Concerned for food safety and the citizens’ safety, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani and Agricultural Minister Ghazi Zeaiter held a working meeting to discuss the agricultural pesticides dossier at the premises of the ministry in Bir Hassan. They agreed upon the following:
 
Forming an independent scientific committee of local and international experts from Lebanese universities and specialized organizations to study the safety of the agricultural pesticides and their impact on the public health. The committee’s recommendations are to be submitted to both ministers to take the suitable decisions.

Forbidding the entrance of agricultural pesticides excluded in Decision No. 1048, pending the recommendations of the committee and taking the decisions and implementing the suitable procedures.

Conducting a thorough examination of all the agricultural pesticides’ deposits in vegetables and fruits, developing a mechanism to instruct farmers in the methods to use pesticides and inspecting the wholesale vegetable markets to ensure pesticides are used appropriately. 

It was suggested that a joint committee should be formed in a way that brings together the Ministries of Public Health, Agriculture and Economy to follow up this strict control. The scientific committee should outline the details of these procedures that contribute in safeguarding the citizens’ health from the risks of products that contain harmful substances or any wrong use of the agricultural pesticides.