Belgian “Société Scientifique de Médecine Générale” speaks up against the inaction of politicians on pesticides

15 May 2025

Belgian Société Scientifique de Médecine Générale (SSMG) has loudly criticised the lack of political will to reduce the use of pesticides in the country, despite extensive scientific evidence on the health risks they pose, and what they view as incoherent and inaccurate comments by the Minister of Agriculture of Wallonia, RTBF reports.

SSMG decried the comments made by the Minister Anne-Catherine Dalcq, who claimed that pesticides were “molecules found in nature that have been modified to better direct their effects”, a clear inaccuracy for substances originating from chemical synthesis. The organisation also criticized the gaps in the toxicological models used as basis for the authorization of pesticides and showed profound skepticism about the Minister’s current plan for pesticide reduction, which fails to address the reduction of pesticide use in the agricultural sector.  

2,000 general practitioners and experts, including 30 paediatricians, have signed an open letter, in response to this. They claim that pesticides leak into the air and into the food Belgians consume. In Belgium, pesticides are the pollutants most commonly found in children, especially in children living in or near agricultural areas.

Scientific data reveal strong causal links, especially concerning paediatric pathologies, paediatric cancers, tumours of the central nervous system, and problems in neuronal development. These experts condemn the disinformation surrounding the subject and the powerful lobbying of the agri-food industry influencing political decisions.

They complain that the Wallonian Agriculture Minister is repeating the industry’s arguments.