Pesticides Use in the EU

For several years the use of pesticides has been a major policy issue at both European and national level. Consumers have shown concern over possible harmful effects to human health and the environment, and policy makers have reacted by revising existing policy and creating new policy. In March of this year the European Commission completed a review of existing pesticides on the market before 1993 and removed more than two thirds of these substances. They were removed either because dossiers were not submitted, incomplete or withdrawn by industry or because substances failed the review.