News Briefs compiled by Kate
Pattison
GM Crops Fail to Fulfill Industry Promises
A new report called “Who Benefits from GM Crops?” from
Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) finds that genetically
modified (GM) crops have failed to deliver on promises of
eliminating hunger and reducing pesticide use. The report
concludes that since their introduction a decade ago, GM
crops have actually led to increased pesticide use--as much
as 15 times more in Roundup Ready crops. The report also
contends that GM crops do not yield more than non-GM crops,
and that because most GM crops are used to feed livestock,
they are not tackling hunger or poverty.
The report coincides with the annual release of another report, "Global
Status of Commercialized Biotech" from the International
Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA), a major promoter of GM crops.
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Methyl
bromide is still commonly used to grow strawberries,
among other crops.
Photo courtesy of image.after.com |
Source: One World U.S.
Methyl Bromide Lingers in U.S. Fields
In 1988, the Montreal Protocol called
for an international ban on the insecticide methyl bromide,
a highly toxic carcinogen that also destroys the ozone
layer. Although the United
States has technically been in compliance, many U.S. farmers
have applied for "critical" exemptions and continue
regular applications on strawberries and out-of-season crops.
According
to the protocol, methyl bromide was supposed to be phased
out in developed nations by January 2005. Methyl bromide
is a halogen, an extremely stable element that degrades very
slowly in the air, water, and soil.
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle
North Carolina To Examine Pesticide Use
In February, Governor Mike Easley announced
the creation of a nine-member taskforce aimed at preventing
pesticide exposure among farm workers. Easley said the
taskforce recommendations "will
make North Carolina a national leader in this area.” The
taskforce formed in response to the state’s lawsuit
against Ag-Mart, a Florida-based tomato company who the state
alleges violated state pesticide law 369 times. NC courts
recommended that the state drop all but 17 charges when Ag-Mart
was unable to produce records of when fields were sprayed,
and when workers reentered those fields. Current state law
requires no such recordkeeping.
Source: The News & Observer
Note: Learn the outcome of the Governor's
pesticide task force meetings and get Toxic Free NC's commentary
on our news blog, Fair Ground.
Toxic Free News is a publication
of
Toxic Free NC
206 New Bern Place, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 833-5333, Toll-free
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, http://www.toxicfreenc.org
Mission: Toxic
Free NC advocates for alternatives to toxic pesticides in
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about their health and environment.
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Spalt, President; Katherine M. Shea, Vice President; Colleen
Boudreau, Treasurer; Annette Hiatt; Mindy Hiteshue; Cathy
Jones; Omar Laínez; Annie O'Leary; Michelle Nowlin.
Emeritus: Billie Rogers, Jane Sharp MacRae, Erick Umstead.
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