We filed a request for information regarding the status of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in India under the Right to Information Act on the GoI RTI Portal on 21.06.2016. The text of our request is being shared here-under.
On 30-06-2016 we have been informed that the request has been disposed off. The copy of the display on the portal is as under:
We will inform you as and when we hear anything further in the matter. You all are requested to stand with us in our campaign against the use of HHPs.
To the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare,
Government of India,
New Delhi
Dear Sir,
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations inform through their website (URL: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic- sitemap/theme/pests/code/hhp/en/ ) that:
“A considerable proportion of the pesticides still being used in the world can be considered highly hazardous, because they have a high acute toxicity, have known chronic toxic effects even at very low exposure levels, or are very persistent in the environment or in organisms, for example. In particular in developing countries, Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) may pose significant risks to human health or the environment, because risk reduction measures such as the use of personal protective equipment or maintenance and calibration of pesticide application equipment are not easily implemented or are not effective.
In this respect, the Code of Conduct, in Article 7.5, stipulates that: Prohibition of the importation, distribution, sale and purchase of highly hazardous pesticides may be considered if, based on risk assessment, risk mitigation measures or good marketing practices are insufficient to ensure that the product can be handled without unacceptable risk to humans and the environment.
Pesticide risk reduction is therefore one of the priority areas in FAO’s pesticide management programme ”
They further say that:
“FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM) ….. in their 2nd session in October 2008, recommended that highly hazardous pesticides should be defined as having one or more of the following characteristics:
• Pesticide formulations that meet the criteria of classes Ia or Ib of the WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard; or
• Pesticide active ingredients and their formulations that meet the criteria of carcinogenicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); or
• Pesticide active ingredients and their formulations that meet the criteria of mutagenicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); or
• Pesticide active ingredients and their formulations that meet the criteria of reproductive toxicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); or
• Pesticide active ingredients listed by the Stockholm Convention in its Annexes A and B, and those meeting all the criteria in paragraph 1 of annex D of the Convention; or
• Pesticide active ingredients and formulations listed by the Rotterdam Convention in its Annex III; or
• Pesticides listed under the Montreal Protocol; or
• Pesticide active ingredients and formulations that have shown a high incidence of severe or irreversible adverse effects on human health or the environment .”
According to them:
“Effective risk reduction from HHPs is mainly carried out at the national level, and national governments thus have the prime responsibility in this respect. Therefore, the JMPM recommended that FAO, in collaboration with WHO, invite national governments to ensure that at least the following risk reduction measures for HHPs are taken into account:
• Identify HHPs with help of the criteria explained above;
• Review the need for the use of HHPs, while simultaneously reviewing use conditions, mitigation measures and comparative risk assessment;
• Where a specific need is identified for a HHP and no viable alternatives are available, governments should be advised to take all the necessary precautions, mitigation measures and apply restrictions, that may include the use only under certain conditions or by specifically certified users, severe restrictions, or a possible phase-out;
• Promote the use of alternative pest management strategies and, in case they are not available, promote research for development of alternative strategies;
• Promote the substitution principle for HHPs;
• Ensure the provision of sufficient advice and information to users .”
Through this application under the Right to Information Act , you are therefore requested to kindly provide full complete and sufficient answers to the following:
1. Have you identified the HHPs being used in India? If yes kindly provide a list along with the criterion based on which it was identified as an HHP. 2. Have you evaluated each and every pesticide being used in India against the criteria mentioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UNO? If no then kindly provide a list of the pesticides which have not yet been reviewed and a deadline, if any, by which the review work will be completed? 3. Have you reviewed the need for the use of HHPs, while simultaneously reviewing use conditions, mitigation measures and comparative risk assessment? If not the deadline, if any, for completion of this task? 4. Have you identified a specific need for a HHP and concluded that no viable alternatives are available? If yes kindly provide the name(s) of such pesticide(s) as well as a detail of the process which was adopted for such identification as also all the necessary precautions, mitigation measures and restrictions, that may include the use only under certain conditions or by specifically certified users, severe restrictions, or a possible phase-out, taken in this regard? 5. What alternative pest management strategies and, or research for development of alternative strategies are being promoted? Kindly give detail. 6. Are you promoting substitution principle for HHPs? If yes kindly give details. 7. How are you ensuring the provision of sufficient advice and information to users?
Thanking you
Yours Sincerely,
Masood Rezvi (CMT), Lucknow Educational And Development Trust,
On 30-06-2016 we have been informed that the request has been disposed off. The copy of the display on the portal is as under:
To the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare,
Government of India,
New Delhi
Application for provision of Information under the Right to Information Act
Dear Sir,
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations inform through their website (URL: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/crops/thematic- sitemap/theme/pests/code/hhp/en/ ) that:
“A considerable proportion of the pesticides still being used in the world can be considered highly hazardous, because they have a high acute toxicity, have known chronic toxic effects even at very low exposure levels, or are very persistent in the environment or in organisms, for example. In particular in developing countries, Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) may pose significant risks to human health or the environment, because risk reduction measures such as the use of personal protective equipment or maintenance and calibration of pesticide application equipment are not easily implemented or are not effective.
In this respect, the Code of Conduct, in Article 7.5, stipulates that: Prohibition of the importation, distribution, sale and purchase of highly hazardous pesticides may be considered if, based on risk assessment, risk mitigation measures or good marketing practices are insufficient to ensure that the product can be handled without unacceptable risk to humans and the environment.
Pesticide risk reduction is therefore one of the priority areas in FAO’s pesticide management programme ”
They further say that:
“FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM) ….. in their 2nd session in October 2008, recommended that highly hazardous pesticides should be defined as having one or more of the following characteristics:
• Pesticide formulations that meet the criteria of classes Ia or Ib of the WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard; or
• Pesticide active ingredients and their formulations that meet the criteria of carcinogenicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); or
• Pesticide active ingredients and their formulations that meet the criteria of mutagenicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); or
• Pesticide active ingredients and their formulations that meet the criteria of reproductive toxicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS); or
• Pesticide active ingredients listed by the Stockholm Convention in its Annexes A and B, and those meeting all the criteria in paragraph 1 of annex D of the Convention; or
• Pesticide active ingredients and formulations listed by the Rotterdam Convention in its Annex III; or
• Pesticides listed under the Montreal Protocol; or
• Pesticide active ingredients and formulations that have shown a high incidence of severe or irreversible adverse effects on human health or the environment .”
According to them:
“Effective risk reduction from HHPs is mainly carried out at the national level, and national governments thus have the prime responsibility in this respect. Therefore, the JMPM recommended that FAO, in collaboration with WHO, invite national governments to ensure that at least the following risk reduction measures for HHPs are taken into account:
• Identify HHPs with help of the criteria explained above;
• Review the need for the use of HHPs, while simultaneously reviewing use conditions, mitigation measures and comparative risk assessment;
• Where a specific need is identified for a HHP and no viable alternatives are available, governments should be advised to take all the necessary precautions, mitigation measures and apply restrictions, that may include the use only under certain conditions or by specifically certified users, severe restrictions, or a possible phase-out;
• Promote the use of alternative pest management strategies and, in case they are not available, promote research for development of alternative strategies;
• Promote the substitution principle for HHPs;
• Ensure the provision of sufficient advice and information to users .”
Through this application under the Right to Information Act , you are therefore requested to kindly provide full complete and sufficient answers to the following:
1. Have you identified the HHPs being used in India? If yes kindly provide a list along with the criterion based on which it was identified as an HHP. 2. Have you evaluated each and every pesticide being used in India against the criteria mentioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UNO? If no then kindly provide a list of the pesticides which have not yet been reviewed and a deadline, if any, by which the review work will be completed? 3. Have you reviewed the need for the use of HHPs, while simultaneously reviewing use conditions, mitigation measures and comparative risk assessment? If not the deadline, if any, for completion of this task? 4. Have you identified a specific need for a HHP and concluded that no viable alternatives are available? If yes kindly provide the name(s) of such pesticide(s) as well as a detail of the process which was adopted for such identification as also all the necessary precautions, mitigation measures and restrictions, that may include the use only under certain conditions or by specifically certified users, severe restrictions, or a possible phase-out, taken in this regard? 5. What alternative pest management strategies and, or research for development of alternative strategies are being promoted? Kindly give detail. 6. Are you promoting substitution principle for HHPs? If yes kindly give details. 7. How are you ensuring the provision of sufficient advice and information to users?
Thanking you
Yours Sincerely,
Masood Rezvi (CMT), Lucknow Educational And Development Trust,
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