Pesticides

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Conventional agriculture relies on pesticides to protect crops from pests and diseases – including synthetic herbicides to control weeds and synthetic

fertilisers to promote crop growth. Over time this heavy use of synthetic chemicals reduces the soil biota and the productive capacity of the soil, and creates increased resistance by pests to the chemicals used, as well as the resurgence of secondary pests.

There are various long-term effects associated with particular pesticides that are found in our food, including endocrine or hormonal disruption, cancer, immune system effects, nervous system damage, genetic damage, infertility and birth defects.  These chemicals are also dispersed in the environment, polluting waterways and damaging ecosystems.

Numerous studies on the adverse impacts of pesticides and chemical fertilisers have raised awareness about the use of synthetic chemicals in agriculture, including how effective they actually are in treating pests and diseases, and the impact they are having on human health as well as the wider environment. People are turning to more natural forms of pest and disease control that are more effective, sustainable and healthier in the long term.

Organic agriculture has a holistic approach to pest and disease management that avoids the need for pesticides by instead focusing on building healthy fertile soil with abundant microbial life, fostering natural predators and using natural remedies. Truly well-nourished plants do not attract pests or provide a suitable situation for pests and diseases to develop. Farmers and producers try to create healthy soil so that plants and animals can be healthy, and build up good natural defences against pests and diseases. The long-term health of the soil is taken into consideration, rather than trying to deal with the immediate problem with synthetic sprays. Biological controls may be used.

The Soil & Health Association is opposed to the use of harmful pesticides in Aotearoa New Zealand. We advocate for farmers and producers to adopt natural, non-harmful methods of pest and disease management.

We believe that:

The most toxic harmful pesticides such as glyphosate should be phased out immediately.

Use of glyphosate in public places, home gardens and for pre-harvest desiccation should cease immediately as these are the routes that expose most people to glyphosate. Other uses should be restricted and phased out as soon as possible. Researchers and farmers should be encouraged to develop and implement nonchemical alternatives to glyphosate that foster soil microbial life instead of destroying it.

Pesticide spray drift across a landowner’s boundaries without the neighbours’ consent should be made illegal.

There is a need for stricter enforcement with higher penalties for any harm from pesticides caused to human or animal health and/or pollution of waterways, groundwater, air and soil.

When pesticides are used the ‘polluter pays’ principle should apply, so that pesticide users should be held financially liable for any adverse effects that might occur from spray drift or chemical trespass.

More resources are needed for the monitoring of farm spraying activities and their effects on the health of the environment and people.

Aerial spraying of pesticides should be a prohibited activity.

 

                                            Photo credit: Nick Holmes

 

Project Gro 2015 – COMMUNITY GARDEN – OPUNAKE HIGH SCHOOL

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Thanks to the generous donations of Soil & Health members and supporters, the Project Gro fund has helped organic gardens in schools and communities around New Zealand.

Our project is based in Opunake, Taranaki. Project Gro funds have meant we have been able to reinvigorate the community garden on Opunake High School land that was established about five years ago, but had been in need of some attention with many of the workers (volunteer gardeners) having left the district to pursue employment opportunities.

I teach at the high school and have utilised the gardens as a project for school students in my Environmental Fitness whole-day course once every fortnight. With Project Gro funds we have purchased seeds, seedlings, rock dust, fertiliser and tools. We currently have beds brimming with garlic, brassicas, peas, beans and lettuce.

In the near future we will look at sustainability action projects within the school and community that students can work on for Education for Sustainability credits. Project Gro funds will assist here to get action underway.

Assistance has also been given to the Opunake High School garden, which is also looking the best it has for quite a while.

Peter Clement – Teacher

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Project Gro 2015 – TERRACE END PLAYCENTRE – PALMERSTON NORTH

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Below are some photos of our Tamariki (children) and Larina planting our new fruit trees and some peas.

We already had a Lemon tree but through Project Gro we have since been able to purchase a dual Apple tree, Grape and Passion Fruit vines, Guava, Loquat and Manderin tree which we all look forward to harvesting. We also have a new raised bed!

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Project Gro 2015 – TEN ORGANIC FOOD GARDENS – TARANAKI

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In the past few years we have been working with whanau in Taranaki to establish Maara Kai at schools, Kohanga reo, marae and community gardens. Working closely with Hive Taranaki a local education provider for sustainability taught us that gardens are only as sustainable as the people working in them. The need for a mentoring service has been determined from previous experience in the region and observation that one of the main reason food gardens are not successful is because of the lack of ongoing support given to the gardeners or group once the garden has been established. It became apparent that gardens require mentoring and ongoing support to sustain themselves.

On behalf of the Te Whenua Tomuri trust we would submitted a proposal to provide a mentoring programme to assist ten organic food gardens in the Taranaki region.

The Maara Kai mentor worked with ten gardens to provide education on organic food production, provide knowledge and technical support to the gardeners and their climatic conditions, provide access to a national grower’s network, provide access to a regional seedbank and provide an online resources and information community to share success stories and increase the knowledge base.

The gardens are located in different parts of the region that provides a diverse range of soil and climatic differences and a diverse range of community. The mentoring project will provide information, education and support to encourage successful Maara Kai in the region of Taranaki. Healthy gardens Healthy people.

Who are we? Te Whenua Tomuri Charitable trust is based in Taranaki established for the purpose to educate and train people towards a more sustainable lifestyle. In particular to inspire people to take more active role in “Kaitiakitanga” or guardianship of our natural resources and practice sustainable techniques. Encouraging and mentoring people to practice organic gardening is a key objective for the trust.

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Students of Manukorihi Intermediate were taught about the healing qualities of Native plants by learning Rongoa Maori. Students got their hands dirty by entering the bush to pick the Rongoa and prepare the plant material ready for medicine making. With patience and collective energies tutor Pounamu Skelton (Ngati Te Whiti) taught the students how to make healing ointment that will treat skin rashes, bites and eczema.
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Creating a Maara Kai is a great place for energetics boys to do some exercise and talk amongst themselves. Together we made a thriving Maara that grew healthy organic vegetables and some tasty strawberries in the Eltham Community garden. The boys relished in the hands on learning activities. We celebrated by picking the fresh produce and making savoury muffins to share with their Whanau.
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During a Puanga celebration 100 students made bird feeders in the shapes of stars. During the winter months there is less food around for our birds so the kids got busy and made bird feeders. they were able to take them home and enjoy the excitement from the birds as they devoured the bird seed.[/span3][/columns]

Maari Kai mentor Pounamu Skelton from Te Whenua Tomuri Trust

Project Gro 2015 – ORMISTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

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We used the Project Gro funds to put in raised beds and get our Community Garden off the ground.

Here is a photo of the project and we also have a video of the learners building it.

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Project Gro 2015 – BANK STREET COMMUNITY GARDEN, WHANGAREI

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Soil & Health’s Project Gro funding enabled us to hook up a rainwater collection system to water the garden. We have turned a derelict block into a functioning garden, supplying food for us as well as for insects and the odd pukeko who likes to spread our nicely piled up compost around the garden.

We have working examples of different types of composts, companion planting and raised beds. We wanted a place for people to sit and rest and enjoy and see that gardening doesn’t have to cost lots of money. People now respect the place and we’ve had no incidents of damage or vandalism, just the odd beer bottle left lying around. Good to know that people are enjoying the place!

Monique Portegys – Manager, Community Business and Environment Centre at Bank Street Community Garden

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project gro community garden rangiora

Project Gro 2015 – ST JOSEPH’S CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN RANGIORA

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Our project was to erect six raised-bed planter boxes in the school grounds.

Students had shown a keen interest in gardening and had a vegetable plot for several years in the backyard of the presbytery next door to the school. This worked well but was not ideal; it was difficult to supervise groups of students and it was inaccessible to other students who were not directly involved. The parish priest at the time, Father Dan Doyle, was wonderful and supported the initiative fully, bringing the gardeners refreshments, inquiring about their progress, and watering the gardens over the holidays. Students grew their produce from seed and harvested seed at the end of the season for the following year. The Southland Building Society also donated seeds each year. The produce was shared amongst various groups, students, parishioners and school families.

With the help of the Soil & Health’s Project Gro funding we purchased the wood to build planter boxes, which were made by a group of school parents. Bennetts Sawmill provided the macrocarpa at a very competitive price and Rangiora Landscape and Supplies donated the soil.

Each class was allocated their own planter box and decided what they wanted to plant. There wasn’t much planning; we just wanted to get the students interested and involved in all stages of the process and to have crops that matured quickly and to include some that could be picked and eaten directly from the garden.

A roster was made for the Christmas holidays and a few dedicated families ensured the beds were regularly watered. The gardens absolutely flourished and are still yielding much produce. We have grown beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, silverbeet, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, radishes, beetroot, cucumbers and capsicums. Marigolds were placed in some beds to ward off bugs, and no sprays or insecticides have been used. Students regularly visit the gardens with their class or during breaks and are encouraged to pick any ripe vegetables. Produce has been shared amongst students and staff and school families are welcome to help themselves too.

The next step is to look more closely at planting for a purpose, selecting plants that are suited to the growing environment, companion planting, natural ways to control pests, irrigation, ways to increase yield and investigate how to make the best use of the produce (e.g. donate to the parish food basket for families suffering hardship, do some preserving for the school fair etc.) It would also be great to be part of a seed exchange programme. Hopefully some of these ideas will be taken up by classes wanting to develop further this great kinaesthetic learning opportunity.

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Project Gro 2015 – DELTA COMMUNITY TRUST

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Thank you for your 2014 grant of $450, plus subscription to your magazine.

This has enabled the construction of 4 transportable compost bins. As you can see from the photo these are in active use in our garden and have contributed to its success over the last year, and will continue to do so into the future.

This garden enables the teaching of gardening skills to 15+ low income and disadvantaged individuals, as well as supplying our food bank and low cost community meal with 30+ apple crates of produce annually.

Thank you for making this work possible.

Yours Sincerely,

Ian Burn – Administration Services Co-ordinator

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Government call for Consumer Choice ignored by FSANZ

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Soil & Health is appalled at the lack of consumer choice from Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) mandatory folic acid fortification of bread proposal released on Friday evening. The proposal is for effectively all bread to have synthetic folic acid added.

With no meaningful exceptions in the proposal, Soil & Health is calling on the Minister of Food Safety Annette King to use her influence for at least organic breads to be exempt to allow consumers choice.

“At the recent Baking Industry Association of New Zealand conference the Minister expressed the need for choice and the difficulty for bakers with the all bread proposal and I know she has heard consumers” said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning.

“Mass medication is not wanted by New Zealanders and New Zealand Government submissions to FSANZ were clear about that, but that message has been effectively ignored. New Zealand studies mentioned found the majority of participants were opposed to mandatory fortification with folic acid.”

The FSANZ Board has effectively rejected a strong submission* supporting the need for consumer choice from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA). Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Ministry of Economic Development (MED), and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs supported the wide-ranging submission. The Ministry of Health (MoH) supported the submission in principle.

“While varying from the Soil & Health submission, which called for a full exemption for organic products from the synthetic folic acid, NZFSA has certainly listened to consumer concerns and looked for a middle way through” said Mr Browning. “Soil & Health remains committed to helping organic consumers and small bakers find a solution to this draconian proposal.”

There have yet to be any publicly funded campaigns in New Zealand promoting naturally folate-rich foods or folic acid supplements to address the incidence of neural tube defects. Foods naturally high in folate are green leafy vegetables (such as broccoli and spinach), nuts, orange juice, some fruits and dried beans and peas. Cereals are moderate sources of folate. With children to be the more likely victims of excessive folate levels and health issues around excessive folate levels unresolved, choice and education are a better solution.

This FSANZ proposal leaves consumers baking their own bread as the only real option if wanting a choice. This is not acceptable to most organic consumers who, like other consumers. rely on commercial bakers for their synthetic free daily bread.

“My baker of choice uses no additives at all,” said Mr Browning “ and this decision takes no account of the natural folate already existing above average in the wholesome organic loaves.”

The FSANZ proposal says
“Mandatory folic acid fortification may be an issue for bakeries producing artisan breads using only ‘natural ingredients’, and for organic bread manufacturers. Artisan bakers may consider the fortification of their products will not fit with their niche market, and could be seen as detrimental to sales. Folic acid may not be considered a ‘natural ingredient’ as it is a synthetic form of folate, and may also conflict with organic industry standards.”

“FSANZ’ could use Standards New Zealand’s Organic Standard for a definition of organic to allow an exception” according to Soil & Health’s Steffan Browning, “Consumer choice would be the better for it.”

Soil & Health calls on Minister of Food Safety Annette King, New Zealand’s representative on the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council, to insist on real consumer choice by way of a review of this proposal at the Council’s next meeting on 25th October 2006.

Steffan Browning
Spokesperson
The Soil & Health Association of New Zealand Inc

* Excerpts from the FSANZ decision analysis of NZFSA Submission

Consumer Choice
Refers to NZFSA (2005) and NZ Association of Bakers (2004) research on consumer attitudes to mandatory fortification that found the majority of respondents did not support mandatory fortification.

Considers that given the level of resistance to fortification in the New
Zealand population, consumers must have choice between fortified and unfortified bread products. Notes the current proposal would not provide consumer choice.

Health risks
Australian consumption data may not be accurate for NZ populations. Only appropriate to use Australian consumption data for NZ children if no suitable New Zealand data and modelling.

The percent of NZ children exceeding the UL could be far greater than 6% because all flour in NZ may be fortified with folic acid in NZ due to the inability of NZ flour mills to segregate bread making flour.

Children will be exposed to much higher levels of folic acid than previous generations. It may be in future generations of children that adverse effects become apparent.

No monitoring of young children has been undertaken in North America. Both of these countries provide some consumer choice between fortified and unfortified bread.
Removing bread from the diet of young children as an option for avoiding fortified bread would not be consistent with the New Zealand National Nutrition Guidelines.

Organics and natural
New Zealand Commerce Commission (NZCC) considers there may be implications in the proposal standard with regards to fair trade and labelling issues. The NZCC requests the opportunity to discuss these issues further before any decision to adopt the preferred option.