By their very nature, pesticides can result
in injury after exposure—they can ‘hit and run’. This means the exact
figure of those poisoned is hard to measure. Chronic and sub-acute effects
can be difficult to prove and leave lingering arguments which fester. Whilst the
Health and Safety Executive has made advances in dealing with incidents, this
issue of Pesticides News says that past victims still think that there is
no specific authority to help their needs. Too little is known about pesticides
to be certain problems are not storing up for the future—insurance companies
are already feeling exposed to possible future claims over general environment
pollution in the US.
Measures which reduce pesticide use should to help to
minimise exposure. To this end, we have been looking at moves to develop
integrated farming and less reliance on pesticides. In the Netherlands this is
backed by the government who set specific targets. An ambitious scheme means
that currently 500 Dutch farmers are involved in integrated farming. In the UK,
the Ministry of Agriculture announced in June £12 million for the LINK
programme on technologies for sustainable farming systems—to bridge the gap
between research and agriculture, with the help of industry. But they seem to
have no overall goals or targets. These have been left up to the
practitioners—such as the retail industry and the farmers’ union.
Rotation is an important part of integrated farming. Robert
Shiel of Newcastle University looks at studies earlier in the century. He argues
that the cost of pest control has not been previously included within crop
profit calculations—so that swedes contribute as much profit as cereals
because they improve soil structure and help control weeds. John Palfreyman of
the Scottish Institute for Wood Technology outlines international efforts to
assess heat treatment and the development of biological control against the dry
rot fungus to replace highly toxic wood treatment chemicals. Alexander von
Hilderbrand of the Swiss Development Cooperation considers the developments of
an integrated pest management action plan which has been established in
Madagascar.
Last, but not least, Renée Vellvé of GRAIN argues that
genetic assets should be available in both the North and South. She shows
disquiet about the implications of a recent Work Bank move to control these
resources which are vital to agriculture and can have an important impact on
pest control.
[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 25, September 1994, page 2]