CONTROL OF PESTICIDES IN CERTAIN COUNTRIES OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA

摘要

Control of pesticides in some countries of South-East Asia, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, is discussed. All these countries have implemented pesticide registration and control schemes. The information required to register pesticides and the details of pesticide labels in all the countries are somewhat similar to those provided in Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) guidelines. Certain pesticides are not registered because of their toxic properties, while others may be placed under severe handling and application restrictions. Advertising of pesticides is also controlled in these countries. The importance of licensing pesticide companies, and their post-registration activities, including enforcement of the law, monitoring of the environmental effects, control of the residue levels in food, and determination of the quality of the pesticides on the market, are highlighted. Wearing protective clothing that is suitable for applying pesticides in a temperate climate is not practical under tropical conditions. Records from hospital cases and surveys demonstrate that pesticide poisoning is a serious problem. Recognizing the problem, FAO issued a circular advising small farmers against using pesticides that fall into Class ia or Ib of the World Health Organization hazard classification. FAO and the United Nations Environment Programme are implementing the prior informed consent (PIC) procedure. All the countries under discussion are participating in PIC and have prohibited the import of most of the pesticides currently subject to this procedure. The level of pesticide residues, particularly in vegetables, is of concern. It was found that a rather high proportion of pesticide products in Malaysia and Thailand did not comply with FAO specifications. Most countries do not appear to have the necessary resources to carry out analyses of an adequate number of formulation and residue samples, and representatives of FAO Member Countries in the Asian-Pacific region have unanimously expressed the need for establishing regional or subregional pesticide analytical facilities.