By Spy Uganda
Kampala: The Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) and Uganda Law Society (ULS) have threatened to drag government of Uganda and the European Union to court over unregulated agrochemicals allowed into Uganda market endangering the lives of the population.
According to Centre for Food and Adequate Living Rights, a deadly chemical called Mancozeb, a pesticide commonly used on tomatoes by farmers was banned in Europe Union but it is imported here in Africa and Uganda to be specific.
David Kabanda, a humanitarian lawyer and the CEO CEFROHT noted that they have partnered with Uganda Law Society and they intend to sue European Union for bringing chemicals that cause cancer into Uganda.
“You cannot be banning chemicals like Mancozeb that causes cancer in the European Union, and then you issue export licences to your companies to export to weaker countries,” Kabanda said while addressing the media at the launch of a documentary titled “The Cancer we eat” at Fairway Hotel in Kampala.
“We are also going to be suing government of Uganda because although you know that Mancozeb is a cancer causing chemical, you have allowed companies to import it here and you have allowed sellers to sell it to our people.” he added.
Kabanda called for enough sensitization on how best, chemicals can be used by farmers, saying many don’t understand how these particular chemicals are causing death to them, cause environmental degradation and also how they kill our food system.
He called upon the ministries of health and agriculture to stand with CEFROHT to spearhead the banning of Mancozeb chemical in Uganda further tasking the government to come out and stop these chemical selling companies from advertising in Uganda.
At the function, CEFROHT launched a documentary titled “The Cancer we eat” that highlights the inaction and illegal actions in the food system and specifically unpacks unregulated agrochemical.
It also reflects agroecology and organic agriculture as a sustainable solution to healthy food system.
Benard Oundo the Uganda Law Society president told journalists said they are going to work with CEFROHT from a legal perspective to deal with the challenges that are faced so that they can be able to promote organic farming in Uganda.
“We need to also look at having a strategic litigation case against those who are importing chemicals that are bad elsewhere, but they are being imported here,” Oundo said.
He urged the Ministry of Agriculture to urgently reform the regulations to support the agriculture and agro chemicals act.
“It is very important that those regulations are developed so that they support the work.”
Dr. Noreb Mugisha from Uganda Cancer Institute, said for the last two years Uganda has registered 34,008 cancer victims, and most people get cancers from such dangerous chemicals.
He added that most of the chemicals sold here are banned in other countries and the reason they are on our market is because its business.
“It’s not that everything in your shop is 100% safe.”
He recommended pregnant mothers, children and everyone in reproduction age to stay far away from such chemicals, saying they aren’t good for one’s health.
Dr.Mugisha recommended to Ugandans to always take the effort to appreciate the precautions written on those packages of the herbicides and insecticides.
