Box 2

Statement on Insecticides

The CGIAR Inter-Center Working Group on IPM, including representatives of the Global IPM Facility, at a meeting held at ISNAR, Den Haag, March 4-6 1996, expressed serious concern about insecticide overuse and agreed that this concern, summarized in the following statement, should be communicated through the Chairperson of the IPMWG to the CGIAR Centers, donors, and policy makers.

Insecticide overuse is the major cause of insect pest outbreaks in intensified agriculture in developing countries. Examples of insecticide-induced, production-threatening pests include: whiteflies, planthoppers, armyworms, thrips, leafminers, mites, etc. In addition, field use of insecticides is also a major occupational, public health, and environmental hazard.

Insecticide overuse continues to be associated with: i) outdated government policies, promoting the use of insecticides, that do not reflect the current state of scientific knowledge; ii) aggressive marketing and promotion by the pesticide industry, especially as markets shrink in developed countries; and iii) continuing use of development assistance, grant- and loan-funds to subsidize insecticide sales.

The SP-IPM urges IARC scientists and managers to inform policy makers, scientists, and the general public about the impact and causes of insecticide overuse. The SPIPM also urges multilateral and bilateral agencies to link their development assistance to commitments by recipient countries to reduce insecticide dependency.

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