EU exports prohibited pesticides to Africa

According to a new report by the Swedish organization Swedwatch, large quantities of pesticides prohibited in the European Union have been shipped to Africa for agricultural use. Despite agriculture employing over half of Africas population and contributing roughly 35% to the continents GDP, many African nations lack strict regulations on pesticide usage.

In Kenya, where 77 highly dangerous pesticides were banned in June, annual imports of these chemicals nearly one-third originating from the EU more than doubled between 2015 and 2018. Up to 34% of the active components in these pesticides are not authorized for use in Europe.

The report highlighted that trading in toxic pesticides is both morally questionable and economically unwise, emphasizing that EU border inspections frequently intercept Kenyan exports containing banned pesticide residues exceeding legal limits.

A chart in the report illustrates the total exports of prohibited pesticides by producing country in 2018.

Author: Sophia Brooks