India Opposes Inclusion of Chlorpyrifos at Stockholm Convention

Syllabus :GS 3/Environment

In News

• At meetings of the conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions in Switzerland, India has opposed the inclusion of the insecticide Chlorpyrifos under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), citing concerns over food security due to the lack of alternatives.
  • Over 40 countries have banned Chlorpyrifos.

Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

• It was adopted in May 2001 in Stockholm, Sweden, and entered into force on 17 May 2004, following the submission of the fiftieth ratification or accession. 
• It aims to protect human health and the environment from harmful chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants.
  •  It also mandates the Conference of the Parties to establish arbitration and conciliation procedures for resolving disputes between member countries.
• The Stockholm Convention lists chemicals in three annexes.
  • While Annex A lists chemicals to be eliminated, Annex B and C lists chemicals to be restricted, and minimising unintentional production and release of listed chemicals.

Steps to Phase out of Chlorpyrifos

• Chlorpyrifos was nominated for global phase-out in 2021 by the European Union.
• In 2024, the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) recommended Chlorpyrifos’ inclusion in Annex A of the Convention (elimination), with exemptions for specific uses such as plant protection, cattle tick control, and wood preservation.
• At the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) conventions, countries debated exemptions for Chlorpyrifos in agricultural uses and pest control, with India and other nations calling for certain exceptions.

India’s Stance 

• Chlorpyrifos has been registered in India since 1977 and was the most used insecticide in the country in 2016-17. 
• India argued that Chlorpyrifos is crucial for agriculture and pest control, particularly for urban pests and vector-borne diseases, and remains a commonly used pesticide in India.
  • It is considered important in India for controlling urban pests like cockroaches and termites and for vector-borne disease control.
• Chlorpyrifos residues have been found in food products in India, with a 2024 study detecting the chemical in 33% of the samples tested.
• The Anupam Verma Committee, constituted in 2013 to review 66 pesticides that had been banned, restricted, or withdrawn in other countries, but still in use in India, submitted its report in 2015. It recognised that chlorpyrifos is toxic to fish and bees.

Future Plans 

• The Indian government has been promoting a national mission on natural farming (a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare
• Other chemicals like Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins and long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs) are also being discussed at the BRS Convention.

Source :DTE