Join pan-European testing for pesticide residues during #GoodFoodGoodFarming action month in October 2022

In the bodies of farm workers and city inhabitants, in people’s bedrooms and children’s playgrounds – pesticide residues at harmful levels for our health have been detected in many places all over Europe. Besides human health, planetary health also suffers from pesticide contamination, which degrades our soils and threatens the diversity of insects, birds and animals.

While citizens, farmers and scientists call for a substantial reduction of pesticides, decisionmakers at national level and in the European institutions are acting slow.

As part of Good Food Good Farming, we want to make them feel public pressure, so they make policies protecting the health of farmers, consumers and nature.

Between 1 and 31 October 2022, during the action days Good Food Good Farming, we will engage citizens in as many European countries as possible to participate in a pan-European testing action to find out whether they have pesticide residues in their bodies. The tests offer an interesting and hands-on option for people to participate, encouraging them to find out not only about the effect of pesticides on their individual bodies but on the society and nature surrounding them. Presenting the results of this cross-border testing will allow us to attract media attention and ultimately create political pressure on national ministers and EU decision makers.

We invite you to join this campaign and support the testing action. Here is how you can get involved:

• Be the focal point to coordinate the testing in your country! In each country, there will be one to two organisations which will take on the responsibility to coordinate the testing, lead the mobilisation and press work with help from the European coordination of the campaign. We would need your help to collect the samples and send them to the laboratory, and to help us translate materials for mobilisation and communication;
• Participate in the testing and mobilise others! If you are interested to participate in the testing, whether as individuals or organising an event with others, you can receive the materials and briefing.

If IFOAM Organics Europe’s members want to get involved, as focal point or as participant, please get in touch with [email protected]. If you are not one of our members, please reach out to [email protected] (she/her), campaign communicator at GFGF. We will then share all the details on the implementation of the tests and the next steps.

Since 2018, #GoodFoodGoodFarming is campaigning to stir up EU food and farming policies and make them greener and fairer. GFGF gathers citizens, activists, farmers, bee-keepers, chiefs and many more demanding a sustainable transition of food production and agriculture, with a substantial reduction of the use of pesticides. IFOAM Organics Europe is a member of GFGF’s Steering Committee.

In October 2022, GFGF mobilises for the action days #GoodFoodGoodFarming which saw the participation of over 350 organisations and 181 events in many European countries during the last edition in 2021.