The European Commission proposed new rules on Wednesday that would largely ban aerial spraying of pesticides on farms and other areas in the EU to better protect soil, water supplies and human health. Exposure to pesticides, substances used mostly on crops to kill anything from weeds to insects, is linked to cancer, birth defects, sexual disorders and nervous system problems, the European Union executive said. The new rules, which must be approved by the European Parliament and EU member states, contain a series of measures to regulate the use of pesticides, including training for farmers and other users, certification of equipment used to apply the substances, and restrictions on their use in some areas.

"We want to ensure that citizens today and in the future do not have their health endangered by the use of pesticides, and can benefit from a safe, clean and rich environment," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement. The rules would ban aerial spraying of pesticides in most cases, in an effort to cut back on the most polluting use of such chemicals and to bring differing practices across the EU into line.

Barbara Helfferich, Dimas spokeswoman, said such spraying was heavily used in Spain, for example, while it was almost completely forbidden in Italy. "The ultimate aim is to ban it completely without any derogations," she said. The rules would require states to establish pesticide-free zones in places such as parks, schools and hospital grounds to protect people, who are considered more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides.
(Planet Ark, 12/07/2006)