Earlier this year, several residents of Boterveen successfully went to court to restrict the use of pesticides. They fear for their health because the plants in an adjacent lily field of grower Joling are being sprayed with pesticides. The court in Assen decided in June to ban the injection of these substances. But the ban did not last.
Joling filed an urgent case with the Arnhem-Leeuwarden court and partially got his way. The spraying ban was partly swept aside a month later. Joling may continue to use four types of pesticides on his field in Boterveen. A ban on spraying all other substances will remain in place for the rest of the year.
However, according to Zembla, not all risks of pesticides are known. The safety of pesticides is tested by the Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb). Zembla reports that the Ctgb has concealed the risks that local residents run when using these substances.
Documents that the program received after an appeal to the Open Government Act (Woo) allegedly show that the Ctgb found exceedances of standards for seven pesticides in a sample in 2015. This involved resources from bulb and fruit cultivation, six of which are still permitted in the Netherlands. The institute identified particular risks for children. But the Ctgb decided not to take any action.
Internally, the approval authority speaks of “minor exceedances” and says it sees this as “insufficient basis” to further investigate the pesticides. The data has not been shared with the responsible State Secretary and therefore not with the House of Representatives. A letter to the then State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment states that “no risks” have been found.
According to Zembla, the Ctgb also played a notable role in 2019 in the publication of the RIVM report ‘Research on Exposure to Local Residents (OBO)’. In that report, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment concludes that pesticides are found in and around the homes of people living near flower bulb fields. Researchers find pesticides in the air around the home, in house dust and even in babies’ diapers.
In the draft version of the report, RIVM calls for further research into the health risks. The Ctgb will be given access to the report before publication and will then argue against further investigation. Following the institute’s comments, RIVM deletes several passages from the report. This means that the call to tighten the authorization of pesticides at national level and not to wait for European procedures disappears.
In a written response to Zembla, the Ctgb denies that any risks have been withheld. According to the institute, the results of the various models jointly led to the conclusion that the products were safe for local residents.
The Ministry of Agriculture, which is ministerially responsible for the Ctgb, informed Zembla that it takes the program’s findings seriously. The findings will also be discussed with the admission authority.