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Pesticides News No 28
The Journal of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK]
An international perspective on the health and environmental effects of pesticides
Quarterly/June 1995
OP sheep dips
Long-term OP health effects-the saga continues 3
Concern is mounting about organophosphate sheep dips. In the last few months, further evidence has come to light which supports fears about the adverse health effects of exposure to these chemicals. David Buffin of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] argues that the products are not safe for some of the 100,000 sheep farmers in the UK.
Ozone depletion
Methyl bromide ozone threat persists 4
Methyl bromide has been re-confirmed as a significant ozone depleting compound by the 1994 UNEP Scientific Assessment of ozone depletion. In May 1995, several governments formally proposed dates for reducing use and phasing-out the fumigant the preparatory meeting of the Montreal Protocol, an agreement to protect the ozone layer. Melanie Miller reports on developments.
Sustainable agriculture
Pesticide effects on natural enemies 5
Stephanie Williamson of the International Institute of Biological Control (IIBC) reports on achievements of a recent practical training course held for the Asia region on the evaluation of pesticide effects on natural enemies and the implications for pesticide registration.
Hazards and alternatives
Waipuna-new weed control makes a splash 6
The Waipuna weed control system which was first presented in the UK at a Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] conference in 1992 has now formally arrived in the UK. Mark Davis of the Pesticides Trust reports on its impact.
10 years of FAO Code fails to reduce hazard problems 6
Few codes of good practice can point to the universal acknowledgement achieved by the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides in receiving almost. Barbara Dinham of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] reports on the problems of implementation.
International trade
Global increase in pesticide use 7
The global pesticide market reached $27,825 million in 1994, an increase of 10.1% over the previous year, according to the British Agrochemicals Association (BAA) annual report. This represents a growth in real terms of 2.9% - the largest increase in many years.
Hazardous use
Safe use or sustainable agriculture-the battle for hearts and minds 8
Three years ago the agrochemical industry association, GIFAP, launched a series of pilot 'safe use projects' (SUP) in Guatemala, Kenya and Thailand, with the aim of demonstrating how approaches to pesticide use can be improved through stewardship techniques.
Third world 25
Water environment 26
Food residues 27
Small doses 27
Fact sheet-lindane
Lindane-a chemical of the past persists in the future 28
International monitor 31
Book reviews and resources 30-31
Methyl bromide book reviews 4
The Cotton Chain
Linking sustainable agriculture and fair trade - an introduction 9
Designing for an organic cotton future 9
If organic production is to expand, textile and clothing companies need to stimulate the demand. Manufacturers in California took this step in the early 1990s, and many other companies are now following suit. Lynda Grose was involved at the outset and writes about the part designers can play in this process.
Challenging the cotton-pesticide alliance 12
The Bio-Re organic cotton project in India takes an integrated approach to developing alternative systems. Three years after starting work in the State of Madhya Pradesh, the Bio-Re project supports a growing network of farmers, and the yields per hectare are continually increasing. The project consultant, Tadeu Caldas, reports on how this has been achieved.
Cotton production in Benin - the need for a more sustainable system
Cotton is a major earner of foreign exchange in Benin, but there is increasing concern about the impact of existing production on the ecosystem. The Netherlands government and Benin have signed a Sustainable Development Treaty of which organic cotton production may be a part. The researchers Peter Ton and Simplice Vodouhê report on the current situation.
Starting an organic pilot project in Senegal 16
A farmers' workshop by Dorothy Myers
Organic production - picking the pesticides out of cotton 17
Why organic? Reducing the level of chemical inputs in cotton production has been motiavated at the producers' end by the need to lower production costs, the growing awareness of the environmental and health dangers of pesticides use, and rapidly increasing insecticide resistance problems. Dorothy Myers of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] reviews some recent developments.
A new twist to an old yarn - the impact of GATT on sustainable cotton production
Cotton is an important crop in many developing countries, providing a source of foreign exchange and a cash income for many farming communities. It is a major consumer of pesticides, typically accounting for over 10% of global use. The cotton crop has long been associated with unsustainable methods of agricultural production, human poisoning, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and insect resistance. Barbara Dinham of the Pesticides Trust
[now PAN UK] considers whether new agreements on the textile and clothing and the inclusion of agriculture in the Uruguay Round of the GATT will enhance or diminish the prospects for sustainable cotton production.
Cotton facts 23
Tables
Principal cotton exporting countries and regions / Global cotton production and export /Comparison of yields and area under cotton in selected countries 1993/94 / Major cotton producers and % global production 1993/94