unlawful and voids Pesticides Regulation (1107/2009) of its substance. The practice further invalidates the precautionary principle of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFUE).
Yet, national and European authorities continue to assume that greenhouses are closed spaces preventing the release of pesticides into the environment, while the number of covered crop production systems continues to grow. “We find, time and again, that greenhouses are not closed systems. A ban on any pesticide must now mean that it’s banned from greenhouses, too,” said Manon Rouby, PAN Europe’s Policy Officer and Legal Adviser.
In Germany, a total of 36 pesticides were detected across all samples collected in April and June, and analysed in the summer. In rainwater, 23 different pesticides were detected, with 20 active substances per sample in each of the two sampling rounds, indicating atmospheric pollution from pesticides used in the area. This high number alone is problematic due to possible cocktail effects and indicates intensive use of pesticides. Compared to other countries in the study, the total level of pesticides was lower in Germany. Nevertheless, the levels still exceeded the proposed EU threshold of 0.5 µg/L for surface water in all samples but one.
Boscalid was detected in relatively high levels in both rainwater and surface water samples. Other pesticides with high concentrations in rainwater were S-metolachlor, desethylterbutylazine and terbuthylazine. All these exceeded the EU drinking water limit for pesticides of 0.1 µg/L. Comparatively high concentrations were found for the fungicides fluopyram, which is a PFAS4 substance and for fluxapyroxad. Both active ingredients are approved in products for growing eggplants in greenhouses, fluxapyroxad is also approved for strawberry cultivation under glass.
In surface water samples, a total of 17 different pesticides were detected. Tetrahydrophthalimide exceeded the drinking water limit of 0.1 µg/L. It is a metabolite of the fungicide Captan, which causes chronic toxicity to a wide range of non-target species and is among those approved in Germany for the cultivation of strawberries and ornamental plants in greenhouses. It is remarkable that even more than 30 years after its ban in Germany, the herbicide atrazine could still be found in concentrations of around 0.09 µg/l in the small stream in both samples.
PAN Europe (Belgium), together with its members and partners: Ecologistas en Acción (Spain), PAN Germany (Germany), Natuur en Milieufederatie Zuid-Holland and PAN Netherlands (the Netherlands) collected surface and rainwater samples in two rounds, in April and in May/June 2023. The rain and water samples were analysed for the presence of only 164 authorised and banned pesticides, while currently there are about 450 approved pesticides in the EU database. This sampling, therefore severely underestimated the reality. Its limited scope means that the real number and toxicity of pesticides emitted from greenhouses are even worse.
Our report unambiguously corroborates existing evidence that greenhouses are not closed systems, and is supported by research and analysis of national regulations conducted by PAN Europe members and partners in each of the four countries.
Download the full report here:
https://www.pan-europe.info/resources/reports
Notes1) Proposal for a Directive amending the Water Framework Directive, the Groundwater Directive and the Environmental Quality Standards Directive: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-amending-water-directives_en
2) Pesticides Regulation 1107/2009 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:309:0001:0050:en:PDF
3) The EU Farm-to-Fork Strategy https://food.ec.europa.eu/horizontal-topics/farm-fork-strategy_en
4) New report exposes hidden threat: PFAS presence in pesticides: https://www.pan-europe.info/press-releases/2023/11/new-report-exposes-hidden-threat-pfas-presence-pesticides
5) Ban the Toxic 12 - now: https://www.pan-europe.info/campaigns/ban-toxic-12
Contacts: Manon Rouby
Policy Officer / Legal Adviser
Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe
manon@pan-europe.info
+336 43 24 33 79
Hans Muilerman
Chemicals Coordinator
Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe
hans@pan-europe.info
+316 55807255
About us:The Pesticides Action Network - PAN Europe is the European branch of the Pesticide Action Network active in 60 countries worldwide. PAN Europe brings together 47 consumer, public health, and environmental organisations, trade unions, women's groups and farmer associations from across Europe. Our vision is high agricultural productivity of healthy food by truly sustainable agricultural production systems in which agrochemical inputs and environmental damage are minimised, and where local people control local production using local varieties. Learn more at www.pan-europe.info.
