Environmental Laws and Legislation in South Africa

Pesticide Management Policy for South Africa

Wednesday, 12 October 2011 10:14

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

FERTILIZERS, FARM FEEDS, AGRICULTURAL REMEDIES AND STOCK
REMEDIES ACT, 1947 (ACT NO. 36 OF 1947)

ADOPTION OF PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT POLICY FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Full document available here (328kb PDF)

1. INTRODUCTION
Pesticides are widely used to control the growth and proliferation of undesirable organisms that,
if left unchecked, would cause significant damage to forests, crops, stored food products,
ornamental and landscape plants, and building structures. The use of pesticides in both
agricultural and non-agricultural settings provides important benefits to society, contributing to
an abundant supply of food and fibre and to the control of a variety of public health hazards and
nuisance pests.

Owing to the fact that they are designed to be biologically active, pesticides have potential to
cause undesirable side effects. These include adverse effects on workers, consumers.
community health and safety, groundwater. surface waters, and non-target wildlife organisms.

In addition, pesticide use raises concerns about the persistence and accumulation of pesticides
in food chains quite distant from the original point of use, and about the role of certain pesticides
in causing reproductive failure and endocrine system abnormalities in both wildlife and humans
and other species that are not their intended target. It is therefore, important to control the use
of pesticides, by carefully weighing the benefits that they confer against any possible adverse
effects.

The Fertilisers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, which governs
amongst other things pesticides and their use was passed by Parliament in 1947. Although the
Act has been amended on several occasions since then. it has never been systematically
revised. The activities of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF). the body
that administers the Act, have not been publicly scrutinised since the inception of the Act. In
addition, of the more than 3000 pesticides products approved for use in South Africa, many
have not been re-evaluated for years. Their safety therefore, has not been reassessed to bring
them in line with today's more stringent standards of risk assessment.

The absence of effective management of pesticides to ensure that pesticides are used in ways
that lead to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment
is of concern. Scientific and medical journals increasingly report the risks posed to human
health by pesticides, including links between pesticides and diseases such as cancer and
hormone disruption.

The mounting evidence of the negative impacts of pesticides on wildlife
and the environment has prompted South Africans to register their disapproval of pesticides and
take action to reduce their use. Consumer perception, nationally as well as internationally,
demanded a move from a production-centred system purely based on quantity parameter
towards more quality oriented production methods and also residue-free agricultural produce.

In the light of these developments, changes to the method used to manage pesticides are
required. These changes must be based on a policy that aims to eliminate all significant risks to
human health and environment potentially from pesticides use and also incorporates sound
production systems.

Human health, environmental quality and economic development depend
on effective systems that enable South Africans to manage and use pesticides safely and
sustainably.

Effective systems are those that identify the potential impacts that pesticide use
may have on human health and the environment and provide government, industry and the
community with correct tools to reduce and manage those impacts. Thus, the premise of this
Policy is that sustainable development, built on a balance economic growth, equitable access
and long-term environmental sustainability, is fundamental to global competitiveness.

This Policy provides information and will serve as guidelines to support the legislation and
regulations. It provides decision- makers with direction by setting out a framework to ensure
improvements that are aimed at ensuring that pesticides are produced, used and disposed of
throughout their full life-cycle in ways that pose no significant adverse effects on health and the
environment.

Full document available here (328kb PDF)

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