There are two toxic pesticides, Rotenone in Europe and Azadirachtin in the US and Europe, that need to be banned in order to ensure the safety of humans, bees and the environment. There is insufficient data on either of these toxins yet they are tolerated in many markets merely because they are natural bio-pesticides used by organic farmers. A toxin, whether naturally or synthetically produced, is still a toxin with the intended purpose to kill and the evidence is clear – these natural chemicals kill. The hypocrisy of regulators and the organic lobby to come down only on the well-tested synthetic pesticides and look the other way on natural toxins because of the noise created by the green activists is another toxic disease that must be controlled.
[Editor’s note: rotenone has not been used under the US National Organics Program since 2002 and has been banned for use by organic farmers in Canada since 2012. It is still used in some, but not all, European countries. Here is a detailed description of the natural pesticide and its approval status.]
Why then do organic farming organizations think that using these toxins are OK? See a recent article that assures organic gardeners that azadirachtin (as neem oil) is safe, non-toxic and has no effect on bees. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) has been lobbying the European Commission to keep azadirachtin on the market (with less stringent data requirements) because there are no other alternatives for organic fruit production. Uhm, how about safe, well-tested synthetic pesticides that do not wipe out bee populations?
I have written elsewhere how the organic industry lobby does not hesitate to use unethical practices to gain market share and public support. But if you are blinded by the belief that natural is always good, then you don’t see it as lying, you don’t see the negative consequences of your toxic pesticides and you don’t see the contradictions of your lobbying.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Save the Bees! Ban these two toxic pesticides immediately
