The Fight to Ban a Brain-Damaging Pesticide in NZ

Listen to Alison White's 11-minute interview with Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio (RCR), where she discusses the ongoing struggle to ban the brain-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos in New Zealand—despite its ban in 44 other countries. It has been linked to damage to the prenatal brain, disrupted puberty, reduced sperm production, and overall neurotoxicity — even in minute quantities.

Chlorpyrifos remains present in a wide range of foods in NZ, including baby food, with children's primary exposure coming through diet. Alison shares her experience presenting to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and exposes serious flaws in our regulatory system, including a lack of local toxicology expertise and failure to apply the precautionary principle.

In this urgent and eye-opening conversation, Paul Brennan speaks with Alison White of the Safe Food Campaign about the pesticide Chlorpyrifos—still found in food on New Zealand supermarket shelves, including baby food. Despite being banned in over 40 countries due to its links to brain damage in children, NZ is only now reassessing its use. Alison shares her experience presenting to the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) and highlights the gaps in our regulatory approach, lack of local toxicology expertise, and the pressing need for a precautionary principle.

Audio recording, image and blurb from RCR website