Tag Archives: pesticides

Apple Production in the UK Made Viable by Pesticides

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UK apple growers produce about 400 million pounds of apples per year. About 18 insecticide and fungicide sprays are made yearly to control pests including scab, mildew, aphids and codling moth. By applying a full spray program, good growers have restricted losses due to pests and diseases to very low levels, usually no more than 1-2%. Below, an economic cost-benefit study determined the likely effect on UK apple production if growers did not use pesticides…

“Apples are the most important fruit crop in the UK in terms of area of production and require relatively high levels of pesticide inputs. … If pesticides were not used, apple production would thus not be commercially viable, and the market shortfall would be made up by imports at a similar price. With a negative gross margin apple producers would leave the industry and find other uses for their land.”

Authors: J.P.G. Webster and R.G. Bowles
Affiliation: Farm Business Unit, Wye College, University of London, Kent, UK
Title: Estimating the economic costs and benefits of pesticide use in apples.
Publication: Proceedings of the Brighton Crop Protection Conference, Pests and Diseases. 1996. 4B-1:325-330.

The Consumer is Always Right and That’s Why Farmers Use Pesticides

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More than 90% of US fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) is sprayed with insecticides and fungicides to prevent rots and yield loss. This spraying also assures that there are no scabs or insect-feeding marks on the produce. Although some consumers would prefer no pesticide residues, many are unwilling to accept any cosmetic damage. You can’t have it both ways—picture-perfect produce requires pesticide use.

“Over 300 shoppers entering supermarkets completed a questionnaire about purchasing certified pesticide residue-free (CPRF) fresh produce. One-half expressed concern about pesticide use on fresh produce. Two-thirds were willing to pay 5 to 10% higher prices to obtain CPRF fresh produce, but were unwilling to accept any cosmetic defects or insect damage.” 

Author: S.L. Ott
Affiliation: USDA Economics Research Service
Title: Supermarket shoppers’ pesticide concerns and willingness to purchase certified pesticide residue-free fresh produce.
Publication: Agribusiness. 1990. 6(6):593-602.

Australian Grains Council Extols Importance of Pesticides

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Australia’s Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) is one of the world’s leading grains research organizations, responsible for overseeing R&D that deliver improvements in production, sustainability and profitability across the Australian grains industry. Recently, draft legislation concerning regulation of agricultural and veterinary (Agvet) chemicals in Australia was circulated for comment. The Grains Council weighed in with their view on how important these chemicals are…

“The Australian grains industry is heavily dependent on the efficient use of pesticides in maintaining productivity and profitability.”

“Access to a wide range of effective, safe Agvet chemicals is crucial to maintaining the productivity, sustainability and international competitiveness of many farming systems. Australia’s biosecurity depends on access to a diversity of pesticides and a responsive regulatory system.”

Author: J. Harvey
Affiliation: Grains Research & Development Corporation
Source: Comments in relation to GRDC research delivery under the draft Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment (Agvet) Bill. February 28, 2012

Residents Protest Organic Farm’s Mishandling of Pests

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In September 2011, the situation in Jacumba, California got so out of hand that residents planned to protest the neighboring organic farm. Why? Eye gnats. Since Bornt & Sons Organic Farm can’t use chemical insecticides to control gnats, humans and animals in the small town of Jacumba are continually plagued with them flying around their eyes. East County Magazine reported on the issue…

“The gnats serve as a vector for diseases including pink eye and summer mastitis, causing swelling and burning of the protective membrane lining the eyelids and discharge from the eyes. … Chelsea Russell, a teacher at Jacumba School, says for the past seven years, her students have suffered. …’I ask myself, do I teach in a third world country?'”

“Eye gnats are very common in warm, dry areas. They grow in light, well drained sandy soils that are freshly plowed and contain abundant organic matter. Conditions at Bornt’s farms are ideal and because the farm is organic, Bornt is limited to the types of pesticides he can use.”

As a follow up to this story, Bornt & Sons Organic Farm planned to cease operations as of June 2012. Because they have removed their non-chemical eye gnat controls in preparation to close, the eye gnat swarms have been growing in Jacumba this summer.

Title: Jacumba residents call for shut-down of organic farm over eye gnat infestation; plan protest march on Sept. 17.
Publication: East County Magazine. September 11, 2011.

Organic Cotton Discontinued in Uganda – Due to Damage to the National Economy!

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Cotton is considered one of the most strategic commodities in Uganda for increasing household income, creation of employment, industrialization and poverty alleviation. In 1995 the Swedish International Development Agency began promoting organic methods of growing cotton in Uganda. The area under organic management expanded rapidly. Farmers were attracted to organic cotton because the promoters promised a premium price. Then, the reality of trying to grow cotton without chemical pesticides sunk in, shown below in remarks from a presentation by Jolly Sabune, Managing Director of the Cotton Development Organization.

  • During 2007/8, the en-mass introduction of organic caused over 68% drop in yields in the organic areas.
  • National cotton production also dropped by 50% from 134,000 bales in 2006/7 to 66,500 bales in 2007/8.
  • Organic promoters were sabotaging government efforts of increasing cotton yields by de-campaigning use of the effective conventional pesticides.
  • Following the sharp decline in production due to en-mass introduction of organic cotton, the government of Uganda decided that organic cotton promoted in the manner seen during 2007/8 was entrenching poverty rather than alleviating it and would therefore not be accepted.
  • Anyone who wants to support small-scale farmers in cotton must therefore promote conventional cotton production.

Author: Jolly Sabune
Affiliation: Cotton Development Organization
Title: Organic Cotton Production: Uganda’s Experience. Available at: http://www.icac.org/meetings/plenary/70_buenos_aires/documents/os3/os3_sabune.pdf

Nutritionists Credit Pesticides for Widespread Availability of Apples in the American Diet

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Apple production has come a long way in the U.S. thanks to the protection against insects and diseases provided by pesticides. In fact, without pesticides, this important fruit would largely disappear from our diets. A point recently made by nutritionists from the University of Nebraska…

“Apples play an important role in the American diet. … Apples and apple products offer several important health benefits. Besides supplying key nutrients, apples contain important compounds that may protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.”

“The availability and judicious use of pesticides is important for the production of high-quality apples. Without the use of pesticides, there would be very few apples grown in the United States. Pesticides protect the fruit from attack by insects, mites, disease organisms, and weeds. … Pesticides are necessary to produce an abundant, consumer-accepted, affordable apple supply.”

Authors: Lewis, N. and Ruud, J.
Affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences, University of Nebraska
Title: Apples in the American diet.
Publication: Nutrition in Clinical Care. 2004. 7(2): 82-88.

National Academy of Sciences Credits Pesticides with Improving American Diet

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Americans take for granted a plentiful, inexpensive daily supply of fruit and vegetables. This bounty has come about due to increased production throughout the county as a result of pesticide use – a point made by the National Academy of Science…

“Pesticides are used widely in agriculture in the United States. When effectively applied, pesticides can kill or control pests, including weeds, insects, fungi, bacteria, and rodents. Chemical pest control has contributed to dramatic increases in yields for most major fruit and vegetable crops. Its use has led to substantial improvements over the past 40 years in the quantity and variety of the U.S. diet and thus in the health of the public.“

Authors: National Research Council
Affiliation: National Academy of Sciences
Publication: Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. 1993. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.

Organic Methods are Not an Option for Feeding China

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China has made remarkable progress in increasing food production to feed its growing population. China can feed itself thanks to the widespread adoption of chemical pesticides and industrial fertilizers. Organic yields are considerably lower without these inputs, which means that widespread adoption of organic practices is not an option for feeding China’s 1.3 billion people.

“Today, China provides enough food for 21% of the world’s population from 9% of the world’s cultivated land. From 1949 to 2000, China’s population increased from 450 million to over 1200 million. During the same period, China’s food crop production increased from 130 Mt to 550 Mt. … This remarkable increase has led China to be able to feed its people.”

“Although organic farming is an old system brought out as a new concept, in our view it is not a practical national farming system for many developing countries – like China. … In organic farming, crop yields and production efficiency are lower and the unit cost of production higher. To produce the same total quantity of any crop, a larger area of land is needed. This additional area is not available in China, so that organic farming on a large scale is not an option to be advocated.”

Authors: Fang Chen & Kaiyuan Wan
Affiliation: Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
Title: The impact of organic agriculture on food quantity, food quality and the environment: a China perspective (Letter to the Editor).
Publication: Soil Use and Management (2005) 21:73-74. Available: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-2743.2005.tb00109.x/abstract