biodiversity – Soil and Health Association of NZ

The Soil & Health Association is welcoming last week’s “Knowing what’s out there” report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. The report criticises New Zealand’s lack of monitoring and regulation of environmental harm from chemicals.

**Jodie Bruning, national councillor for the Soil & Health Association**

“New Zealand lags behind other countries on monitoring and regulation of toxic agrichemicals, putting our health, environment and overseas trade agenda at risk,” says Soil & Health spokesperson Jodie Bruning.

“A more integrated framework, suggested by the report, will help the right hand know what the left hand is doing, this is currently not happening in New Zealand, when it comes to environmental chemicals.

“For example the Environmental Protection Agency, our government watchdog on these issues, had to make a public appeal last year for information on glyphosate use. Why do they need to resort to this? Because they don’t monitor glyphosate’s use, availability, or impacts. There’s no feedback loop between the agency and our territorial and local authorities.

“It’s been shown that glyphosate is a probable carcinogen and its widespread use in New Zealand must be stopped.

“Glyphosate is the tip of the iceberg. Our regulatory settings are useless if we are not informed about environmental pollution, and if the regulator is not keeping an eye on what’s happening on the ground.

“The government needs to take this report seriously. This includes expediting a formal reassessment of glyphosate as a key next step in protecting New Zealanders and the natural environment from harm.”

ENDS

Notes

The PCE report is covered here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/462653/lack-of-mechanisms-to-govern-chemical-use-in-nz-commissioner

Agriculture is one of the fundamental drivers behind biodiversity loss worldwide. Monoculture crops and livestock, synthetic fertilisers and pesticides are the greatest contributors to the loss of biodiversity in agriculture.

In agriculture, synthetic pesticides are often used to eliminate unwanted weeds, pests and diseases, reducing biodiversity, particularly key soil microbial diversity in the system and upsetting ecosystem balance.

Two-thirds of the GE crops grown in the world are engineered to be used with harmful pesticides, and other GE crops release insecticides. Monoculture cropping, which is the norm in industrialised farming, reduces biodiversity. However, it is this very biodiversity that provides the key to pest protection, pollination, nutrient cycling, healthy soils and water quality.

Organic farming methods work to promote biodiversity and encourage wildlife in the system. This includes protecting and enhancing forest remnants, wetlands and other natural ecosystems that support wildlife. Organic farming also includes biodiversity as a way to enhance production. Allowing for diversity in an agricultural system helps to increase resilience to climate change and market fluctuations and reduces susceptibility to pest and disease outbreaks.

The Soil & Health Association supports:

Diverse organic farming systems that encourage biodiversity and wildlife in the system and help protect and enhance native ecosystems.

Natural forms of pest control.

Mixed rotational farming and keeping a living root in the soil at all times to sequester carbon.

Appropriate tree planting and the creation of regenerated forested areas in farming and agriculture, including planting of species native to the area, the creation of fruit and nut orchards, copses, hedgerows and shade and windbreak trees. We discourage the use of monoculture crops in agriculture systems.

Photo credit: Nick Holmes