Environmental Pillar logo
Search

News

What’s on our food and in our water? Ireland at the centre of EU pesticide debate

Dublin event this October to examine impact on health, drinking water and biodiversity

Ireland’s role as president of the EU Council puts the country at the centre of a major European debate over the future of pesticide regulation – with health, children, drinking water and biodiversity at stake.

A public conference on the issue will take place at Europe House in Dublin on October 6, bringing together representatives of the European Commission, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, leading scientists, water sector experts, environmental NGOs, and representatives of the farming community to discuss the future of EU pesticide policy. 

Ireland holds the presidency of the EU Council for the second half of 2026 and is leading discussions to finalise EU Member States’ position on the EU pesticide law. An EU-wide testing of cereals in 2025 showed that some wheat-based cereals widely sold in Ireland were among the most Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA) contaminated products. A more recent study that sampled strawberries in eleven countries showed a cocktail of seven residues above recommended levels in one locally grown sample from Ireland. Residues included cyprodinil and fludioxonil, used in fungicides and described as endocrine disruptors (chemicals that can interfere with the body’s hormone system) and a Category 2 Carcinogenic, Bupirimate, was found in the two samples from Ireland included in that research1. 

The EU Commission has proposed changes that would make it easier for pesticide products to access the market, as part of an industry-friendly package known as the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus. In the European Parliament, proposals have also been made to give pesticides longer or potentially unlimited approvals.

The Dublin event (Protect our Health, Water & Biodiversity from Pesticides – An EU Policy Conference under the Irish Presidency on the Future of Pesticide Regulation) is being organised by The Environmental Forum, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN), and the Environmental Pillar, and is being chaired by journalist and broadcaster Ella McSweeney. 

Bernadette Connolly of The Environmental Forum, who will lead the opening discussion at the event, says: “Ireland should take the lead in protecting our environment and our children’s health. The EU Presidency puts our government in an excellent position to let reason prevail and to protect water and health for future generations.”

  • What: Protect our Health, Water & Biodiversity from Pesticides – An EU Policy Conference under the Irish Presidency on the Future of Pesticide Regulation
  • When: 6 October 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m
  • Where: Europe House, 5 Balfe Street, Dublin D02 E7K4, Ireland, and will also be available via livestream
  • Why: Provide a platform for dialogue between policymakers, scientists and stakeholders when it comes to the future of EU pesticide policy
  • Full programme for the event here: https://www.pan-europe.info/events/conferences/protect-our-health-water-biodiversity-pesticides

Background: What is at stake in the EU pesticide debate?

At the heart of the current debate is whether pesticides should continue to be regularly reassessed, or whether some could receive indefinite approval.

Under the current system, pesticides are approved for 10 or 15 years following an assessment of health and environmental concerns. They are then reassessed, taking into account field experience and independent scientific findings.

This reassessment process has contributed to the banning of problematic substances such as the brain-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos2, as well as the ongoing debate around weedkiller glyphosate.

Critics of indefinite approval warn that without regular reassessment, independent scientific findings could go largely unnoticed.

The EU Council is currently discussing a proposal that would limit indefinite approvals to low-risk substances. However, concerns remain around proposals to allow emergency use of banned substances and the lack of a clear position on preventing residues of EU-banned substances in imported products.

Dr Dara Stanley, University College Dublin, says: “When pesticides are used, residues end up in the environment in water, soils, nectar and pollen and elsewhere. This may not be at levels that are acutely toxic to biodiversity, but they can have sub-lethal impacts on things such as behaviour and reproduction, that are often not currently accounted for in pesticide risk assessment”.

Another major concern is pesticides containing PFAS, known as “forever chemicals”

Many PFAS pesticides break down to the small and very water-soluble PFAS Trifluoroacetic Acid (TFA), found in surface and drinking water all over Europe, especially in agricultural areas. TFA can subsequently accumulate in foods including wheat and wine, with strong indications that it also accumulates in human blood.

Recently, the scientific committee of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) decided to classify TFA as “toxic to reproduction and the unborn child”3.

Professor Fiona Regan, Dublin City University Water Institute, says: “Denmark has already protected their water by banning the products of six PFAS pesticides which have been conclusively shown to break down into TFA. Ireland should take the lead in bringing about a swift EU ban on these problematic pesticides. This can be done within the current regulatory framework.”

Notes to editor

About