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CropLife International, on behalf of a group of manufacturers of crop protection products, has announced that it is contributing to the destruction of more than 800 tonnes of obsolete pesticides, mainly owned by the Government of Ethiopia. The contribution is to be lodged with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in a recently created FAO Trust Fund.

Over the last 40 years, stocks of pesticides have accumulated in Ethiopia. Many of the stocks and their containers have deteriorated with age, are no longer useable and are presenting a potential threat to communities close to the storage sites.

The Ethiopian government had approached the FAO, donor governments and the private sector for assistance to collect, remove and dispose of the obsolete stocks. In a first Phase project, which commenced in 2000 under FAO coordination, some 1,500 tonnes of products were removed from Ethiopia and destroyed in an approved high temperature incinerator in Finland operated by Ekokem OY AB. Amongst the crop protection chemicals were some 800 tonnes of products originally supplied by companies participating in the CropLife Obsolete Stocks programme. A second phase of collection and disposal will remove all remaining obsolete pesticide stocks in the country.

As part of the industry’s continued effort to prevent this problem in the future, an essential part of the plant science industry’s training in responsible and safe handling and use of pesticides that is being carried out in Africa and elsewhere, is the avoidance of overstocking of crop protection chemicals. In Ethiopia, CropLife-sponsored training is complementary to initiatives by the Ethiopian Government, FAO and other organisations to avoid the accumulation of obsolete stocks in the future.

BACKGROUND

There were more than 900 stores holding obsolete pesticides in Ethiopia, many in isolated locations. A proportion of the pesticides had been provided as aid by international agencies and stockpiled for use against desert locusts and other major pests. These strategic stocks were provided in readiness for emergency action as soon as signs of the unpredictable outbreaks were detected. However, the absence of a major outbreak over many years resulted in some stocks becoming obsolete and then requiring safe collection and disposal. Ethiopia has no suitable destruction facilities nor the necessary handling expertise nor the financial resources for organising destruction overseas.

Old or poorly stored stocks of pesticides may leak from deteriorated containers, leading to environmental contamination and presenting a risk to nearby communities.

For further information on CropLife International’s engagement with the issue of obsolete stocks see www.croplife.org

CropLife International is the global federation representing the plant science industry. It supports a network of regional and national associations in 91 countries, and is led by companies such as BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, FMC, Monsanto, Sumitomo and Syngenta. CropLife International promotes the benefits of crop protection and biotechnology products, their importance to sustainable agriculture and food production, and their responsible use through stewardship activities.