On Tuesday (30 July) the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation called for an acceleration of efforts to end use of harmful pesticides in developing countries.

FAO sources said, "The tragic incident in Bihar, India, where 23 school children died after eating a school meal contaminated with monocrotophos, is an important reminder to speed up the withdrawal of highly hazardous pesticides from markets in developing countries."

Monocrotophos, an organophosphorus pesticide, is considered highly hazardous by FAO and, it emerged after the tragedy in Bihar, the World Health Organization, which had urged Indian authorities to ban the nerve agent in 2009.

FAO added, "The incident in Bihar underscores that secure storage of pesticide products and safe disposal of empty pesticide containers are risk reduction measures which are just as crucial as more prominent field-oriented steps like wearing proper protective masks and clothing." However, the organisation said that safeguards on distribution and disposal of highly hazardous pesticides, although use of the chemicals carries significant environmental and public health risks, are difficult to implement in many countries.

The Indian government claims the chemicals' benefits outweigh the potential hazards associated with their use, but critics suggest that in reality controls on harmful pesticides are virtually impossible to enforce and so are widely ignored.  

On Tuesday, the Rome-based FAO repeated its calls to prevent "highly hazardous" products from being sold to small scale farmers, "who lack knowledge and the proper sprayers, protective gear and storage facilities to manage such products appropriately." The agriculture organisation said World Bank and WHO both back this demand.

Instead, FAO said governments that have not yet done so should act on the recommendations of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management, which has been adopted by many countries across the World. However, despite its influence on public and private bodies, the Code's standards of conduct remain voluntary. FAO sources added, "Non-chemical and less toxic alternatives are available, and in many cases Integrated Pest Management can provide adequate pest management that is more sustainable and reduces the use of pesticides."

Monocrotophos is banned in Australia, China, the European Union and the United States, and in many countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, due to its toxicity to humans and other animals and effects on the environment.