Archive for the 'Federal Agencies' Category
14
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 14, 2022) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is confirming that PFAS (per and polyfluorinated alykyl substances) forever chemicals leach into pesticides from their storage containers, and is taking steps to remove 12 âinertâ PFAS ingredients that are currently allowed to be added to pesticide products. The agencyâs move is a step toward some measure of health protections from chemicals that may have been widely sprayed throughout many American communities, and have been linked to cancer, liver damage, birth and developmental problems, reduced fertility, and asthma. However, many advocates indicate EPAâs actions on PFAS inerts do not go far enough, and the agencyâs findings regarding leaching storage containers are accompanied by no meaningful restrictions on their use. Following reports and preliminary testing conducted in 2020 showing that PFAS chemicals are present in a widely used mosquito adulticide, EPA began investigating the source of this contamination. Testing on the product Anvil 10+10, produced by the company Clarke, resulted in detection of nine different PFAS chemicals. Early indications indicate that the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers used to store pesticides contained PFAS substances on their walls, and that those chemicals are leaching into the liquid pesticides stored in contaminated barrels. These […]
Posted in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Maine, PFAS, Uncategorized, Water | 1 Comment »
13
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 13, 2022) Every store-bought milkweed sample tested in a recent study contains multiple toxic pesticides, placing monarchs reliant on these plants in harmâs way at a time the species can ill afford any further loss to its population. Pollinator declines have influenced many residents throughout the U.S. to take action into their own hands and transform their home yards or businesses into an oasis for bees, birds, and butterflies. Yet the recent study published in Biological Conservation finds that many retailers are dousing their âwildlife-friendlyâ plants with pesticides that put this vulnerable species in further danger. âThat was the most shocking part,â said lead author Christopher Halsch, a doctoral study at University of Nevada, Reno. âThe fact that plants labeled as potentially beneficial or at least friendly to wildlife are not better and in some cases might be worse than other plants available for purchase. This research sheds light on how pesticides may impact western monarchs, but many other butterflies are facing even steeper population declines, and pesticides are likely one driver.â Testing was conducted by purchasing milkweed plants at 33 different stores spanning 15 different states. A sample of each plant was cut after purchase, and […]
Posted in Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Habitat Protection, Increased Vulnerability to Diseases from Chemical Exposure, Pollinators, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 1 Comment »
12
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 12, 2022) Comments are due by 11:59 pm EDT September 29. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is receiving written comments from the public through September. This precedes the upcoming public comment webinar on October 18 and 20 and deliberative hearing October 25-27âconcerning how organic food is produced. Sign up to speak at the webinar by September 29. Written comments must be submitted through Regulations.gov. by 11:59 pm EDT September 29. Links to the virtual comment webinars and the public meeting will be posted on this webpage in early October. The NOSB is responsible for guiding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in its administration of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), including the materials allowed to be used in organic production and handling. The role of the NOSB is especially important as we depend on organic production to protect our ecosystem, mitigate climate change, and enhance our health The NOSB plays an important role in bringing the views of organic producers and consumers to bear on USDA, which is not always in sync with organic principles. There are many important issues on the NOSB agenda this Spring. For a complete discussion, see Keeping Organic Strong and […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 7 Comments »
09
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 9, 2022)Â One kind of solution to the biodiversity crisis that is likely not on most folkâs bingo cards comes from a Nevada cattle rancher, who has shifted his relationship with . . . wait for it . . . beavers. As climate change impacts ramp up their toll in the U.S. via intensified droughts, floods, and wildfires, solutions are widely and eagerly sought, if deployed at insufficient pace. In this Nevada case, Agee Smith â unlike his rancher father, who reportedly âwaged war against the animals, frequently with dynamiteâ â welcomes beavers and their industry on his ranch land. Doing so has yielded multiple benefits for his operation, the environment, and biodiversity. As reported by The New York Times, âMr. Smith has become one of a growing number of ranchers, scientists and other âbeaver believersâ who see the creatures not only as helpers, but as furry weapons of climate resilience.â Many landowners, of all stripes, consider beavers to be destructive ânuisanceâ animals that wantonly fell trees, and in so doing sometimes flood farm fields, back yards, roads, forests, or grazing acreage. Public complaints about such behaviors resulted in the federal governmentâs killing of more than 25,000 beavers […]
Posted in Biodiversity, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
22
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 22, 2022) The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is, as President Biden claims, âThe single most aggressive action the U.S. is taking to tackle the climate crisis and create clean energy solutions in American history.â However, that is a low bar to clear. There is much more required to meet the President’s climate goals and much is needed to ensure that the IRA is implemented in a way that helps farmers, fenceline communities, and biodiversity. As stated by Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, âPresident Biden and his administration should take this moment not only to celebrate, but also to recommit and refocus on addressing the environmental injustice and wildlife crises.” For more in-depth coverage, see Beyond Pesticidesâ Daily News. Tell President Biden that funds in the Inflation Reduction Act must meet the need for a transformative moment to address the existential health (including environmental justice), biodiversity, and climate crises and shift society to organic practices by eliminating fossil fuel-based pesticides and fertilizers; and that further steps are needed to reach critical and urgent goals. We cannot meet climate goals while maintaining a dependence on fossil fuels. Eliminating that dependence requires more than a shift from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles, shifting from […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Climate, Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
19
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 19, 2022) On August 16, President Biden signed a bill â the âInflation Reduction Act of 2022â â that will provide unprecedented sums to address the existential threats we face related to climate, biodiversity, and health. The $750 billion total appropriation is far less than the original $1.75 trillion hoped for early in the legislative process, but nevertheless is an historic level of federal investment. Beyond Pesticides sees in the bill, now law, opportunities to make significant headway on our call for the elimination of toxic pesticides over the next decade, which launches during our 2022 National Forum Series. The new law could (and should) also provide investment in the critical transition to organic production methods in agriculture. Should the federal government advance organic systems as a climate, health, and environmental justice solution, those two priorities would go far to improve health, reduce dependence on synthetic, fossil-fuel-based pesticides and fertilizers, and allow natural systems to begin to heal from 70+ years of chemical assault. Component sections of the Inflation Reduction Act include those on Clean Energy and Transmission, Clean Transportation, Buildings and Energy Efficiency, Manufacturing, Environmental Justice, Conservation and Agriculture, Fossil Fuels, and Permitting Reform. Within those categories, […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Climate, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
16
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 16, 2022) Over half of all food samples tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contain the residues of at least one pesticide, and one in ten samples have levels that violate legal limits established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These findings, published by FDA this month in its 2020 Pesticide Residue Monitoring Report, are simply par for the course for government regulators, as FDA indicates the 2020 results âwere consistent with recent years.â However, while reporting on the dangerous pesticides present in U.S. food has become routine for FDA, more and more Americans are rejecting regular exposure to unnecessary toxics in their food by going organic with their food choices, planting their own pesticide-free gardens, and encouraging their elected officials to embrace safer, sustainable land care policies. Â FDA has conducted a review of pesticide residues on food on an annual basis since 1987, evaluating both domestic and imported foodstuffs into the US market. While EPA sets âpesticide tolerances,â also known as âmaximum residue levels,â of allowed pesticide residues on certain foods, FDA (and USDA, for some specific items like meat, poultry, and eggs) is tasked with enforcing these provisions. Pesticide tolerances, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Azoxystrobin, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Imidacloprid, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
15
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 15, 2022)Â Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and seven other members of the United States Senate are calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to phase out the use of toxic pesticides in National Wildlife Refuges in order to protect declining wildlife species and the countryâs unique natural resources. The senators sent a letter to FWS Director Martha Williams urging FWS to âexpeditiously begin a rulemaking process to phase out the use of agricultural pesticides on National Wildlife Refuges.â The move comes at a time when native wildlife and the ecosystems humans rely upon are under greater threats than ever before from climate change, habitat destruction, and the indiscriminate use of toxic pesticides. Join eight U.S. Senators in calling for a phase out of the use of toxic pesticides in National Wildlife Refuges. âThe Refuge System was established to provide sanctuary for listed threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and other wildlife,â wrote the senators in their letter. âThe Refugesâ migratory sanctuary and breeding grounds are especially critical for North American birds, as they have faced precipitous population declines; there are 3 billion fewer breeding birds in North America than there were in 1970. Unfortunately these birds […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Uncategorized | No Comments »
03
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 3, 2022) A systematic review of scientific studies on pesticides and fertility finds exposure associated with lower semen quality, DNA fragmentation, and chromosomal abnormalities. Published in the journal Andrology, the review is yet another warning from a long string of researchers sounding the alarm over the connection between global fertility and toxic chemical exposure. With data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Â indicating roughly 1 in 5 couples are unable to conceive after a year of trying, and trends continuing to slope downwards, it is critical that contributing factors be identified so that protective changes can be made. Â After screening over 1,300 studies, researchers narrowed their review down to 64 papers assessing semen parameters and DNA integrity after pesticide exposure. Each study is analyzed for its design, the pesticide investigated, Â the population studied, controls, and reproductive effects determined. Pesticides are evaluated for their impacts to sperm quality and DNA integrity based on their chemical class. Organochlorine insecticides, which are all banned but still persistent in soil, air, water, and food in the United States, include a range of impacts to sperm quality. Higher levels of DDT or its breakdown metabolite DDE are […]
Posted in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Infertility, organochlorines, organophosphate, Synthetic Pyrethroid, Uncategorized | No Comments »
02
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 2, 2022) Members of the United States Senate are calling on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to phase out the use of toxic pesticides in National Wildlife Refuges in order to protect declining wildlife species and the countryâs unique natural resources. Led by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), the senators sent a letter to FWS Director Martha Williams urging FWS to âexpeditiously begin a rulemaking process to phase out the use of agricultural pesticides on National Wildlife Refuges.â The move comes at a time when native wildlife and the ecosystems humans rely upon are under greater threats than ever before from climate change, habitat destruction, and the indiscriminate use of toxic pesticides. âThe Refuge System was established to provide sanctuary for listed threatened and endangered species, migratory birds, and other wildlife,â wrote the senators in a letter to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Director Martha Williams. âThe Refugesâ migratory sanctuary and breeding grounds are especially critical for North American birds, as they have faced precipitous population declines; there are 3 billion fewer breeding birds in North America than there were in 1970. Unfortunately these birds and other threatened species are being put at risk by pesticide use […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biodiversity, Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), neonicotinoids, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
01
Aug
(Beyond Pesticides, August 1, 2022) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just renewed the charter of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), with changes that threaten the balance on the board created by law. Organic production is successful, with sales topping $63 billion, and still growing. Organic production not only brings healthful food to it consumers, but also reduces the amount of toxic chemicals released to the air, soil, and water. And it helps to reduce climate change by sequestering carbon in the soil. To ensure rigorous oversight of USDA and robust advice and management of the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, the NOSB was created to ensure balanced representation from organic stakeholders, including consumers, conservationists, farmers, a scientist, retailer, and certifier. The growth of the organic brand is attributable in great part to public trust in the standards and processes that govern oversight over the USDA organic label. Tell USDA to classify all NOSB members as âRepresentativesâ to protect the integrity of organic production. Tell Congress to ensure that USDA follows the letter and spirit of the organic law. The success of organic derives from consumer trust in the organic label, and that trust depends on […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
27
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 26, 2022) As monarch butterfly numbers continue to drop throughout the United States, an international conservation group is listing the migratory monarch butterfly as endangered. The move by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) places pressure on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to prioritize protections for this rapidly dwindling iconic species. âTodayâs Red List update highlights the fragility of natureâs wonders, such as the unique spectacle of monarch butterflies migrating across thousands of kilometres,â said Bruno Oberle, PhD, IUCN Director General. âTo preserve the rich diversity of nature we need effective, fairly governed protected and conserved areas, alongside decisive action to tackle climate change and restore ecosystems. In turn, conserving biodiversity supports communities by providing essential services such as food, water and sustainable jobs.â Migratory monarch butterflies are under threat from a range of factors harming both their western and eastern populations. Logging and deforestation have destroyed much of their overwintering grounds in Mexico and California. Climate change has subjected the butterflies to temperature anomalies and extremes, severe weather, and wildfires. Herbicide use has eliminated millions of acres of breeding habitat by killing off milkweed plants that monarchs require to rear their […]
Posted in Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Habitat Protection, International, Pollinators, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
14
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 14, 2022) The ringleader of a pesticide smuggling operation conducted across the United States border with Mexico has been sentenced to eight months in prison by a U.S. District Court Judge. According to a press release by the U.S. Attorneyâs Office for the Southern District of California, Sofia Mancera Morales used individuals recruited over social media Bovitraz and Taktic, pesticide products banned in the US that pose hazards to pollinators and cancer risks to humans. âIn exchange for ill-begotten profits, this cavalier smuggling operation was more than willing to risk the publicâs health and the honeybee industry, which is critical to pollinating our food supply,â said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. While the Department of Justice deserves praise for this enforcement action, health and environmental advocates say that more must be done to stop illegal pesticide sales. A quick search for the two pesticide products in question brings up webpages, including well-known sites like Etsy.com, where the same illegal pesticides cited in this case are currently being sold to U.S. consumers. Over Facebook, Ms. Morales offered to pay individuals between $40-150 per package of pesticide products they delivered across the border. Those recruited were instructed to open a […]
Posted in amitraz, Cancer, Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
13
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 13, 2022) Birds are beautiful. They fill our world with color, song, and acrobatics. Most songbirds eat insects during the nesting season, thus contributing to management of insects in crops and gardens. It is no wonder that Rachel Carson chose their absence as an indicator of ecosystem collapse in Silent Spring. Tell your U.S. Senators to cosponsor S. 4187, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Enhancements Act. Tell your U.S. Senators and Representative to ensure that EPA does not allow pesticides that threaten birds or their insect food supply. Itâs not always easy to be a bird. About half of the worldâs bird species migrate up to tens of thousands of miles each year. Whether at home or on the way to warmer climates for the winter, birds face harsh weather conditions, barriers like windows and radio towers, and the problem of storing enough energy for the flight in a tiny body. About 72 million birds are killed by pesticides and other toxic chemicals every year. In addition, pesticide use has contributed to the collapse of insect populationsâthe source of protein and fat that birds need to raise their young. Congress has passed laws to help prevent a […]
Posted in Birds, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
10
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 10, 2022)Â The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on June 1 that it will provide a potential 15-fold increase in funding aimed at organic food production â up to $300 million. The subject Organic Transition Initiative provision is embedded in a new USDA Food System Transformation framework (FSTF), whose raison d’ĂŞtre is captured in the press release: âto transform the food system to benefit consumers, producers and rural communities by providing more options, increasing access, and creating new, more, and better markets for small and mid-size producers.â That funding for organic transition, the invocation of climate as a significant driver of multiple features of the initiative, and a focus on equity concerns are all welcome news. Beyond Pesticides maintains that it will be critical that this FSTF result in concrete goals that set out specific metrics and timelines â particularly around the magnitude of acres shifted to organic production and the pace of the phaseout of non-organic substances and protocols. The headline of the press release bespeaks the rationale: âShoring Up the Food Supply Chain and Transforming the Food System to Be Fairer, More Competitive, More Resilient.â Broadly, the initiative addresses four sectors of agricultural activity: production, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
08
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 8, 2022) A new biological agent to manage the destructive pest spotted wing drosophila (SWD) (Drosophila suzukii) is set to be released this month after approval was granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ganaspis brasiliensis, a parasitic wasp with a specific affinity for SWD, has the ability to significantly curtail the use of toxic pesticides otherwise employed to manage the pest. The move is an important step forward for biological pest management in the United States, an approach that has already added billions of benefits to agricultural economies, and has the potential to help farmers eliminate the regular use of hazardous pesticides. SWD is a small fruit fly originally from southeast Asia. In 2009, it was discovered on the U.S. West Coast and rapidly became a major pest, leading to significant crop loss estimated at over $700 million each year. The insect attacks nearly all soft bodied fruits, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, and others. It has an apparent preference for blueberries, costing that industry alone $100 million per year. It lays its eggs inside of ripe fruit, which hatch into larvae and ruin the entire fruit as it feeds. Female […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Biological Control, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
24
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 24, 2022) New research is providing strong causal evidence that Gulf War Illness (GWI) is the result of exposure to sarin gas, an organophosphate nerve agent used by Saddam Hussein as a chemical weapon during the Gulf War. The findings, published earlier this month in Environmental Health Perspectives, have important implications for the hundreds of thousands of American service members suffering from a constellation of chronic symptoms without a true understanding of how they became sick. âQuite simply, our findings prove that Gulf War illness was caused by sarin, which was released when we bombed Iraqi chemical weapons storage and production facilities,â said Robert Haley, MD, lead author of the study and epidemiologist at University of Texas Southwestern. âThere are still more than 100,000 Gulf War veterans who are not getting help for this illness and our hope is that these findings will accelerate the search for better treatment.â Sarin was first synthesized in the late 1930s by Nazi chemists working for IG Farben (a consortium that included Bayer) in an attempt to create stronger and more powerful insecticides. Sarin is a G-series organophosphate (named after the scientists that created them), characterized by high acute toxicity and […]
Posted in Gulf War Syndrome, organophosphate, Uncategorized, Veterans Administraton | No Comments »
29
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 29, 2022) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceâs (FWSâs) plan to list a rare milkweed species, and the areas in which it grows in south Texas, as critical and endangered has garnered political pushback from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In February, FWS announced its intention to list 691 acres of prostrate milkweed habitat in order to protect it, given its critical role in supporting monarch butterfly populations. But Attorney General (AG) Paxton sent a letter to FWS saying that the critical and endangered determination âwould further destabilize Texasâs border, hindering the construction of the border wall,â and that it would risk security on the border with Mexico. FWS countered with a press release stating that, âThis listing and critical habitat proposal is based on the best available science, including a species status assessment that included input and review from academia and state agencies.â The 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) mandates that federal agencies, in consultation with FWS and/or the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service, ensure that any actions in which they engage (whether authorizing, implementing, or funding) are unlikely to jeopardize the existence of a listed species, or have negative impacts on […]
Posted in Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 1 Comment »
18
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 18, 2022) Industrial poultry operationsâgenerally indoors and with crowded conditionsâprovide the perfect incubator for pandemic influenza. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), âThese involve the congregation of large numbers of genetically identical animals of the same age (young) and sex, with rapid turnover and âall-in, all-outâ systems.â The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is delaying the adoption of organic rules that would require meaningful outdoor access and prevent indoor crowding. Influenza pandemics have killed millions of peopleâbetween 20 and 40 million people died in the 1918 pandemic, one million in 1957, and one to three million in 1968. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), âInfluenza type A viruses are of most significance to public health due to their potential to cause an influenza pandemic.â There are several subtypes of type A influenza, which originates in birds. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were 700 human cases of the H5N1 subtype since 2003, and only 40% survived. Tell USDA to promulgate a strong Organic Livestock and Poultry Standard. Tell USDA to protect against flu pandemics by applying the same rules to all poultry. Because avian flu poses a risk to […]
Posted in Agriculture, Avian Flu, Birds, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
15
Apr
The organic solutions to problems highlighted in the latest issue of Pesticides and Youâbased on the importance of healthy ecosystems and public health protectionâare within reach, and the data creates an imperative for action now that phases out pesticides within a decade, while ensuring food productivity, resilient land management, and safe food, air, and water. (Beyond Pesticides, April 15, 2022) The current issue of Pesticides and You, RETROSPECTIVE 2021: A Call to Urgent Action, is a look at a year of science, policy, and advocacy that informs both the existential problems that the U.S. and the world are facing due to toxic pesticide dependency, and solutions that can be adopted now. The information in this issue captures the body of science that empowers action at the local, state, and federal level, and provides a framework for challenging toxic pesticide use and putting alternatives in place. The issue finds that 2021 was a pivotal year in both defining the problem and advancing the solution. This year in review is divided into nine sections that provide an accounting of scientific findings documenting serious pesticide-induced health and environmental effects, disproportionate risk to people of color and those with preexisting conditions, regulatory failures, at the same time […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Antibiotic Resistance, Aquaculture, Aquatic Organisms, Asthma, Bats, Bayer, Biodiversity, Birds, Birth defects, Brain Effects, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chemicals, Chronic Kidney Disease, coronavirus, Corporations, COVID-19, Dermatitis, Developmental Disorders, Diabetes, Ecosystem Services, Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Justice, Farmworkers, Fertilizer, fish, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Herbicides, Kidney failure, Lawns/Landscapes, Learning Disabilities, Leukemia, Litigation, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Monsanto, Multiple Myeloma, National Organic Standards Board/National Organic Program, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Obesity, Parkinson's, Pesticide Drift, Pesticide Regulation, Pets, Reproductive Health, Respiratory Diseases, Rodenticide, Skin Reactions, Thyroid Disease, Wildlife/Endangered Sp., Women's Health, Wood Preservatives | No Comments »
11
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 11, 2022) As the U.S. encourages the spread of chemical-intensive, industrialized agriculture, local farmers are increasingly pressured into giving up traditional agricultural practices in favor of monocultures to increase the demand  for agrichemical pesticides and fertilizers worldwide. This policy is promoted by the industry with vested economic interests as good for the U.S. economy, but it is not good for either planetary health or global food security. Instead, U.S. foreign aid agencies, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other agencies, should be supporting traditional practices and organic agriculture. Tell Congress and U.S. AID to support aid that promotes traditional and organic agriculture. Industrial agriculture depends on monocultureâgrowing single crops that can be easily planted, fertilized, treated with pesticides, and harvestedâespecially on large-scale, mechanized farms. In spite of the perceived advantages of monoculture, however, it is a significant contributor to biodiversity loss and pollinator decline. Loss of biodiversity feeds the pesticide treadmill by removing predators and parasites who keep crop-feeding insects below damaging levels. The vast majority of crop plants depend on pollinators. Traditional agriculture, like organic agriculture, depends on interacting species. Most organic agriculture resembles monoculture piecewise, but integrates cover crops, hedgerows and other […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, International, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Uncategorized | No Comments »
06
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 6, 2022) Conventional apples sold at market and sprayed with synthetic fungicides may not only contain drug-resistant fungi, but function as a transmission reservoir and route to spread these dangerous pathogens, finds research published in mBio late last month by a team of researchers from India and Canada. As reports of fungal resistance rise, particularly in hospitals and among the immunocompromised, there is an urgent need to understand and address the root causes of these emerging disease threats. âWhen we look at human pathogens, we tend to look at whatâs immediate to us,â said study coauthor Jianping Xu, PhD. âBut we have to look at it more broadly. Everything is connected, the whole system. Fruit is just 1 example.ââŻÂ Researchers set out their research with the suspicion that stored fruits sprayed with synthetic fungicides were acting as a source and route of transmission for the deadly fungi Candida auris. This yeast is considered an âemerging fungal pathogenâ by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and has increased its rate of infection significantly since its initial identification in the mid 1990s. The fungi has been found in every continent save Antarctica. It has proven to […]
Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotic Resistance, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fungal Resistance, Resistance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
30
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 30, 2022) An article by the Audubon Society covers ongoing advocacy to end pesticide spraying in wildlife refuges. Wildlife refuges act as a sanctuary, providing habitat and protection essential for the survival and recovery of species nationwide. However, portions of the wildlife sanctuary can have agricultural uses, allowing farmers to cultivate crops on various acres, subsequently applying pesticides. Pesticide spraying in or around wildlife refuges threatens the survivability and recovery of species that inhabit the area. Moreover, many of these pesticides are highly toxic to human and animal health. Analyses like these are significant, especially since the globe is currently going through the Holocene Extinction, Earthâs 6th mass extinction, with one million species of plants and animals at risk. With the increasing rate of biodiversity loss, advocates say it is essential for government agencies to enforce policies that eliminate pesticide use in wildlife refuges. Ending pesticide applications in sanctuaries can protect the well-being of animals, humans, and the ecosystem. Hannah Connor, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), notes, âItâs not a huge economic driver of the refuge system, and it is truly problematic in terms of fulfilling its mission and goals[âŚ]. That just means it should be […]
Posted in Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »