Family in Bhutan

Race on for NZ to be world’s first 100% organic food producer

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New Zealand has a decade to clean up its act if it is to be world’s first 100% organic food producer. Bhutan recently announced its intention to claim the tittle and be pesticide free in the next ten years if we fail to do so.  Now the race is on.

“This is an accolade that should be our own,” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ. “The rest of the world holds our clean, green image in high regard and we should live up to that expectation. As a country we are also renowned for our ability to lead the way for other nations and do the right thing first, whether giving the vote to women or declaring to be nuclear free.  Being the first 100% organic food producer would align with these philosophies and label what New Zealanders value,” says Swanwick.

The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan is bordered by China and India, both strong trading partners to New Zealand. With a population of just over 700,000, mostly Buddhist and two-thirds of whom depend on farming for their livelihoods they have an enviable approach to economic development, centred on protecting the environment and focusing on mental well-being.

“Bhutan has decided to go for a green economy in light of the tremendous pressure we are exerting on the planet,” said Agriculture Minister Pema Gyamtsho last year.”If you go for very intensive agriculture it would imply the use of so many chemicals, which is not in keeping with our belief in Buddhism, which calls for us to live in harmony with nature.”

Organic certifier BioGro’s CEO Michelle Glogau says “We strongly believe that organics should be the standard rather than alternative way of growing, processing and trading in New Zealand – for wellbeing of our environment and communities and animals. The ongoing success of our certified-organic producers is proof enough that consumers in New Zealand and around the world want more of what we (organics) have got.”

The 2010-2012 Organic Market Report, commissioned by Organics Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) reports that in 2012 the NZ organics export market grew by 25% from 2009 to $220 million dollars in 2012. Between 2007 and 2012 the total land area under organic certification increased by 67% and our export market now accounts for 77% of the the total organic sector.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food free of GE, pesticides and additives.  and their right to know what is in their food. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata.

Family in Bhutan

woman holding milk

Consumer backlash shows 100% pure way forward for NZ economy

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Fonterra’s lack of transparency and the finding of dicyandiamide (DCD) residues in milk last September has caused a huge consumer backlash in international and financial markets.

Consumers around the world want clean, green, 100% pure,GE-free and organic products.  Nw Zealand needs to embrace this and meet the demand, rather than continuing with environmentally damaging farming and unwanted residues in food, according to Debbie Swanwick, spokesperson for the Soil & Health Association – Organic NZ.

“There is an opportunity here for Fonterra  to set a benchmark on the international stage and show other NZ producers how we can become a leading world economy whose strategic advantage is the purity of our food. Organics is the key to our future.. Consumers are clearly stating by their response to milk contamination that they want clean, safe milk,” says Swanwick.

New Zealand’s biggest dairy importer, Taiwan, raised serious concerns over the DCD issue (2) and dairy sales in all markets nosedived. A NZ exporter, Biopure Health, selling NZ made infant milk formula in China, reported sales fell to zero after Fonterra made the announcement. (1)

Statements in the Chinese press such as ‘NZ milk is poisonous’ and a Wall Street Hournal article questioning the safety of NZ’s milk further exacerbated the PR nightmare for Fonterra.(1). The Chinese market is already sensitive to milk contamination following the 2008 melamine scandal. (1)

“Fonterra is now also being judged by the financial markets with subsequent losses hitting NZ shareholders – the largest group being NZ dairy farmers,: says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

Fonterra’s shares have fallen from $7.30 on the day of the public announcement of the DCD issue to $6.95 this week. Questions are now being asked as to why government officials were not made privy to the issue at the time of its discovery or why prospective shareholders were not informed prior to Fonterra’s launch on the NZX. (3)

In 2010 Fonterra announced  that it would expand its organic milk supply but, in a surprise move in 2011, made the decision to reduce its separate collection of organic milk. This resulted in the loss of premium price for affected organic producers and the mixing of their milk in with the main supply. (2)

“We urge Fonterra to rethink that decision and live up to New Zealand’s clean, green, 100% pure reputation by encouraging organic dairy farming” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food free of GE, pesticides and additives.  and their right to know what is in their food. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata.

References

(1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1086…
(2) http://www.greens.org.nz/press-releases/organic-milk-solution-dcd-fears
(3) http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/business/8260564/Coverup-concern-wh…

woman holding milk

 

Man with hen

Decision makers chicken over egg debate

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“Revised legislation phasing out battery cages over ten years and introducing colony cages in NZ does little to curb animal welfare issues -we are just putting more birds in bigger cages” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokeperson – Soil & Health – Organic NZ.
Colony cages house 60 chickens in a 3 metre cage (1) versus battery cages where 3 or 4 chickens live together. Both options give each hen a space to live in smaller than an A4 sheet of paper and both options prevent them from expressing their normal behavior. (6)
SAFE’s executive director Hans Kriek says 80 percent of New Zealanders want battery cages banned (4). “That is not surprising, New Zealanders care about how their food is grown” says Swanwick.

“The continuation of cages is shortsighted as New Zealand consumers and animal advocates will simply not accept colony battery cages. The fight against this cruelty will only stop when all cages are gone” says Kriek.

“In the absence of decision makers refusing to support consumers concerned about animal welfare and deliver the best product available to them, the only option is for consumers to vote with their wallets” says Swanwick.
Although a better option than battery, colony or barn laid eggs, unfortunately there is no industry certification for ‘free range’. The only guarantee therefore that a hen is not confined in a cage, able to display normal behavior, able to adequately exercise and can roam outdoors is to buy organic. (3)
“People can also choose to buy direct from the farmer which oftentimes is cheaper than store bought” says Swanwick.
Under the new Code of Welfare for Layer Hens (released December 2012) standard barren battery cages will not be banned until 2023 and will then be replaced with colony cages (2).

“This attempt to improve the lives of these hapless caged layers fails miserably and still contravenes the Principles of the Animal Welfare Act.   For a Government that professes that ‘Animal Welfare Matters’, I can see no proof of that in this meagre attempt to walk the talk” says Bob Kerridge, President, Royal New Zealand SPCA.

Swanwick cites recent legislative changes to be prejudicial. “Sow crates in NZ will be banned by 2015 (although farrow crates will not) for contravening animal welfare codes but the same rights have not been afforded our feathered friends” says Swanwick. (5)

“Our politicians seem to be chicken over chickens. You can count on the fact that pork will taste better in future but it still must leave a bad taste in the mouths of politicians who sold out on chickens whilst protecting the welfare of pigs ” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocate for the consumers right to have fresh, healthy, organic food – GE, pesticide and additive free and their right to know what is in their food. Oranga Nuku, Oranga Kai Oranga Tangata.

References

(1) http://www.suekedgley.com/article/no-future-hens-cages
(2) http://stopfactoryfarming.org.nz/takeaction/
(3) http://www.safe.org.nz/stop-factory-farming/layer-hens/egg-labels/
(4) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10691325
(5) http://www.safe.org.nz/Campaigns/Battery-hens.

GM salmon claims just a fish tale

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“The recent announcement by the FDA that GM fish are safe to eat and will not adversely affect the environment is nothing more than a fish tale” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.
Her comments follow the FDA’s claim that it could not find any valid scientific reasons to ban the production of GM Atlantic salmon, which could result in a commercial release soon.

“They can’t find the evidence because their testing is only conducted over 90 days, but a recent long-term study shows the evidence questioning the safety of GMOs is there. What is disappointing is that scientists not charged with protecting human health and the environment are raising the red flag” says Swanwick.

The release of a report in September this year by a Professor of micro-biology at Caen university, caused such a furore that the French government asked the National Agency for Health Safety (ANSES) to investigate the finding which could result in the suspension of GM maize NK603 in the European Union. (1)

Gilles-Eric Séralini, proved that rats fed over their lifetime (2 years) a diet of Monsanto’s Roundup-tolerant GM maize NK603, or exposed to Roundup over the same period, developed higher levels of cancers and died earlier than controls. The results, he explained, were due to the endocrine-disrupting effects of Roundup, and overexpression of the transgene in the GMO. (2)

Unfortuantely no long-term toxicological testing of GMOs on animals or testing on humans is required by any regulatory agency in the world. (3)

“That is not good enough when human health is at risk” says Swanwick.

The report ‘GMO Myths and Truths’ released in June of this year by three genetic engineers, details the evidence against genetic engineering.
http://earthopensource.org/index.php/reports/58″ 
“Genetic modification is not selective breeding as publicity on the subject is implying. It is a process whereby DNA is damaged when one gene is inserted into another, impacting the foodchain and causing human health and the environment to be impacted negatively ” says Swanwick.

“Suggesting native, endangered Atlantic salmon populations will not be threatened by the release of sterile GM salmon is preposterous especially when the New Zealand experience proves otherwise. Human error is always a possibility and in 2007 it was this that just about bought down New Zealand’s agricultural system” says Swanwick.

Crop and Food (now part of Plant and Food) received approval to trial GE brassicas that would produce an insecticide (Cry) gene. This trial, conducted at a secret location in Lincoln, breached regulatory controls after four months, when a flowering plant was discovered in 2008 from unchecked regrowth and publicised by Soil & Health. The breach was so serious that Plant and Food and MAF-Biosecurity NZ closed down the trial site. (4)
Only genetically modified plants have been commercially released overseas. Genetically modified atlantic salmon will be the first animal of its kind to achieve the same claim to fame.
“A lot of research money is spent achieving this end. Daisy the GE cow with her low allergy milk and no tail cost the NZ taxpayer $50 million but New Zealanders have no appetite for GM products and certainly do not stomach their money being wasted by people with their own agenda” says Swanwick. (5)
Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and promote fresh, healthy, organic food – GE, pesticide and additive free and advocate for consumers rights around food. Oranga Nuku, Oranga Kai Oranga Tangata.

References (Links accessed December 2012)
(1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=108…
(2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/28/study-gm-maize-cancer
(3) http://earthopensource.org/index.php/reports/58″ 
(4) http://www.gefree.org.nz/assets/pdf/brassica-reassessment.pdf
(5) http://www.stuff.co.nz/science/7903851/Fears-cloned-cow-Daisy-is-udderly…

Food fit for Royalty

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“We advocate for New Zealanders to have access to food fit for royalty” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson for Soil & Health, Organic NZ.  Her comments follow the departure of HRH Prince Charles and Camilla last week from New Zealand.

Britain’s best known organic farmer, HRH Prince Charles has long been an advocate of the sector.  In 1992 he incorporated his ideologies into his business portfolio, founding Duchy originals from Waitrose, which provides natural, high-quality organic and premium products, while helping to protect and sustain the countryside and wildlife. (1)

“I wanted to demonstrate that it was possible to produce food of the highest quality, working in harmony with the environment and nature, using the best ingredients and adding value through expert production.” said HRH Prince Charles speaking on the company’s ten year anniversary. (1)

Under the directive of  Queen Elizabeth, the Royals are also consumers of raw milk, including Princes Harry and William who were kept well stocked at Eton. (2)

Raw milk is a natural probiotic, and has been linked with improved immunity and decreased incidence of allergies for consumers. (5)

“Beware. You are entering an old-fashioned establishment” says the sign as you turn into Highgrove. (4)
“A parody then, we demand old fashioned manners from children yet our government regulations are failing to give them old fashioned, natural goodness” says Swanwick.

The Queen obviously recognizes some value in raw milk where New Zealand health authorities do not.

“They suggest raw milk is unsafe but that argument is duplicitous – we sell raw meat and raw poultry in New Zealand”  says Swanwick. “The problem with raw milk is it doesn’t have a corporate industry behind it yet in 35 States in America and many places in Europe, raw milk can be purchased”.

Lack of access to raw milk, for most city dwellers in New Zealand, denies consumers choice.

With the 60 billion dollar organic market forecast to double by 2015 there is increasing demand for natural food worldwide.
“That certainly is the case in New Zealand. Labelled as Demeter, Biogro, OrganicFarm and Assure Quality, nowadays organic food it is the only way you can ensure the purity of what you eat – natural food free of GE, pesticides and additives.  Organics essentially has the royal seal of approval” says Swanwick.
Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and promote GE free, organic, fresh and healthy food. Oranga Nuku, Oranga Kai Oranga Tangata.
Photo caption “Food is medicine and raw milk is about the best there is” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ

References
(1) http://www.duchyoriginals.com/the_prince_of_wales.php
(2) http://www.naturalnews.com/034747_raw_milk_Queen_Elizabeth_Canada.html
(3) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-kids-raw-milk-idUSTRE78C75O…
(4) http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/14/prince-charles-organi…
(5) http://www.realmilk.co.nz/

Organics the only way to ensure purity of food

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“The failure of Proposition 37, the initiative requiring mandatory labeling of GMO’s, at the polls this week in California is a sad day for consumers” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokeperson for Soil & Health – Organic NZ.
Over $45 million dollars was funded by big Agri Tech and corporate America to sway voters which resulted in them securing a narrow victory.  Fifty three percent of voters opposed the initiative. Monsanto, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kellogg, General Mills, DuPont, Bayer and other food and pesticide companies funded advertising and PR campaigns to stop labeling of their products. (2)

Organic products worldwide are labelled because doing so attracts customers who value pure food; free of GE, pesticides and additives. In NZ certified organic food is labelled as BioGro, Demeter, Organic Farm or AsureQuality.

“Big Agri tech keeping consumers in the dark by not labeling suggests not only do they not believe in what they sell but they recognize there could be a consumer backlash if GMO’s had to be labelled” says Swanwick.

“The fact they had to spend $45 million dollars says something else – it suggests public opposition to GMO’s in the US is strong – which is also true here” says Swanwick.

California grows 80% of all the fruits and vegetables in the US (3) and Prop 37 was seen as a testbed case for the US as a whole. (2)

Despite the loss, proponents of the initiative have vowed to fight on. (1) In addition to California many other states (including Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia and Washington) have also proposed legislation requiring that food labels bear information disclosing GE content. (4)

“The failure of Prop 37 paves the way for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement, to be tabled in December this year, to demand revocation of existing GMO labeling laws in New Zealand” says Swanwick.

“Since the 1960’s the only way to ensure the purity of food is to buy organic.  Legislation which permits big Agri tech to not disclose what is in their products is merely forcing more consumers to vote with their wallets which is why organic sales worldwide are increasing dramatically and forecast to double by 2015” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and promote GE free, organic, fresh and healthy food. Oranga Nuku, Oranga Kai Oranga Tangata.

References
(1) http://www.mercurynews.com/elections/ci_21949842/proposition-37-defeated…
(2) http://www.naturalnews.com/037873_Proposition_37_election_results_GMO_la…
(3) http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbyregion/a/CAFruitsVeggies.htm
(4) http://www.marketplace.org/topics/sustainability/states-consider-labelin…

Consumers getting a raw deal about raw milk

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“Repeated misinformation about the safety of raw milk and the fact it is limited to farm gate sales, which gives limited access to city dwellers, is giving the consumer a raw deal” says Debbie Swanwick Spokesperson for Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

The sale of raw milk has been permitted in New Zealand for several decades. Section 11a of the Food Act 1981 allows for people to purchase 5 litres daily of raw milk who intend to consume it themselves or provide it to their families.

“Raw milk is harvested under an approved Risk Management Programme under the Animal Products Act 1999 and NZ herds are TB tested. Sales would be totally prohibited if there any were issues around its safety” says Swanwick.

Some city dwellers have overcome access to raw milk by developing ‘raw milk clubs’ which are on the increase, but despite consumer demand, the latest reforms propose  that they will be shut down.

A new initiative could ease issues of access to raw milk for this demographic. Mark and Phillipa Houston imported an automatic milk dispenser from Italy and have begun selling raw milk from their farm in Clifton.  In Italy, unlike New Zealand, it is legal to sell raw milk to city dwellers.  Their story is detailed in this month’s issue of Organic NZ. The Houstons used to supply Fonterra from their farm in South Canterbury before downsizing.

Despite recurring dialogue from government agencies about the safety of raw milk The Health Research Council (a government agency) funded a $1.2 million, three year study last year to ascertain if unpasteurised milk helps the body develop an immune response. Prior studies of farmers children who drink raw milk has proven that there is an increased protection against asthma and other allergies. One in four New Zealand children have asthma.

Histamines are a by-product of the process of pasteurisation which  kills bacteria.  They are not found in raw milk. Many asthmatics find that when raw milk is drunk regularly, they have no or few asthma attacks.

In October 2011 a consultation document on raw milk reforms, produced by the Ministry of Primary Industries, received 1670 submissions from stakeholders. “Unfortunately the fact that city dwellers don’t have access to raw milk and there is a limited number of raw milk consumers stifles a healthy debate on the issue from a good cross-section of the country” says Swanwick.

New Zealand supermarkets sell more than 1.7 billion litres of pasteurized and homogenized milk every year.

“By regulating raw milk sales government seems to be  choosing to protect the interests of corporate profits rather than enabling consumer choice.  City dwellers in ‘raw milk clubs’ recognize the value of raw milk both with additional health benefits and also with the cost (typically half that of commercially sold milk) which is why they go to great  lengths to purchase it” says Swanwick.

MPI is still undertaking a detailed analysis of all submissions and the policy options, and is formulating advice for the Minister for Food Safety.

Soil & Health – Organic NZ promote GE free, organic, fresh and healthy food.Oranga Nuku, Oranga Kai Oranga Tangata.

New Zealanders won’t tolerate more GE food

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It seems a David vs Goliath battle yet one that New Zealandersrepeatedly engage in and win – our right to freedom: whether fromnuclear power or legislation that eases the way for more GE food in our food chain.

So it should come as no surprise that the recent legal ramifications of The Food Bill have created such a public outcry. “Whilst the purpose of the Act is Food Safety, amendments in the latest draft compromise that,” says Soil and Health Association spokesperson Debbie Swanwick.

In the latest draft of the bill, ‘genetic modification of food’, which had been in a list of things requiring food safety consideration under the minister’s regulatory power, was deleted. Now it is up to the trans-Tasman body Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to determine the safety of GE foods and to date they have approved all of the 53 applications of 71 GE plant lines.

“New Zealanders won’t tolerate our food chain being compromised further by legislation that enables GE food producers easy access to our markets. We need the initial wording reinstated into legislation to secure the safety of our food,” Swanwick says.

The compliance costs of the bill on small organic growers could also disadvantage consumers, whose choice could become skewed toward nutrient-poor GE food produced by multi-nationals because organic growers are being financially ousted by bureaucracy.

The Food Bill 160-2 (2010) raises many issues – food sovereignty being only one. The level of force allowed by food safety officers, their immunity from prosecution and the powers of the minister are others.

The bill has been awaiting its second reading in parliament since February of this year.

Soil & Health – Organic NZ has an Organic 2020 vision – for a GE Free food and environment with clear choice of what is consumed.

Oranga nuku – oranga kai – oranga tāngata. Healthy soil – Healthy food – Healthy people.

Government Must Separate GE Foods In New Zealand Shop Shelves

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New Zealand food labelling of genetically engineered (GE) food components needs to be investigated urgently, according to the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand.

“Soil & Health challenges New Zealand’s Minister of Consumer Affairs Simon Power, and Minister for Food Safety Kate Wilkinson, to find any accurately labelled food products containing genetically engineered ingredients in super market shelves,” said Soil & Health-Organic NZ spokesperson Steffan Browning.

World Food Day on October 16 is being marked internationally by activities showing the lack of labelling on GE foods, and a push against GE foods by events such as Right2Know and Millions Against Monsanto.(1,2)

Seventy different (GE) food lines and many GE food additives have been approved for New Zealand consumption by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), with no GE food applications having been turned down, although risks to human safety have been shown in animal feeding studies.(3)

Labelling of foods containing GE ingredients in New Zealand is practically invisible although GE soybean imports from the USA and Brazil have increased significantly and are widely used in processed foods including breads.

“USA consumers are calling for legislation to cover GE foods. New Zealand has such legislation, but it is not enforced,” said Mr Browning.(4)

“NZFSA has the role of ensuring foods containing GE/GM are labeled in accordance with the standard in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, but is hopeless at monitoring it.”

“When was there a comprehensive study taken by NZFSA to ensure consumers have the choice between GE and non-GE in their diets?”

“New Zealand should follow the Cypriot Parliament’s lead that gives consumers the choice of whether or not to eat GE foods, especially as reports casts doubt on GE food safety,” said Mr Browning.

The Cypriot Parliament passed a bill in April that will has GE foods placed on separate shelves to non-GE foods, and a French report showed weaknesses in GE food safety evaluation, and pointed to possible kidney, liver and reproductive health concerns. (5,6)

“Democracy, despite pressure from the USA, has led to the people of Cyprus getting the type of consumer choice that New Zealanders should be able to expect.”

“GE foods, of which New Zealand allows approximately 70 different GE lines, spread through numerous processed products, must now be displayed on separate shelves in supermarkets and shops in Cyprus, with strong fines for non-compliance. The Cypriots are serious.”

“Soil & Health – Organic NZ reported last year that there were 64 plus GE food lines allowed into the New Zealand food supply, consisting of GE corn, soya, alfalfa, potatoes, canola, cotton, sugar beet and rice, and numerous GE processing aids. This has increased to approximately seventy with several applications in process at any one time,” said Mr Browning.

“FSANZ has yet to turn a GE food application down despite growing concern over GE food safety and flimsy food safety studies. Independent studies show very real risks but the same regulators that take decades to ban now discontinued pesticides continue to protect trade interests ahead of consumers.”

“The latest Seralini report uses available data to show that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), that FSANZ and NZFSA look to, is not testing adequately for health risks from GE foods. Independent research has previously shown organ, hormone and reproductive changes in animal GE feeding studies.”(7)

Soil & Health – Organic NZ has an Organic 2020 vision similar to the USA and Cypriot consumers protesting today. It is for a GE Free food and environment with clear choice of what is consumed.

Oranga nuku – oranga kai – oranga tāngata. Healthy soil – Healthy food – Healthy people.

CONTACT:

 

The Soil & Health Association of NZ – Organic NZ

Spokesperson

 

Steffan Browning

021 725655

campaign@organicnz.org

 

Notes

(1) http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm

(2) http://www.right2knowmarch.org/

(3) http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumerinformation/gmfoods/gmcurrentapp…

(4) http://www.foodsafety.govt.nz/elibrary/industry/nzfsa-food-labelling-gui…

(5) http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/separate-shelves-gm-foods-now-law/2011…

(6) http://www.enveurope.com/content/23/1/10/

(7) Seralini et al have conducted studies showing organ damage in rats fed GE food. The latest report is using the material including industry funded studies and shows the food safety authority is not adequately testing GE foods. Extract from latest French report (6): The 90-day-long tests are insufficient to evaluate chronic toxicity, and the signs highlighted in the kidneys and livers could be the onset of chronic diseases. However, no minimal length for the tests is yet obligatory for any of the GMOs cultivated on a large scale, and this is socially unacceptable in terms of consumer health protection. We are suggesting that the studies should be improved and prolonged, as well as being made compulsory, and that the sexual hormones should be assessed too, and moreover, reproductive and multigenerational studies ought to be conducted too.

Australian imported vegetables should be banned, not nuked

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New Zealand food safety authorities are preparing to allow Australian vegetable imports to be irradiated, because the organophosphate dimethoate is about to be suspended from use for prevention of fruit fly and other biosecurity risks, according to the Soil & Health Association of NZ.

Australian authorities have recommended a suspension of dimethoate from most post-harvest uses by the end of September, following acknowledgement of serious health risks, that organisations such as Soil & Health have been campaigning about for many years. (1)

“The ozone depleting, carcinogenic and neurotoxic methyl bromide fumigant is intended to be used on the vegetables to protect New Zealand from fruit fly, following the dimethoate suspension, while irradiation approvals are sought,” said Steffan Browning, Soil & Health – Organic NZ spokesperson.

“Dimethoate in New Zealand is due to be reassessed next year by the Environmental Protection Authority and has a current Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) of 2 mg/kg in most vegetables, yet the European Union’s MRL’s are generally 0.02 or 0.05mg/kg purposely set at the lower level of detection. Dimethoate should be banned for all uses in New Zealand immediately.” (2)

New Zealand prohibits the import of fruit fly host material from Australia that is considered to be of economic risk, unless it has been suitably treated.

“Keeping production local will prevent the need for New Zealand diets to consist of risky nutritionally altered nuked foods or the use of dangerous fumigants or other systemic pesticides.”

“We were right about the health risks of organophosphates such as dimethoate, and we are right about irradiation and methyl bromide. All are implicated in nervous system failure and risk of cancers. Why do we want them? We don’t.”

“Just as Australian potato growers do not want New Zealand potatoes imported there, because of the risk of the economically damaging psyllid arriving from New Zealand, Australian tomatoes, capsicum, cucumbers and zucchini and fruit with risk of fruit fly infestation should not be imported here.”

“Fruit fly outbreaks are just a matter of time while Australian imports continue. The economic cost of fruit fly to our horticulture would leave for dead, the cost of recent and expensive biosecurity failures such as psyllid and varroa mite,” said Mr Browning.

“Both countries are capable of growing the vegetables at risk, and do not need to import them to feed our peoples. Local production is healthier for people and the environment.”

“Mangoes and lychee already permitted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) to be irradiated for import to New Zealand, can be sourced from fruit fly risk free countries, and there is a range of alternative phyto-sanitary techniques, such as heat or cold treatments, controlled atmospheres, and ozone treatments that can be used if imports are still seen as critical.”(3)

“Steritech, Australia’s current food irradiation business has been lobbying for irradiation of produce intended for New Zealand, and uses misleading risk information. Steritech also says that New Zealand imported 1095 tonne of irradiated mangoes and 110 tonne of irradiated lychees in 2010, while FSANZ says 460 tonne and 33 respectively.”(4,3)

“The same agencies that previously approved dimethoate and other proven dangerous pesticides in New Zealand food, are now using the same public relations ‘Fact Sheets’ spin purporting the safety of irradiation in food.”

Food irradiation uses waste from the nuclear energy industry and the food is exposed to radiation levels that create new risky compounds, while reducing nutrient levels. Cats fed irradiated food consistently suffer spinal cord damage. One outbreak occurred in Australia between June 2008 and March 2009 (Child et al., 2009). 87 domestic cats developed symmetrical hindlimb ataxia, paraparesis, tetraparesis, paraplegia or tetraplegia following eating imported irradiated pet food. (5)

Soil & Health – Organic NZ promotes local organic production without the use of dangerous pesticides, fumigants or irradiation.

(1) http://www.apvma.gov.au/products/review/current/dimethoate_faq.php#suspe…

(2) http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2146.pdf

(3) http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/consumerinformation/foodirradiation.cfm

(4) http://www.steritech.com.au/sites/default/files/irradiation_as_option_fo…

(5) http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/1930.pdf Page 31

 

 

CONTACT:

The Soil & Health Association of NZ – Organic NZ

Spokesperson
Steffan Browning
021 725655
campaign@organicnz.org