Firms lose EU pesticide clemency appeal

A group of pesticides firms has lost a legal battle to suspend EU bans on the pesticide ingredients carbosulfan and carbofuran while their challenges to the bans are heard. American firm FMC, Arysta of Japan, Belchim of Belgium and Satec of Germany are appealing to the European court of justice against a decision in June to ban the substances from this month. But in verdicts similar to that delivered this month on malathion, the court said the substances' reputations were "not irreparable" (EED 07/12/07). See rulings in case T-349/07 (carbosulfan) and T-350/07 (carbofuran).