EU Bans Pesticides at Home, Exports Them to the Global South

Author: Vera Rousseff

October 14, 2025

HRRC strongly condemns the European Union’s hypocritical practice of exporting pesticides that are banned domestically. The European Commission must stick to its promises to end the export of banned pesticides, particularly to the Global South, where the substances pose especially serious health risks.

A plane spraying pesticide in Costa Rica, where the Guardian has previously reported on the dangerous effects of chemicals imported from the EU. [Image credit: Adrian Hepworth/Alamy]

Last week, 15 organizations sent letters to European Union (EU) lawmakers urging the European Commission to stop the production and exports of pesticides that are banned in EU member countries. The EU had previously made commitments to end the practice but has so far failed to keep those promises, instead continuing to ship banned pesticides to majority low- and middle-income countries.

In 2020, the European Commission promised to put an end to the export of pesticides that are banned in the EU, claiming it would “lead by example” in the fight for a toxic-free environment by “aiming that hazardous substances that are banned in the EU are not produced for exports.” Three years later, then European Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius re-affirmed the commitment, saying that, “The EU would not be consistent in its ambition for a toxic-free environment if hazardous chemicals that are not allowed for use in the EU can still be produced here and then exported.”

However, despite the European Commission's promises, reports have revealed that the EU’s trade of banned pesticides has expanded dramatically over the past several years, with exports more than doubling between 2018 and 2024. In 2024, almost 122,000 tons of pesticides were approved for export by EU Member States, which ban those same pesticides domestically due to their possible negative effects on the environment and human health.

This dramatic increase in the export trade is largely due to an increase in the number of banned pesticides. Since 2018, dozens of pesticides have been newly banned in the EU, but companies are still allowed to produce them for export. These substances have been linked to health concerns such as hormonal conditions, infertility, neurological diseases, cancer, and even death.

In 2024, three-quarters of EU-banned pesticide exports went to low- and middle-income countries, which often have fewer means of limiting exposure to the substances. Brazil—an upper-middle-income country—reportedly received 15,000 metric tons of EU-banned pesticides in 2024, prompting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to accuse European companies of undermining the country’s regulatory environment by exerting “pressure” on Brazilian lawmakers. 

The EU’s practice of exporting banned pesticides is deeply hypocritical and reflects a racist, colonialist mindset that the lives of people in the Global South are worth less than those of Europeans. The European Commission has already made promises to end the exports years ago—now they have a responsibility to stick to their commitments.

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Glossary

• Colonialist: describes attitudes or actions that reflect the belief that one group or nation is superior and has the right to rule over others.

• Commission (European Commission): the executive branch of the European Union that proposes laws and ensures they are followed.

• Commitment: a promise or firm decision to do something.

• Condemn: to strongly criticize something as wrong or immoral.

• Domestically: within one’s own country; taking place inside a nation’s borders rather than abroad.

• Environment: the natural world, including the air, land, and water in which people and animals live.

• Exerting (pressure): using influence, power, or effort to make someone do something.

• Export: to send goods to another country for sale.

• Global South: a term used to describe regions of the world—mostly in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania—that tend to have lower incomes, less industrialization, and a history of colonization. It contrasts with the “Global North,” which includes wealthier, more industrialized nations.

• Hazardous: dangerous or likely to cause harm.

• Hypocritical: pretending to have beliefs or moral standards that one does not actually follow.

• Import: to bring goods into a country for sale.

• Infertility: the inability to have children.

• Low-income country: a country where most people earn very little money and the overall national income is low. The World Bank classifies these countries based on their Gross National Income (GNI) per person.

• Metric ton: a unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms, or about 2,204.6 pounds. 15,000 metric tons equals approximately 33 million pounds.

• Middle-income country: a country that earns more than low-income countries but less than wealthy (high-income) ones. Middle-income countries are often still developing but have growing industries and economies.

• Neurological: related to the brain, nerves, or nervous system.

• Pesticide: a chemical used to kill insects or other pests that harm crops.

• Regulatory environment: the set of laws and rules that control how businesses operate in a country.

• Toxic-free: without poisonous or harmful chemicals.

• Undermining: gradually weakening or damaging something, such as authority or a system.