What’s Wrong with Smart Pesticides?
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In 2006, a patent was granted to a man named Paul Stamets, one of the world’s leading mycologists. His patent has received very little attention and exposure. Why is that?
What has Paul discovered? The mycologist has figured out how to use fungus as a solution for controlling over 200,000 species of insects, calling this use of fungus a Smart Pesticide.. Stamets does this by taking entomopathogenic fungi (fungi that kill insects) and changes them so they don’t produce spores. Insects then eat the fungus and die.
Some people think this will put the chemical pesticide industry out of business. While that would be nice, Stamets’ idea is terrible. Why?
Because insects are not life forms to be killed wholesale. They are necessary players in the ecology of life on earth, providing pollination of crops, food for birds and small mammals, and giving a million other benefits to the earth. If organic culture has taught us anything, it’s that health springs from biodiversity—and that includes insects. The best farm field is not one devoid of insects, it’s one where many kinds of insects provide checks and balances so that plant eaters are controlled by the insect eating insects, and aren’t capable of doing much damage to the crops. It’s been shown that plants that have a few nibbles taken out of them by plant eating insects grow healthier and stronger than the same kind of plants grown in fields where the insects have been killed.
Stamets’ non-spore-producing, insect-killing fungus wipes out 200,000 species of insects? Not in my yard. Not in any organic garden or farm field. Let biodiversity flourish and the insects will control themselves. This fungus isn’t a “control,” it’s a wholesale slaughter of beneficial life forms that we depend on for our health.
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MONSANTO KNEW OF GLYPHOSATE’S CARCINOGENICITY
According to evidence unearthed from the archives of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), it has been established that Monsanto was aware of the potential of glyphosate to cause cancer in mammals from the early 1980s.
Recently the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued a statement in which glyphosate (the main component of Roundup herbicide) was classified as “probably carcinogenic” to humans.
This announcement of this change to toxicity class 2A was given vast coverage in the global media, causing Monsanto to move immediately into damage limitation mode. The corporation demanded the retraction of the report, although it had not yet been published!
Back in 1983, an EPA scientist had this to say about EPA’s public stance on the carcinogenicity of glyphosate:
“Our viewpoint is one of protecting the public health when we see suspicious data. Unfortunately, EPA has not taken that conservative viewpoint in its assessment of glyphosate’s cancer causing potential.
“Tests done on glyphosate to meet registration requirements have been associated with fraudulent practices. Countless deaths of rats and mice are not reported. Data tables have been fabricated. There is a routine falsification of data.”
For a full exposition of Monsanto’s malfeasance, let me urge you again to get a copy of “Altered Genes, Twisted Truth,” a book that tells the whole sordid tale of the rise of GMO crops and Roundup herbicide and the corruption of science, government, and industry.
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USDA ALLOWS PESTICIDES IN ORGANIC COMPOST
The Center for Food Safety (CFS), Center for Environmental Health, and Beyond Pesticides have together filed a federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program’s (NOP) failure to follow the law in making a substantial rule change to the USDA organic standard.
At issue is a contaminated compost guidance released by USDA, which weakens the long-standing prohibition of synthetic pesticide contaminants.
“In this case USDA decided to unlawfully ignore vital public participation and transparency requirements while undermining the organic standard, creating a new loophole for pesticides,” said George Kimbrell, CFS senior attorney. “Worse, this decision is part of a larger USDA pattern and practice of decision-by-fiat. We will not let it continue.”
Prior to the new contaminated compost guidance, organic regulations expressly prohibited fertilizers and compost from containing any synthetic substances not included on organic’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. According to Ralph Bloemers, staff attorney for the Crag Law Center “the new guidance radically changes organic requirements, allowing organic producers to use compost materials treated with synthetic pesticides.” The USDA made this rule without the required rulemaking process, usurping the public’s right to ensure USDA activities are consistent with the Organic Food Production Act.
“Consumers want healthier choices and have a right to expect that the organic label insures that organic food was produced without harmful pesticides,” said Michael Green, executive director of Center for Environmental Health. “By allowing chemical residues to sneak into organic production through this undemocratic, back-door rule, the USDA is recklessly putting the integrity of the organic seal at risk.”
“The organic market is driven by consumer trust in an organic process that respects the historical commitment to public consultation and the legal requirement for public hearing and comment,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides and a former National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) member. “We are taking action to ensure the integrity of the regulations that guide organic production.”
The Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) requires that producers are responsible for identifying sources of feedstocks used in compost to ensure that only allowable plant and animal materials are used. The new NOP guidance violates OFPA by allowing green waste in compost to contain pesticide residues.
“Public participation in governmental decision making is the hallmark of organic food production,” said Dr. Lisa J. Bunin, organic policy director at Center for Food Safety. “It’s also what ensures government accountability in maintaining and enhancing organic integrity throughout the entire supply chain.”
Plaintiffs allege that the USDA’s decision weakens the integrity of organic food production, not only by creating inconsistent organic production standards but also by undermining the essential public participation function of organic policy-making. Since USDA never subjected the contaminated-compost decision to formal notice and public comment rulemaking, USDA failed in its duty to ensure that its regulation is consistent with the OFPA and the standards set forth for approving the use of synthetic substances.
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