Latest Issue - Pesticides News No 85

Quarterly/September 2009

Editorial

2 articles are free this issue!

UK retailer steps up action on pesticides
With customers increasingly concerned about the impacts of pesticides on their health and the environment, Marks and Spencer is stepping up its strategy to regulate and reduce pesticide use within their supply chain. Sam Franklin reports.

Pesticide run off into English rivers – a big problem for farmers
Recent work has shown that pesticides applied to land are almost certain to run off into water courses. This is set to have a major impact on British farming as requirements on the UK government to comply with EU drinking water guidelines will pressure farmers to reduce use or lead to further pesticide bans. Bob Evans reports.

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Pesticide poisoning in West Africa
Endosulfan was recently banned in West African cotton, partly because of concerns over health impacts on smallholder farmers. PAN Africa and its partners have been documenting poisoning cases for 10 years now, and Mourtada Thiam and Eloise Touni present some results from their research.

Groups step up action on soya pesticides in Argentina
An emerging public health crisis is affecting Argentina’s soya zones. Residents are experiencing health problems which they attribute to the intensively sprayed pesticides, glyphosate and endosulfan. A campaign to stop the spraying has been gaining ground in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Entre Rios and Santa Fe. At the beginning of 2009 there was a judicial ruling in Córdoba which may have important national and international consequences. StephanieWilliamson reports.

Europe moves towards IPM – the case of Slovakia
As EU Member States begin discussions on how to implement Integrated Pest Management under the new pesticide framework directive, PAN Europe and its member NGOs are examining existing private and public sector IPM schemes throughout Europe. Daniel Lesinsky discusses the situation in Slovakia.

Cotton IPM impact in Ethiopia
Cotton is extensively grown in Ethiopia by large and small-scale farms. Due to its heavy reliance on chemical pest control, cotton is a high priority target for developing an IPM system. But the biggest challenge for promoting more sustainable cotton pest management is convincing farmers that they can produce good yields with reduced or zero pesticide use. Tadesse Amera reports on impacts of the cotton IPM training in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley.

Helping cocoa farmers adjust to new EU pesticide laws
The globalisation of agricultural trade has left farmers in developing countries vulnerable to the changing demands of importing countries. Just last year the European Union introduced legislation requiring that all produce sold in Europe should contain no residues above certain specified levels. How will this affect smallholder cocoa growers in West Africa who are often illiterate and have limited access to information? Mike Rutherford reports on a new initiative to help these growers comply with the new regulations.

Farmer field schools for Kenya’s tea growers
With the imperative to protect crops from pest damage while protecting the environment there is a clear need for ‘green’ alternatives to synthetic pesticides. UK-based company, ECOspray, has steered a course through the EU and UK pesticide regulatory frameworks to finally bring a garlic-based product to market. Its story is one of dogged determination in the face of numerous set-backs. Dr. Awais Anwar, Dr. Murree Groom and David Sadler-Bridge report.

IPM implementation - overcoming barriers to grower adoption
In California, the birthplace of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concept 50 years ago, there are still many practical and ideological barriers which deter growers from adopting IPM. Drawing on over 30 years experience Cliff Ohmart gives a personal view of these barriers and what can be done to overcome them.

Other news, reviews and comment
• Managing farmland sustainably
• Supporting African organic cotton farmers
• Report examines pesticide effects on bees
• End of the road for endosulfan
• Are there pesticides in your school?