Rotterdam Convention

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  • International trade of two new hazardous pesticides — Iprodione and Terbufos — has been recommended for “prior informed consent” (PIC) procedure under Rotterdam convention. 
    • The PIC procedure is a mechanism for formally obtaining and disseminating the decisions of importing parties on their willingness to receive future shipments of hazardous chemicals.

About 

  • The 17th meeting of the chemical review committee (CRC 17) had recommended these two pesticides for listing in Annex III to the Rotterdam Convention 
    • Annex III includes pesticides and industrial chemicals that have been banned or severely restricted for health or environmental reasons by two or more parties. 

About Rotterdam Convention

  • Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent Procedures (PIC) entered into force  in 2004.
  • It is an international treaty designed to facilitate informed decision-making by countries with regard to trade in hazardous chemicals
  • It is a legally binding instrument.
  • India acceded to the Convention in 2006.
  • Objectives : To promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among State Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm. 
    • To contribute to the environmentally sound use of these hazardous chemicals by facilitating information exchange about their characteristics, providing for a national decision making process on their import and export, and by disseminating these decisions to the Parties. 

Do you Know ?

  • Iprodione, a fungicide used on vines, fruits, trees and vegetables, has been classified as carcinogenic and toxic for reproduction.
  • Terbufos is a soil insecticide used commonly on sorghum, maize, beet and potatoes. 
    • It has also been found to pose risk to aquatic organisms due to its toxicity.
  • Both the pesticides, which are used in agriculture, are known for their harmful impacts on human health and the environment. 
    • In India, the use of these chemicals was permitted by the 2015 Anupam Verma committee report.  The country is among the largest exporters of Terbufos.

Source:DTE

 
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