U.S. Farmers Use Pesticide Despite Treaty

[jojo]

Other nations watch as the United States keeps permitting wide use of methyl bromide for tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, Christmas trees and other crops, even though the U.S. signed an international treaty banning all but the most critical uses by 2005.

The chemical depletes the earth's protective ozone layer and can harm the human neurological system, an increasing concern as people settle further into what was once just farm country.

Methyl bromide's survival demonstrates the difficulty of banishing a powerful pesticide that helps deliver what both farmers and consumers want: abundant, pest-free and affordable produce.

The Bush administration, at the urging of agriculture and manufacturing interests, is making plans to ensure that methyl bromide remains available at least through 2008 by seeking and winning treaty exemptions. Also, the administration will not commit to an end date.

link

[Myrddin]

Profit before people.

[The Frog]

Is it profit (chemicals aren't cheap) or is it just laziness?

I think it's laziness, thinking that this is something here, now they can use and get the needed results. Other solutions are unknown quantities to them and they're reluctant to give up on something they know.

I've not seen the bug yet that will mess with my veggies and all I spray on them repellant-wise is a Garlic/Pepper tea mix. Not a single worm in our tomatoes nor in our other fruits/veggies.

Natural/Organic Farming and Gardening works. We just need to get the word out.

[Myrddin]

Using chemicals is like slash and burn farming in the Amazon; sure it works well for a while, but the negative consequences outweight the positive. But people will always consider the benefits to themselves and ignore the consequences for others. It is laziness, and also selfishness, but also a drive for profit as time spent on one field means less time for other fields so farmers want the most yeld for the least amount of effort so they can maximise their time (and size of farm).

[The Frog]

I understand what you're saying, I just wonder about the alleged profiteering. I think they're just unaware that the natural methods for prevention would be just as cost/time effective and yet not have the deleterious side effects.

I feel confident letting my kids play in my yard and eating any fruit/veggies therein without worrying about what's on them (save bird poo, perhaps) because all I use is the natural way. There are a lot of ranchers and farmers in the area that have taken similar steps.

[fat mike]

Frog rules! They just don't think. There are some progressive thinkers out there if we can get them into the postitions of influence...

[The Frog]

Actually forget government intervention. Total waste of time/money.

We need to educate the farmers. When you show them how to take care of a field with a natural or organic product that has no bad side effects, yields same or better results and is in the long run (and sometimes the short run) more cost effective, they will likely change themselves.

[jojo]

How does one go about the daily feeding of 350+ million people who obviously have no intention of doing their own farming?

[86Dude]

Clinton pulled the same crap with freon and everyone thought he was a hero.

[The Frog]

R-12 freon was a crock. That was just a 'look, we did something' move that inconvenienced a lot of people needlessly (heavier-than-air substances don't magically go 20 miles up to chew on the earth's ozone layer, R-12 breaks down to harmless inert gasses in hours anyhow) and that's the kind of stuff that makes me as mad as environmental abuse. Wasted effort.

We're proving that pretty much all the harmful chemicals used in farming are not needed and have natural counterparts of equal effectiveness and no side effects. What we need to do is make this better known, and get those farmers that are already engaged in feeding the 350 million people the info and help they need to switch over. In other words, not spend more money- spend it the right way and eventually won't have to spend as much to maintain it.