For Immediate Release: For More Information Contact:=20
</bigger></fontfamily></bold><fontfamily><param>Times New
Roman</param><bigger>September 22, 1999 Jane Shibilski - Wis. PTA (715)
847- 2244
<paraindent><param>out</param>Tom Dawson - Wis. Strat. Pesticide Info.
Project (608) 294-9026
</paraindent>
<bold><bigger><bigger>Groups Assail Agriculture Secretary's Secrecy=20
Stance
</bigger></bigger></bold><bigger><italic> Coalition Voices Criticism Of
Ag Secretary's Opposition to Public Right to Know
</italic></bigger>Milwaukee/Madison=97Today members of a broad coalition of
health, public interest and environmental organizations assailed=20
Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Ben
Brancel's demand for blanket secrecy for pesticide applicators as a
condition for a proposed pesticide use database.
The Pesticide Database System (PDS) is part of the budget bill=20
deadlocked in the Legislative budget conference committee. Conference
Committee leaders asked Secretary Brancel and database supporters to
meet in an attempt to break the deadlock. A coalition of health,
medical, agricultural, parent, educational, conservation, government and
environmental groups support the PDS. Chemical manufacturers, sellers
and commercial users oppose the PDS proposal.
"DATCP is supposed to be protecting the public from pesticides. When I
heard the head of DATCP was demanding blanket secrecy for all pesticide
user information, I was stunned," said Kathy Johnson, president of the
Wisconsin League of Women Voters. "The public has a right to know.=20
Pesticides don't have a right to privacy. Pesticide lawn signs are a
perfect example," she said. "State agency heads should be protecting
the public's right- to-know, not fronting for industry groups who repress
it," she said. Johnson cited lobbying by pest control companies for=20
confidentiality of their practices if the database is created.=20
Brancel took the position on pesticide secrecy on September, 15, 1999,
when he met for a second time with database supporters. One of the
negotiators, Wisconsin Strategic Pesticide Information Project Director
Tom Dawson, recently reported to coalition partners, "Secretary Brancel
said he would not agree to any bill that does not provide permanent
automatic blanket confidentiality to all persons who report pesticide
use information to the database, even in public schools, day care
centers, government property, and public accommodations." Medical
researchers and government agencies could use the data, but only if they
kept the data secret from public view. "This position is both a
surprise and major disappointment," he said.
On hearing of Secretary Brancel's position, the Milwaukee-based=20
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center Environmental Health Director
Peter McAvoy, said, "Health researchers aren't the only ones who need
this information. Parents need it too." "If we expect parents to take
an active role in disease prevention for their children and themselves,
we have to give them the tools to make intelligent decisions. That
means making site-specific pesticide use data publicly accessible,"
McAvoy said.
Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition President Peggy Schuemann of Milwaukee
was more pointed. "The idea of suppressing pesticide use information
that is needed by ordinary people to learn about and avoid pesticide
exposures is unthinkable." "Since when do chemical companies have the
right to keep secret where their pesticide chemicals are used?" she
asked.
<bigger>"Children's health needs to be the public's primary concern- not=20
the confidentiality fears of privately owned chemical companies," said
Jane Shibilski, immediate past president of the Wisconsin Parent Teacher
Association, citing last year's debacle in which the public records law
forced Brancel to back away from granting blanket confidentiality to
information collected during a state funded school pesticide use survey.=20
"Taxpayers shouldn't have to go to each and every school their children
attend to find out what's going on, especially when a public database
can be just a click away on a web site," said Shibilski. "Creating a
loophole in the public records law for chemical trucks to drive through
is a dangerous precedent," she said. "A pesticide database for our
schools and other places where our children live and play should be an
open and accessible to all community members," she said.
</bigger>"As a farmer who is trained to use pesticides properly, I have=20
nothing to hide and will gladly report my pesticide use practices if=20
that is what we need," said cash grain farmer John Pounder. "What's the
big deal? It's no secret farmers and lawn companies use pesticides.=20
Let's put the information to work," he said.
"Secretary Brancel's demand completely undermines the idea of providing
citizens the tool they need to prevent unwanted pesticide exposures,"
said Susan Mudd, State Director for Citizens for a Better Environment
who also attended last week's meeting with DATCP. "Thousands of people
throughout Wisconsin are demanding they be given the right to know where
pesticides are used so they can protect their children, their pets and
themselves. Brancel is choosing to ignore the "Consumer Protection"
mission of his state agency," she said. =20
=20
###
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Michelle Miller
Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction Project
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
University of Wisconsin - Madison
U.S. Mail: 146 Agriculture Hall 608.262.7135
Campus: 1535 Observatory Drive 608.262.5200
Madison, WI 53706 fax 265.3020
www.wisc.edu/cias/ mmmille6@facstaff.wisc.edu
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