“Phasing out the use of hazardous pesticides in coffee production is a complicated matter. Coffee farmers are not always adequately informed on the effects of pesticide use or on alternatives to their use. The Working Group on Pesticides , would like to bridge this information gap so that 4C Units can advise farmers on lowering pesticide use as much as possible and, in any case, of respecting the 4C Code.”
Coffee consumers may worry that pesticide use during coffee production could have adverse effects on them. On the contrary, pesticide use poses human and livestock health risks to communities in producing countries as well as to natural resources in these countries. And yet producers themselves often lack knowledge of possible substitute remedies and do not have the incentive to stop using these dangerous chemicals.
Under the guidance of the 4C Technical Committee and hand in hand with the 4C Member, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) UK, the 4C Secretariat developed a comparison table for the 4C Red List of Pesticides and other sustainability standards relevant to coffee.
The Red List is a compilation of all pesticides that need to be phased out to achieve the recommended level of best practices as per the 4C Code of Conduct. The table provides an overview of which pesticides are prohibited and restricted under different coffee standards. As such the table is a helpful tool for 4C Units’ improvement efforts and also for those Units which are already working with different standards such as Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified and Starbucks C.A.F.E. Please click here to download the comparison table.
