All agrochemicals, especially pesticides, can be potentially hazardous in some form or other to human and animal health as well as to the environment and therefore should be used only under caution. Fairtrade International recommends the use of other methods like proper choice of crops and varieties, suitable cultivation practices and biological material for pest, before a chemical pesticide is used for pest control.
The HazardousMaterials List (HML) is divided in three lists:
- The Red List is a ‘prohibited’ list and includes materials that must not be used on Fairtrade products.
- The Orange List is a ‘restricted’ List and includes materials that may beused under conditions specified in this document thus restricting their use. The use of materials in this list will be monitored by Fairtrade International. Operators should be aware that some of these materials are to be phased out by30 June2020 or by 30 June2022 as indicated in thelist. The other materials in the list may eventually be prohibited and are encouraged to abandon their use.
- The Yellow List is a ‘flagged’ list and includes materials which are flagged for being hazardous and should be used under extreme caution. Fairtrade International will be monitoring the classification of these materials by international bodies like PAN, WHO and FAO,and materialsmay be prohibited in the future. Operators are encouraged to abandon their use.