Glyphosate/Paraquat

[ballydehob]

Has anyone else noticed the dramatic increase in the spraying of Glyphosate and Paraquat on farmland over the last couple of years?

Whereas before it was buffalo  and cows keeping the grass and weeds down now it's spray spray spray. We live on the edge of the village and the smell on some days is overpowering.As most people don't read the instructions and tend to overkill

Are the Thai authorities not aware of the health hazards ?

Also will this not affect the rice which Thailand exports? Are Toxology tests carried out on blood samples from farmers and for that matter the rice!

If not there should be as it's becoming quite a problem here where we live.

[farmerjo]

It's called progression so the people of the world have enough food to eat.

If you could eat weeds,life would be easy.

[VocalNeal]

5 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

If you could eat weeds,life would be easy.

 You can I see locals collecting roadside vegetables almost every time I go out.

[cooked]

I can't say that's the case here in Buriram. Grass is a much sought after fodder and most farmers here have a few cows.

My sense of smell is  f***ed but I can't say that I ever noticed much of a smell from Roundup. Paraquat for sure .

There is always a big argument over the use of Glyphosate, I don't hesitate to use it myself when necessary which is maybe once a year. However it does get used indiscriminately and I don' think most people  ever bother to read instructions of use anywhere in the world let alone Thailand.I do believe Monsanto's claims that all traces of the active ingredient disappear from the soil in a short time, especially on lighter soils and in the rainy season.

It always comes down to the same thing as far as I am concerned: stop using plastic bags, washing powder and petrol and alcohol and then we can discuss the restricting use of a relatively harmless product. I got sick of housewives asking anxiously (and contemptuously also of course) "is.., is that poison?" standing in front of their two cars and house with oil central heating when I was spraying along a customer's fence.

[Hereinthailand]

Roundup and paraquat are the least of your worries concerning chemicals used here lol. Many of them used here have been banned in the west for many years.