Sustainable Agriculture News Bulletin
Volume 2, Number 21
December 3, 1993
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HEADLINES:
- PAM NOT SO SAFE AFTERALL?
- LATIN AMERICAN PESTICIDE MARKET HAS $2 BILLION PRICE TAG
- AVERY ARGUES LESS PESTICIDES MEAN MORE CANCER, SOIL
EROSION
- UK ORGANIC FARMERS WARN ABOUT EXTINCTION
- ORGANIC STANDARDS RAISES DEBATE
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News Summaries
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PAM NOT SO SAFE AFTERALL?
On October 15, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE NEWS reported that the
USDA is developing a powder called polyacrylamide, or PAM, they
claim will stem soil erosion and cut down on groundwater pollution
linked to fertilizer runoff. "Sediment loss has been reduced by up to
97 percent and water infiltration by about 25 percent during our
tests which began in 1991," said Robert Sojka, with the USDA's
Agricultural Research Service lab in Kimberly, ID. "The PAM
treatment also keeps fertilizers and other chemicals -- as well as the
soil -- on the fields where they belong," Sojka said. Researchers also
believe PAM could be instrumental in stemming topsoil erosion in
developing countries where it occurs at a rate of several million acres
per year.
A researcher at the University of British Columbia countered that in
addition to being very expensive, PAM is a potent neurotoxin.
Angela Griffiths of the Resource Science Management Department
writes that PAM's supplier, Sigma chemicals, lists the following
problems associated with PAM: flaccid paralysis; altered sleep time;
tremors, convulsions and seizures; respiratory tract tumors; nausea
and vomiting; male infertility problems; testicular and uterine
tumors; and adverse effects on the growth of newborns. In addition,
PAM is harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin and may
cause nervous system problems. Potential chronic effects include
altered genetic material and reproductive problems.
Source: Jennifer Loven, "Farm Scene," AP, October 5, 1993; Angela
Griffiths, Email Communication, November 10, 1993.
LATIN AMERICAN PESTICIDE MARKET HAS $2 BILLION
PRICE TAG
Figures show that the Latin American pesticide market was worth
about $2 billion in 1992. Brazil accounted for 43% of the market. It
is believed the Latin American market share figure will grow 2-4%
over the next few years as a result of reduced farm subsidies in the
U.S. and Europe. Such growth will only be realized if the region
remains economically and politically stable.
Source: "Pesticides Market in LA Valued at Over $2B," REUTER,
November 10, 1993.
AVERY ARGUES LESS PESTICIDES MEAN MORE CANCER, SOIL
EROSION
In his book entitled SAVING THE PLANET WITH PESTICIDES AND
PLASTIC: THE ENVIRONMENTAL TRIUMPHS OF HIGH-YIELD
FARMING, Dennis Avery of the conservative Hudson Institute writes
that a reduction in pesticide use, as advocated by the Clinton
administration, will ultimately mean more cancer, more hunger,
more soil erosion and less wildlife. Avery argues that the high price
of organic produce will make it even more difficult for parents to
purchase fruits and vegetables essential in the fight against cancer.
And, with fewer pesticides, farmers will be required to plant more
acreage to maintain high yields thereby squeezing wildlife out of
their natural habitat. With regard to soil erosion, if herbicides, which
systems like no-till and conservation-till rely on, are reduced, soil
erosion and run-off will increase. "They've not been able to get hold
of the reality that pesticides are saving lives from cancer, saving soil
from erosion and helping save 10 million square miles of the planet's
habitat from being plowed down for food," Avery writes.
Source: Dennis Avery, "Environmental Aspects of Agriculture
Overwhelm Critics," FEEDSTUFFS, November 22, 1993.
UK ORGANIC FARMERS WARN ABOUT EXTINCTION
Existing organic farmers in the U.K. met with Agriculture Minister
Gillian Shephard last month and expressed concerns over becoming
an "endangered species" unless they are afforded the same benefits
as new organic farmers. Under a proposed aid scheme, farmers who
make the transition to organic production will be paid approximately
#70 per hectare. That rate will gradually be reduced to #25 during
the fifth year of transition. What concerns farmers who are already
practicing organic agriculture is that there is no funding to assist
their activities. Under a similar scheme in Germany, organic farmers
are paid #150 for existing operations and #200 for beginning organic
farms. "The growing U.K. market for organic food will be supplied by
subsidized organic farmers in Holland, Germany and Denmark,"
warned the Soil Association, which certifies organic producers. As a
result of the government proposal, the association said inquires into
making a transition from conventional to organic farming had fallen
off, as did the area devoted to organic production.
Source: Alison Maitland, "Plea for Organic Farming Sector,"
FINANCIAL TIMES, November 16, 1993.
ORGANIC STANDARDS RAISES DEBATE
The 14-member National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which is
made up of environmentalists, farmers, processors, consumer
advocates, a retailer and a scientist, has been debating what
constitutes an organic standard since the passage of a 1990
mandating its existence. Standards were supposed to be in place by
October 1, 1993. However, there was no funding and NOSB members
were only appointed in January 1992. "We're still discussing the
way it might be labeled ... whether it will just say 'done in
accordance with federal law' or whether there will be a USDA seal
that will go on the product," said Harold Ricker of the National
Organic Production Program at the USDA.
Organic food sales currently account for less than 1% of overall food
sales. However, that figure is expected to grow. "We would love to
sell as much organic as we can, but we can't always get everything
organic," said Kathy Ordan of the Maryland-based Fresh Fields
grocery chain. An estimated 6,000 farmers are certified organic and
it is believed that an equal number are not certified. Fraud and
different requirements between the organizations providing
certification worry many farmers. The final standards are expected
to cover everything -- from certifying farmers to labeling processed
organic foods.
Some products used in organic farming, such as the use of sulfites in
organic wine production, have been problematic. In addition, the
biotechnology industry is genetically engineering plants which
contain bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a naturally-occurring organism
which kills caterpillars. Ricker said he believed products of
biotechnology would be excluded from organic standards.
Source: Robert Greene, "Organic Standards," AP, November 13, 1993.
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Resources
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The Summer 1993 issue of WHY by the World Hunger Year
addresses the topic of new directions in food and farming.
Subscriptions to WHY begin at $18.00. For more information, contact
WHY, 505 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10018, Tel: (212) 629-8850.
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Events
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DECEMBER
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INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM AND NATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, December 1-4, 1993, Puebla,
Mexico. FFI, contact: CEICADAR, Km. 125.5 Carretera Federal
Mexico-Puebla, Apdo. Postal I-12, Colonia La Libertad, C.P. 72130
Puebla, Pue. Mexico, Tel: (91 22) 480088, Fax: (91 22) 493995.
COMMUNITY-SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE: A NEW MARKETING
OPPORTUNITY, December 6, 1993, Davis, CA. FFI, contact: Gail
Feenstra, UC SAREP, Tel: (916) 752-8408.
KERR CENTER OPEN HOUSE, December 8, 1993, Poteau, OK. FFI,
contact: Lara Ervin, Kerr Center, P.O. Box 588, Poteau, OK 78953, Tel:
(918) 647-9123.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE,
December 9-10, 1993, Bolton, VT. FFI, contact: Deb Heleba, Tel:
(802) 656-0233 or Kate Duesterberg, Tel: (802) 656-2924.
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Produced by: Michelle Thom, Institute for Agriculture and Trade
Policy, 1313 5th Street SE Suite 303, Minneapolis, MN 55414, Tel:
(612) 379-5980 Fax: (612) 379-5982 EMail: mthom@igc.org or
mmthom@alex.stkate.edu. In addition to this news bulletin, the
Institute publishes a variety of news bulletins on agriculture, the
environment and international trade. These include:
Bio/Technology/Diversity Bulletin (weekly news bulletins on
biotechnology); Trade News (daily news bulletins on international
trade issues); Food Safety Week; and Farm Policy Week (weekly
news bulletin on farm policy). The Institute also maintains a wide
range of computer-based information services on the EcoNet
computer network. Contact the Institute for more information.