Thank you 700 times, and pesticide Tweets…
Posted by Gavin on March 02, 2010 in Global issues
If you didn’t know it already, we use Twitter, and we now have more than 700 followers - for this we would like to say a big thank you to all.
If you don’t use Twitter, you might not be aware of how useful it can be as a resource for information and good ideas. Here’s a collection of pesticide information from tweets from us, and tweets we’ve re-tweeted from the past few days. Enjoy!
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Via @cropprotection
News of the EU’s ‘REAL Fake’ competition to raise awareness of the dangers and problems associated with counterfeit and fake products - recognised as a great opportunity for EU agricultural schools to explore counterfeit pesticide issues.
Read more: http://bit.ly/an1svn
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Via @pdjmoo
Germany: New sensing technology from bats and insects helps farmers reduce fertilizer and pesticide use - impressive.
Read more: http://ow.ly/1bQ0D
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Via @ThePhoenixSun
An article exploring the health implications of pesticide drift, and the problems of regulating drift.
Read more: http://bit.ly/9xFbmx
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Via @pesticideinfo
Food organisations form working groups to tackle impact of pesticides legislation - a response to the UK consultation for the Sustainable Use Directive.
Read more: http://bit.ly/9F4Zqk
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Via @pesticideinfo
Food Scare Over Toxic Cowpeas Spreads in China - reporting on the detection of harmful chemical residues on Chinese produce.
Read more: http://bit.ly/cZUcmO
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Via @TheAngryindian & @GMWatch
Is WWF the only international green group to be picketed by its peers? An article describing critism of WWF for their involvement in spy production in Latin America.
Read more: http://bit.ly/c2wXPF
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Via @cropprotection
Pesticide red tape may prove ‘a blight on potato sector’. UK concern over the potential impact of new pesticide legislation on potato yeilds.
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Via @pesticideinfo
Colony Collapse Disorder: the real crisis ahead, ‘agricultural collapse disorder…’. A view that bee Colony Collapse Disorder is infact casued by the nature of bee farming.
Read more: http://bit.ly/bzGcJg
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Via @canadaguy
Children in Latin American countries found exposed to DDT - a legacy of anit-malaria pesticide use.
Read more: http://www.enn.com/health/article/41028
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Via @pesticideinfo
Tomatoes that taste like Holland, farming with scorpions, & at least one goodreason why you should not taste pesticides. Actually the previous post on this blog - when you’re done here, why not have a read.
Read more: http://bit.ly/aDuR1Y
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Via @HealthandEnv
NGO facing legal challenge after apparently discovering unacceptable pesticide levels in wine.
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Via @scgardeningnews
Cultural controls are best, but if you must spray, use less toxic insecticides. Some basic advice on home and garden pesticide use.
Read more: http://bit.ly/LpNYO
Some of our followers…
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Comments(0)Why tomatoes taste of Holland again, and other useful info…
Posted by Gavin on February 16, 2010 in Farming, Food & health, Global issues
Actually they don’t, and probably never did. This wonderful question is the result of a German to English Google translation of an article posted at presseportal.de. The story is of Dutch tomato growers who claim their tomatoes taste more like tomatoes when they are grown with biological methods - favouring natural predators to combat pests, over the use of pesticides. The original article can be read here, and the Google translation can be braved here.
Staying with ‘biological’ pest management, an Israeli researcher is developing what is described as an ‘ecologically sound pesticide’ by modifying the venom of scorpions. It is claimed that certain neurotoxins present in the venom have the chemical properties to manage crop damaging pests, while posing no threats to useful pests such as bees, or mammals like you and I.
Pesticides are like medicines, they are used to treat ’sick’ plants, and prevent ’sickness’ in plants. As with medicines, you should always read the label. A well timed news story ‘Pesticides cause impotency if not properly handled‘ (posted on St. Valentines Day), reports on the potential dangers of failing to follow safety instructions. It seems that some farmers in Ghana have taken to tasting pesticides before use in order to reassure themselves of its potency! Without doubt, a practice entirely incompatible with the safe and sustainable use of pesticides. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and CropLife Africa Middle East made these revelations during a recent programme of workshops to train farmers and encourage the safe use of plant protection products.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) offers a wealth of information on good agricultural practices, including information on the sustainable and safe use of pesticides. Always read the label, and if in doubt, seek expert advice.
Recent articles on pesticides and related topics
Posted by Phil on July 27, 2009 in Environment, European Regulation, Farming, Food & health, Global issues
Please find below some recent articles on pesticides and related topics. Do feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand colmumn.
- The Three A’s of Food Security (Sciencebase blog)
- Differing patterns in food price falls (BBC)
- French village goes organic one day a week (3News)
- EU survey reveals poor state of biodiversity (Euractiv)
- EU farm subsidies ‘inconsistent’ with global food security (Euractiv)
- Sweden introduces climate labelling for food (Euractiv)
- World food prices: Whatever happened to the food crisis? (The Economist)
- Agriculture Demand Outpacing Honeybee Increase, Researchers Say (Bloomberg)
- EFSA publishes report on pesticide residues in food (Food Production Daily)
- Forum on the Future of Agriculture goes on the road… (Blogactiv)
Recent posts on pesticides and related topics
Posted by Helen Dunnett on June 12, 2009 in Environment, Farming
Here are some articles on pesticides and related topics from the last two weeks:
- “Agriculture seen as ‘key’ to fighting climate change” (EurActiv)
- Mercabilbao in Spain starts a pioneer process of cleaning and desensitizing the boxes used to carry fruit and vegetables. “Mercabilbao pone en marcha un tren de lavado pionero en el Estado para envases reutilizables de frutas y hortalizas” (In spanish - Europapress)
- “Italian police seize counterfeit pesticides” (Fruinet)
- “Debate over quality of Italian fresh produce” (International Supermarket News)
- “Agriculture: A necessary complication in the climate negotiation” (Grist)
European Commission completes its pesticide review
Posted by Helen Dunnett on March 17, 2009 in Environment, European Regulation, Farming, Food & health
Last week the European Commission announced the completion of its review of pesticides that were on the market before 1993. The review looked at about 1000 substances used in conventional and organic agriculture. In their press statement, the Commission said that the pesticides “have undergone a detailed risk evaluation with respect to their effects on humans and on the environment”.
In the press statement the EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said: “Today represents a milestone in our effort to ensure improved protection of human health and the environment. The review of existing pesticides has lead to the removal from the market of more than two thirds of these substances. I can now say with confidence that our food has become greener.”
Of those 1000 pesticides removed from the market, the vast majority of pesticides (67%) didn’t qualify because their dossiers were either not submitted, incomplete or withdrawn by industry. 7% of dossiers submitted failed the review. 26% of substances were approved.
To promote the end of this review programme, the Commission has produced a factsheet “ EU action on pesticides”
Yesterday the Commission launched a new pesticide database listing active substances. The database is available to the general public. To access it click here.
Download a copy of their factsheet.
The bee season returns and experts continue to search the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder
Posted by Helen Dunnett on February 20, 2009 in Environment, Farming, Food & health
Bees are a fundamental part of sustainable agriculture. Bees and other pollinating insects are responsible for the pollination of more than 80% of crops in Europe. So it’s been extremely worrying to see a mass decline in them over the past years. It’s got to such a critical point that this year the EU has funded a nine-month research project to better understand the problem and investigate the potential cause.
Hubert Deluyker, EFSA’s Director of Scientific Cooperation and Assistance, who is leading the project said: “This project will be an important step forward in international efforts to understand and help tackle the reported decline in bee populations, which could have widespread implications not only in environmental terms but also with regard to the food chain”.
“I strongly encourage scientists and other interested parties – such as beekeeping associations, for example – to share their valuable scientific data, knowledge and experience with the organisers of this project,” he added.
Read the rest of this entry »
EU fund new software to standardise risk assessment of pesticide pollution
Posted by Helen Dunnett on February 17, 2009 in Environment, Farming
The Environmental Expert.com published an article recently about the development of a tool to help standardise risk assessment procedures for pesticides across Europe. The software combines climate, soil and crops data specific to each location to help understand the potential impact of each pesticide used.
The objective of the FOOTPRINT project is to develop a set of 3 computer tools that will allow users to:
- identify the dominant pathways and sources of pesticide contamination in the agricultural landscape.
- estimate levels of pesticide concentrations in surface water and groundwater.
- make scientifically-based assessments of how the implementation of risk reduction strategies is likely to reduce pesticide contamination of water resources.
To find out more about the project visit http://www.eu-footprint.org/ataglance.html
To access the FOOTPRINT software, visit: www.eu-footprint.org/FOOT_tools.html
Recent press on pesticides
Posted by Helen Dunnett on January 03, 2009 in Environment, Farming, Food & health, Global issues
Some recent articles on pesticides and related topics. Feel free to recommend more articles by selecting “Recommend a page or site” above or access a more comprehensive list of articles by using the Delicious cloud in the right-hand colmumn.
- Agri-food sector to assess its environmental footprint (EurActiv)
- Is Local Food Better? (EurActiv)
- Vote for future of farming in EU (Farmers Guardian)
- Co-op donation creates buzz around British black bees (Guardian)
- Green Revolution Key to food Security in Africa (European Water News)
- Climate change ‘killing coral triangle’ (Telegraph)
- Threat to European biodiversity ‘as serious as climate change’ (The Optimum population trust blog)
- Pesticides: Operator Safety Is Paramount (ScienceDaily)
- Consumers are savvy about organic food (Financial Times)
- EU agricultural research to tackle food security (Euractiv)
- French organic food sales rise 25 pct in 2008 (Reuters)
- Demand for emergency food rises (BBC)