Some pesticides used in the UK today are, in excessive doses, highly carcinogenic, hormone disrupting and cause damage to the nervous system.

Many pesticides are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which means that they persist in the environment and are not broken down, so new crops absorb them from polluted soil. There are numerous incidences of farm-workers and others being poisoned by pesticides. There is also evidence of corporate irresponsibility in the manufacture and labelling of pesticides.[39]

Environmental groups believe that supermarkets should do more to reduce pesticide use. The codes of practice they set up with farmers should aim for a significant reduction in pesticide use and zero residues of pesticides in food. Friends of the Earth in March 2004 found that whilst Marks and Spencer and the Co-op were on the right track banning 50-60 pesticides from their suppliers globally, and aiming for zero residues, others were seriously failing on this issue. In particular, Morrisons failed to reply to FoE's survey and have no stated policy on the issue.[40]

Organo-chlorine pesticides are POPs, bio-accumulative and toxic. They include DDT, Lindane, Aldrin, Dieldrin and Hexachlorobenzene. DDT was banned in the USA in the late 1960's, when it was found to be causing the extinction of several species including the bald eagle, and found to affect the liver, reproductive and nervous systems. It is still widely used in the global South. Research found organo-chlorine traces in a quarter of all salmon samples sold in supermarkets in the UK in 2001.

Lindane is the last organo-chlorine to be used widely in Europe, although its licence was revoked in December 2001. It is, however, used extensively in the global South, especially on cocoa. The European diet may well exceed the recommended FAO/WHO dosage by twelve times. It is harmful to those who use it and those who are exposed to it in the environment and in their food. It has been linked to breast cancer and may also be hormone disrupting. See Pesticide Action Network (UK) for more information.

Organo-phosphate (OP) pesticides are insecticides. They are used both on crops and in animal health, especially sheep dips. They were used as nerve gases during WW2 and have been linked with chronic ill- health amongst sheep-farmers in the UK as, from the 1970's until 1992, it was obligatory to dip sheep in OP. They are especially risky for babies and small children who have a low 'Acceptable Daily Intake' (ADI) of OP pesticides. Many of the more toxic OP pesticides are banned. Chlorfenvinphos is to have its license revoked in Britain.

Methyl Bromide is a suspected ozone depletor, it is toxic and dangerous to wildlife and will hopefully be phased out in response to the Montreal Protocol, the global environmental agreement to phase out ozone depleting chemicals.

Glyphosate/Glufosinate Ammonium are broad spectrum herbicides used widely, and also on GM crops. Glyphosate is widely considered to be safer than other pesticides on the market, but there is evidence of toxic effects on humans, environmental toxicity and resistance in some target weed species. It is therefore untrue that it is totally safe and environmentally friendly, as some agrochemical companies have claimed.

Studies show that glufosinate ammonium causes adverse health effects in animals. It is also likely to leach into drinking water sources, could increase nitrate leaching, and is toxic to beneficial soil micro-organisms. It is currently banned on winter-sown crops in the UK due to the danger of run-off into water courses.

Equally worrying are hormone-disrupting chemicals which bio-accumulate within the body. One commonly used in food packaging to line food cans and lids is bisphenol A.

References
[39] See Corporate Watch profiles on Agrochemicals companies: Bayer, Monsanto and Dupont.
[40] Pesticides in Supermarket Food (March 2004) www.foe.co.uk/resource/ briefing_supermarket_food.pdf