Fact Sheets
We have collated resources in the form of fact sheets to enhance our collective understanding of what highly hazardous pesticides are, what harm they cause, and what your rights are as farm workers and consumers. Farm workers’ rights include the right to information about what pesticides are being sprayed and if they are being sprayed according to the labelling requirements and the right to refuse to work that is harmful to human and/or environmental health. Please click on the individual fact sheets below for further information.
HIGHLY HAZARDOUS PESTICIDES (HHPs)
Highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) can cause serious harm to human health, the environment, and agricultural sustainability. While all pesticides are dangerous, HHPs are the worst. They can lead to acute or long-term health issues, including cancers, birth defects, and organ damage. They also harm wildlife, soil, and water.
AGROTOXINS ARE MADE TO KILL
Pesticides are created with the explicit aim to cause harm and kill, and thus impact negatively on humans and the environment in ways that are not intended. Find out more on how pesticides cause harm, what the pathways of exposure are, and what needs to happen to ensure less pesticides are used in our country.
FARM WORKERS' RIGHTS AND PESTICIDES
Farm workers are exposed when spraying directly and through working and living near spraying. Often they don't know which chemicals are used, if these chemicals can harm their health, or how to prevent harm. Farm workers have the right to information and not to work when their health is endangered.
Double standards and the dangers of pesticides
Women on Farms outlines the dangers of pesticide poisoning, highlighting the double standards whereby European countries manufacture and export highly hazardous pesticides to developing countries that are banned for use in their own countries. They also give advice of how to protect yourself from being poisoned and what symptoms to look out for.
PESTICIDES ARE A SILENT KILLER
Did you know that harmful pesticides that are banned from use in Europe are stilll being produced there and exported to South Africa?
DIE DUBBELE STANDAARDE VAN GIFSTOWWE (Afrikaans)
Baie gifstowwe wat in Europa vervaardig word en na Suid-Afrika uitgevoer word, eintlik in Europa verban is omdat dit so gevaarlik vir menslike gesondheid is. As dit vir Europeërs skadelik is, is dit tog ook skadelik vir Suid- Afrikaaners.
WFP DOUBLE STANDARDS MINI-DOCUMENTARY
As part of its Double Standards Campaign, Women on Farms produced a mini-documentary that exposes the harsh realities faced by those living and working on farms in South Africa and how pesticide exposure severely affects their health, lives, and livelihoods.
Conventions
There are several international treaties that inform the regulation of pesticides and chemicals. The Stockholm Convention (2001) is a global agreement to protect people and the environment from harmful chemicals called persistent organic pollutants (pops). South Africa has signed on and must ban or restrict dangerous chemicals. The Rotterdam Convention on the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade (1998) is a multilateral treaty that attempts to stop countries dumping old or banned pesticides in the developing world. This is important because developing countries only use 25% of global pesticides, but experience 99% of deaths caused by pesticides. South Africa is a party to this treaty and is thus obliged to work with other nations to make sure the trade of certain hazardous chemicals is safe.
The Basel Convention (1998) is a global agreement that aims to protect people and the environment from the dangers of hazardous waste, including pesticides, especially regarding the movement of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries. South Africa is a party to the treaty but has not signed onto the Protocol on Liability and Compensation, which sets rules for taking responsibility and giving compensation for harm caused by the movement of dangerous waste across borders. The Bamako Convention (1998) is a treaty of African nations prohibiting the import of hazardous waste. South Africa has expressed interest through signing on but has not ratified the treaty yet, which would mean having stricter rules on pesticide imports and waste. Here are fact sheets on the conventions for more information.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION
The Stockholm Convention (2001) is a global agreement to protect people and the environment from harmful chemicals called persistent organic pollutants.
STOCKHOLM KONVENSIE (Afrikaans)
Die Stockholm Konvensie (2001) is ‘n wêreldwye oorenkoms wat mense en die omgewing beskerm teen skadelike chemikalieë wat bekend staan as “pops”.
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION
On the prior informed consent procedure for certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides in international trade, 1998
ROTTERDAM KONVENSIE (Afrikaans)
Oor die prosedure vir vooraf ingeligte toestemming vir sekere gevaarlike chemikalieë en plaagdoders in internasionale handel, 1998
BASEL CONVENTION
On the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal, 1989
BASEL KONVENSIE (Afrikaans)
Oor die beheer van oorgrensbewegings van gevaarlike afval (en afvalstowwe) en hul wegdoening, 1989
BAMAKO CONVENTION
On the ban of the import into Africa and the control of transboundary movement and management of hazardous wastes within Africa, 1998
BAMAKO KONVENSIE (Afrikaans)
Oor die verbod op die invoer na Afrika en die beheer van oorgrensbeweging en bestuur van gevaarlike afval in Afrika, 1998
UN Special Rapporteur calls for review of pesticide legal framework
Below you can find the United Nations expert on hazardous substances and waste, Marcos Orellana’s damning report on how South Africa manages toxic chemicals and their impact on human rights. South Africa’s Constitution strongly supports environmental and human rights, but outdated laws and weak enforcement allow environmental racism to continue, affecting poor and marginalised communities the most. The effects of apartheid-era land and industry inequalities still add to these challenges.
“The term ‘environmental racism’ describes institutionalized discrimination based on race or colour. In pre-1994 South Africa, the distribution of environmental risks and harms disproportionately and often deliberately targeted low-income groups and along racial lines. Today, despite the efforts by the Government in setting up institutions and laws to address this legacy of environmental racism, pervasive air, water, and chemical pollution still imposes a heavy toll, especially on disadvantaged communities. Overcoming it will require significant additional efforts, including structural, legislative, economic, and environmental changes.”
Dr Marcus Orellana, Pretoria, 11 August 2023
UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
Report of the special rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Marcos Orellana
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