INSSICCA

The chlorinated polycyclic ketone pesticide chlordecone (CLD) was used from 1971 until 1993 in the French West Indies to fight against the banana black weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus). Its application resulted in a long term pollution of soils which is thought to last 5 to 7 centuries for the heaviest polluted soils. About 1/4 of the total agricultural acreage of the two French overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique) are moderately to heavily polluted and national survey plans carried out since 2008 in slaughterhouses revealed unexpected contamination of animal products. Indeed, CLD residues were detected in about 1/3 of bovine carcasses which originated from CLD contaminated areas, where 6 to 9% were above the Maximum Residue Limit set by the European Union (MRL = 100 µg/kg fat, CE 839/2008). Backyard animal productions (pigs, small ruminants) were not taken into account in the survey but the risk of CLD contamination of food producing animals is proven and it may represent an important source of CLD exposure for local consumers. Thus, the Martinique and Guadeloupe populations are concerned by CLD contaminated food and there is a growing demand for solutions that would enable maintenance of local animal production and production of safe animal products, even in historically contaminated areas. Overall, this research project aims at evaluating local animal rearing systems in terms of livestock exposure to CLD (WP1), characterizing the bioavailability of CLD, its behavior and metabolization in the animal organism (WP2), and establishing innovative strategies to bind CLD via activated carbon or biochars (WP3). On the basis of the results obtained in WP1, WP2 and WP3, safe local livestock rearing systems will be proposed in agricultural areas historically contaminated by CLD, and assessed in terms of economical efficiency (WP4) and social acceptability (WP5). This project fully complies with the objectives of ANR’s Plan d’action 2016 DEFI 5 AXE 4 “Development of sustainable and innovative production systems to ensure safe food for consumers”, and its related orientations 19 “sustainable and safe food” and 20 “integrative approach of productive systems”. From the studies on soil ingestion (WP1), recommendations will be provided to farmers and other stakeholders in order to avoid where possible the entry of CLD into the food chain. The analytical approaches which are going to be developed in WP2 are of major importance to identify and quantify CLD and its metabolites fluxes in the organism. On the basis of mechanisms described in WP1, WP2 and WP3, sustainable rearing strategies will be proposed and applied in close relation with the local producers and the meat sector Inter-Professional Organization of Guadeloupe (IGUAVIE) and Martinique (AMIV), the livestock health defense group (GDS), the Chambers of Agriculture, the Direction of Agriculture, Food and Forest (DAAF) and the General Direction for Food, Ministry of Agriculture (DGAL). In WP4 and WP5, socio-economic approaches will be developed in order to (i) promote adaptive governance and sustainable development particularly in rural territories of tropical islands and to (ii) evaluate conditions for adoption of the proposed innovations. The approach implemented in this project and the proposed innovative strategies to secure the rearing systems have to be considered as a “model approach” to be applied further in organic pollutant contaminated areas worldwide. Key words: chlordecone, soil, livestock, food safety, rearing strategies, economical efficiency, social acceptability