Today, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) announced it is withdrawing, with immediate effect, the authorisation to sell products containing the chemical chlorothalonil, an ingredient used since the 1960s to protect crops from disease. The decision follows a reexamination of the toxic effects of the chemical over the summer. FOAG said that after examining data […]
Swiss government raises allowable limits for pesticide residues in waterways
In 1998, the maximum concentration of micro pollutants, such as heavy metals, drug residues, pesticides and other substances in the water of Swiss lakes and waterways was set at 0.1 μg/litre. This month Switzerland’s government decided to change this limit, reducing it for some pollutants, but setting it significantly higher for many others. Among the […]