Battle lines drawn over pesticide use

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation

 

 

A GROUP of academics is preparing to fight for a total ban in two years on three agrochemicals deemed a threat to public health.
 

“We won’t give up – we will continue working towards our goal,” Naresuan University vice president Associate Professor Puangrat Kajitvichyanukul said.

 

She was commenting on the Hazardous Substance Committee’s recent resolution to allow the use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyfiros for at least two more years.

 

The committee’s decision earlier this month came despite a Public Health Ministry warning that the widely used farm chemicals posed risks to health. 

 

The decision came as a shock to citizens who have campaigned for years to have the chemicals banned. 

 

Puangrat, who has been active in alerting the public to the dangers of paraquat, said she and like-minded academics refused to be discouraged. They had not lost their determination to push for the ban, she said.

 

“If the committee says it will consider the issue again in two years, we’ll make sure we have solid evidence to nudge it into imposing a complete ban,” she said. 

 

Puangrat

 

Puangrat said her group had already drawn up a three-pronged strategy. 

 

It will train people at five more universities to analyse chemical contaminants in the environment to ensure everyone was following the same standards and procedures currently in use at Chulalongkorn, Naresuan and Mahidol universities. 

 

Puangrat is determined to share the same approach with Chiang Mai, Prince of Songkla and Walailak universities and with Suranaree and Nakhon Ratchasima universities of technology. 

 

“This way we will have research findings from several institutes to back up our stance,” Puangrat said. 

 

Naresuan University was meanwhile seeking to work with foreign institutes, she said. “We intend to present findings from overseas research too.”

Naresuan has previously worked with Germany’s Osnabrueck University of Applied Science in testing chemical contaminants in the soil, water and plants of Nan and Phitsanulok provinces. 

 

The two institutes also collaborated on erecting buffer zones in Nong Bua Lamphu. 

 

“And we’re in the process of developing a research project on the same topic with the University of Edinburgh in Scotland,” Puangrat said. 

 

She said her group would gather enough solid evidence over the next two years to convince the Hazardous Substance Committee to ban the pesticides. 

 

“Meanwhile Naresuan and Chiang Mai universities will join hands in gathering local wisdom and developing organic pesticides,” she said, “We intend to provide farmers with alternatives once the dangerous agrochemicals are banned.” 

 

 

One of the reasons the committee decided to merely restrict the use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyfiros rather than banning them was that farmers would have suffered if the chemicals were abruptly removed from the market. 

 

“We plan to present organic alternatives so that farmers won’t have to consider other chemicals,” Puangrat said.

 

Assistant Professor Dr Noppadon Kitana of Chulalongkorn, who shares Puangrat’s mission, said research by his institute clearly showed the presence of weed killers like atrazine, glyphosate and paraquat in livestock in Nan province. 

 

“When end-consumers eat the meat, they too take in dangerous chemicals. In the long run, the brain can be affected. These chemicals are more dangerous than consumers imagine,” he said. 

 

Noppadon said field crabs caught as food should have no more than five micrograms of paraquat per kilogram to be safe. But samples tested showed levels of 24 to 56 micrograms. 

 

“Chemicals contaminating the environment will last a long time, as well. It takes at least 10 years for the contamination level just to halve.”

 

He warned that when the meat of field crabs is processed into other types of food, the contaminants are passed on to unsuspecting consumers. 

 

Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Luck Wajananawat said his ministry intended to promote organic farming to ensure food safety and to support Thailand’s goal of being “the World’s Kitchen”.

 

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach, meanwhile, said he had already instructed the Agriculture Department to not register any more paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyfiros products.

 

“If we find good alternatives, we will ban these three chemicals in mid-2021,” he said. 

 

Biothai director Witoon Lianchamroon said 686 civic organisations would back the Office of the Ombudsman’s plan to ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Hazardous Substance Committee members on suspicion that some might have vested interests in voting against the ban on the three chemicals. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30364692

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-25

I have always found that you need to look at the final paragraph of any Thai news story to find an answer, and this one is no different...

 

"...Biothai director Witoon Lianchamroon said 686 civic organisations would back the Office of the Ombudsman’s plan to ask the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Hazardous Substance Committee members on suspicion that some might have vested interests in voting against the ban on the three chemicals..." 

 

Given that these chemicals have ALREADY been shown to be harmful and ALREADY have been banned elsewhere, what is the justification for continuing to use them?

 

"...Vested Interests..."

 

Money. Personal profit and the proverbial 'Brown Envelops'.

 

A country that puts the general health and safety of its citizens below the ability of the few to obtain personal financial benefits will forever remain a third-world, backward entity.

 

 

Edited February 24, 20197 yr by Samui Bodoh

3 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Given that these chemicals have ALREADY been shown to be harmful and ALREADY have been banned elsewhere, what is the justification for continuing to use them?

 

 

Cheap food, that's what. ????

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The committee’s decision earlier this month came despite a Public Health Ministry warning that the widely used farm chemicals posed risks to health. 

does anything demonstrate thailand's inability as regards good governance than this issue ?

I love Thaifood but the situation with pesticides its very disgusting. 

The only thing that will stop the poisoing of the food is when it becomes globally known Rice exports packaged food ,shrimp etc will stop overnight .Thai food will be consumer blacklisted .

During the next 2 years start to name & shame farmers or products that do not conform to pesticide safety levels, go to markets & outlets that supply the food chain & state that the levels are harmful.

Go to large retailers like Big C, Makro, Tesco Lotus, and all the others & prove to them that the products they are buying from farmers are poisoned.... and should seek alternative suppliers.

43 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

prove to them that the products they are buying from farmers are poisoned

No effect, already been tried. The farmers keep on poisoning and ruining the environment and the public keeps on consuming contaminated foods. Nobody cares about it. Top to bottom, save a few activists, the people are content with the status quo.

 

2 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

I love Thaifood but the situation with pesticides its very disgusting. 

Im a farmer living amoungst other farmers. WE DONT EAT market food full stop. We grow our own and import. Weve had countless early deaths amoungst neighbours doing vegetables and sugarcane. The last neighbour to die was employed by the local agricultural school as a gardner. He would spray the grass to clean up around the security boxes/offices. He died of kidney failure. We askes the doctors what they thought and yep paraquat.

The familes of these people however are so ignorant and stupid probably as a result of all the burning pollution dont even understand the connection and blame anyone who questions it. The farmers have to be pushed to stop. Its not about a loss of mo ey its about peoples health. We dont use it on our farm or burn anything at all. If we can do it just me and the wife then why cant everybody else....

“Meanwhile Naresuan and Chiang Mai universities will join hands in gathering local wisdom and developing organic pesticides,” she said, “We intend to provide farmers with alternatives once the dangerous agrochemicals are banned.” 

 

How stupid of an argument is that? Why can't they provide this solution now? 

6 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

. Its not about a loss of mo ey its about peoples health. We dont use it on our farm or burn anything at all. If we can do it just me and the wife then why cant everybody else....

Very good question ...! ----> The farmers have to be pushed to stop <---- The toxic chemicals should not be PRODUCED ( and bought ) any more .

12 hours ago, webfact said:

organic alternatives

such as?

10 hours ago, davemos said:

The only thing that will stop the poisoing of the food is when it becomes globally known Rice exports packaged food ,shrimp etc will stop overnight .Thai food will be consumer blacklisted .

 

9 hours ago, canopy said:

No effect, already been tried. The farmers keep on poisoning and ruining the environment and the public keeps on consuming contaminated foods. Nobody cares about it. Top to bottom, save a few activists, the people are content with the status quo.

 

Don't blame the farmers. You have to remember that the pesticides are there for a reason, to ensure abundant crop yields. If there is no crop then they cannot make a living. The authorities need to incentivise them to not use pesticides by offsetting any crop loss but that will be open to abuse. The real bottom line is that there will be a oncost which will invariably lead to higher food prices. I'm not saying its right but I don't think the average Thai from Nakhorn somewhere really gives a shit if their cheap chicken/vegetable is full of pesticides or not.

As a food buyer, I purchase a lot from Thailand, thankfully we use very good suppliers and producers who no not to use pesticides/phosphates/antibiotics and we have a very strict process for checking product for contamination however not all retailers are as diligent.

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 20197 yr by Chelseafan

Studies have been done my people in many countries already. What is it with Thai people reinventing things, and “discovering” them decades after the fact?  It’s ridiculous, and is one reason why it remains ten to thirty years behind developed countries.  Get the research translated people!

Edited February 25, 20197 yr by Redline

8 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

The real bottom line is that there will be a oncost which will invariably lead to higher food prices

bingo......... and  how  many  will be  willing to  pay  that  price

18 hours ago, hotchilli said:

During the next 2 years start to name & shame farmers or products that do not conform to pesticide safety levels

in  Thailand............yeah  thatll  work  alright

19 hours ago, canopy said:

No effect, already been tried. The farmers keep on poisoning and ruining the environment and the public keeps on consuming contaminated foods. Nobody cares about it. Top to bottom, save a few activists, the people are content with the status quo.

 

Exactly, and this sums up nearly everything in this silly country. The Thais care about almost nothing and have no greater ambitions than seeing as far as tomorrow and the next bowl of rice. And, that is as true of the poor Thais as the rich ones. Same same

13 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

Exactly, and this sums up nearly everything in this silly country. The Thais care about almost nothing and have no greater ambitions than seeing as far as tomorrow and the next bowl of rice. And, that is as true of the poor Thais as the rich ones. Same same

To an extent yes. One thing we have learnt in dealing with Thais is that you can't go in all guns blazing. You have to educate them to the point that they see the light at the end of the tunnel and explain to them the opportunities. The good ones adapt, the rest don't.