According to new research by Public Eye and Unearthed, over a third of the pesticide sales made by the world's five largest pesticide companies - Bayer, BASF, Syngenta, FMC and Corteva - contain chemicals that are highly toxic to human health or the environment. The organisations also found a higher proportion of these highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) are sold to developing and emerging countries, where regulations are weaker and risks often higher. Public Eye is also urging governments in Switzerland and the other countries that host these firms to enact measures to ensure that companies respect human rights and the environment in all the countries where they operate.

The media article linked below contains comments from the companies, some of whom dispute the list of HHPs used, established by Pesticide Action Network (PAN). A spokesperson for Croplife International, the pesticide industry’s lobby group, said their "members support the [voluntary] FAO International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management" and that they "support countries to identify, and if necessary, remove HHPs from their markets". More information is available below.