More than 30,000 Belgians are currently battling Parkinson’s disease, a complex disease for which there is no cure yet. For years, studies have pointed to the link with the use of pesticides. This makes farmers particularly vulnerable. In France, the disease has therefore been recognized as an occupational disease for ten years.
In October, Minister of Agriculture David Clarinval (MR) voted at European level in favor of extending the temporary permit for the harmful pesticide glyphosate, in direct opposition to the coalition agreement. How do we explain to future generations that we were aware of the potentially harmful effects but did not intervene?
Parkinson’s disease is a brain disease in which certain nerve cells in the brain slowly die. As a result, the clinical picture can be diverse: ranging from trembling hands to severe depression. At the moment there is no clear answer to the question what the cause is. Individual cases of Parkinson’s disease result from a complex interplay between genetics, environmental, and other factors. However, Parkinson’s is often cataloged as a man-made disease, a disease created by man.
Several studies make the link with toxic substances. In 2021, a report by the renowned French research institute Inserm expressed “strong suspicion” that there is a link between certain pesticides and at least six different diseases, including prostate cancer, lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease.
Cocktaileffect
Pesticides are used in conventional agriculture as a means of combating fungi and insects. There are several indications that farmers who work with pesticides are more likely to develop diseases that affect the nervous system, such as Parkinson’s.
RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, believes that the current European test procedure for potentially harmful components provides insufficient insight into whether a substance can cause a (minor) change in the brain. In addition, complex neurological diseases are often caused by a combination of different factors, which makes it difficult to determine whether or not a substance can cause a disease before approval.
More research, in parallel with decisive action, is urgently needed. In particular, glyphosate is a cause for concern in Belgium. The use of this was rightly banned for private individuals, but still not for farmers to this day. While we wait for scientific research to further map the risks, exposure continues.
Consciously ignoring risks?
Glyphosate’s license expires this year. In October, Agriculture Minister Clarinval voted in favor of the temporary extension of glyphosate in the European Commission. However, the coalition agreement states that the federal government “will adopt an ambitious attitude towards the reduction of chemical agents”. Unfortunately, the attitude of the Federal Minister of Agriculture should not be surprising: also in previous decisions and votes on pesticides, such as those on restrictions on toxic substances and bee killer sulfoxaflor, he voted against protecting pollinators.
Nevertheless, we pay 4.4 billion annually in Belgium in health costs linked to endocrine disruptors, of which pesticides make up the bulk. In France and Italy, Parkinson’s has been recognized as an occupational disease for farmers for some time, while in Germany people have been investigating the possibilities for years. Germany is also implementing a ban on glyphosate from January 1, 2024.
Minister Clarinval will continue to follow the pesticide lobby here for the time being, thereby ignoring the risk of damage to health and biodiversity. In this way we continue to poison our living environment and our country puts the economic interests of the pesticide lobby above those of our health. As a precaution, potentially dangerous pesticides must be banned and the residues must be purified from the environment.
On Tuesday, the European member states will vote again on glyphosate, as the necessary majority was not reached. An opportunity for Clarinval to rectify his mistake and this time to follow the coalition agreement. In the meantime, colleagues Minister Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) and Minister Khattabi (Ecolo) can show their colors and also assume their responsibility in this dossier more strongly.