Pesticide in Africa/Kenya which are banned in Europe

A landmark legal case in Kenya challenges what lawyers call the “double standard” on pesticide safety. Multinational corporations continue to export dangerous products to Africa that are banned in their own Western markets. And that’s true, it is a double standard. In Kenya, a significant portion of pesticides used are highly hazardous and many of these are banned in Europe due to their health and environmental risks. Around 44% of pesticides used in Kenya are banned in Europe. Examples include paraquat, cyanamide, acetochlor, ethoprophos, and chlorothalonil, which are prohibited in the EU but still used or exported to Kenya. These pesticides are linked to serious health issues like chemical burns, developmental disorders, and cancer risks. The EU continues to export some banned pesticides to countries like Kenya despite their ban within Europe. Kenyan authorities and international organizations have called for banning highly hazardous pesticides to protect communities and workers from long-term harm. The EU demands that imported foods meet its strict pesticide residue standards, rejecting allowances for residues of pesticides banned in Europe in imports. Here are Pesticides Used in Kenya but Banned in Europe - Paraquat (linked to severe toxicity and banned in EU) - Cyanamides - Acetochlor - Ethoprophos (neurotoxic, banned for developmental disorder links) - Chlorothalonil (probable human carcinogen) - Other banned substances account for 44% of pesticides used in Kenya. Here are the reasons for EU ban. - Human health risks: carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, chemical burns - Environmental persistence - Toxicity to aquatic life and pollinators. The Current Situation looks like this. - Kenya continues to use banned pesticides due to lack of restrictions. - EU companies export banned pesticides to Kenya and other Global South countries. - Kenya has ongoing calls to ban highly hazardous pesticides to protect workers and public health. The companies' main defense is to claim the pesticides are "safe," despite evidence linking them to cancer in farming communities, Gilbert Njoroge, a Supreme Court lawyer leading the case, told Sputnik Africa. The case, according to the lawyer, has far-reaching implications for the equal treatment of multinational corporations in African markets. In the Western market, corporations are more cautious with their products... but in Africa, there are absolutely no concerns. The lawyer called for change on the continent, stating: "We are not second-class citizens in this world... We should ensure that only what is good for us enters our market." The case aims to ban dangerous pesticides and set a precedent for environmental justice and "equal treatment of Africans in the international market," he emphasized. @https://routetofood.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Pesticide_use_in_Kenya.pdf @https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2025/09/23/eu-banned-pesticide-trade-expands-despite-promises/ @https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/09/14/kenya-ban-use-highly-hazardous-pesticides @https://www.facebook.com/NTVKenya/posts/mp-gladys-boss-reveals-that-44-of-pesticides-used-in-kenya-are-banned-in-europe-/1337851854660692/ @https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/kenya-eu-based-companies-continue-to-export-banned-pesticides-exposing-communities-workers-to-chemical-burns-and-long-term-illness/ @https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240917IPR24036/pesticides-no-residues-of-eu-banned-products-in-imported-food @https://ke.boell.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/data-and-facts_highly-hazardous-pesticides-in-kenya-1.pdf