House rejects Green effort to ban Lanate

THE HOUSE Plenum yesterday rejected a bill tabled by Green Party deputy George Perdikis that would have banned the use of substances containing methomyl, commonly known as Lanate.

Lanate is used for agricultural purposes but is also commonly used by people wanting to poison animals.

The rejection of the bill came as no surprise, since a majority on the House Environment Committee had opposed it arguing the problem of poisoning pets could not be dealt with by banning a specific substance, while taking into consideration the problems such a ban would cause to farmers.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, Perdikis said he was deeply saddened by the rejection of his bill, saying deputies had pandered to the interests of agro-chemical companies.

“The proposal to ban the chemical was backed by dozens of organisations, including hunters,” he said.

“Agricultural organisations initially agreed as well but then changed their minds. The plenum said banning the chemical was not enough to stop poisoning, but it’s the first step,” Perdikis added.

DISY deputy Nicos Tornaritis said he was unequivocally against the poisoning of animals but that the committee felt it would not solve the problem. He added that special substances were now being added to Lanate so that animals would not eat it.
The proposed bill was rejected with 35 votes against, two in favour, while one deputy abstained.

“None of the proposals we put down are ever passed,” Perdikis complained.
“But this doesn’t mean that we will stop; we will continue to fight and hopefully now that we are in the EU, things will be much better.”

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.