UK accused of 'silently eroding' EU pesticide rules in Brexit laws

Analysis finds changes such as removal of blanket ban on hormone-disrupting chemicals

The UK has been accused of "silently eroding" key environmental and human health protections in the Brexit-inspired rush to convert thousands of pages of European Union pesticide policy into British law.

Despite government claims the process would be little more than a technical exercise, analysis by the University of Sussex's UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO) has uncovered significant departures from EU regulations, including the removal of a blanket ban on hormone-disrupting chemicals, which are known to cause adverse health effects such as cancer, birth defects and immune disorders.