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
Maori organics and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
/in PoliciesLong before Europeans arrived on Aotearoa’s shores, Māori were prolific gardeners. Today in Aotearoa many whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori communities are using organic gardening practices to promote self-sufficiency in their whānau and communities.
The Soil & Health Association:
Healthy Soil
/in PoliciesThe health of our food and therefore the health of people is dependent on the health of the soil. Most of the food we eat has been grown in a fragile layer of topsoil that has been formed over thousands of years. Topsoil is being lost at an ever-increasing rate due to extractive agriculture and forestry practices. Industrialised agriculture, through the use of agrichemicals, overstocking, heavy machinery and a lack of soil cover, is destroying soil structure, causing soil compaction and erosion, and the depletion and loss of soil organic matter and nutrients. Organic agricultural methods, in contrast, use sustainable soil and crop management practices (including species-rich pastures) that work to protect and enhance soil fertility, structure and biological activity in the system.
The Soil & Health Association, as our name suggests, believes in restoring soils for the production of healthy food, therefore healthy people and a healthy earth.
We support organic agriculture and farming systems that foster soil health and produce healthy and nutritious food.
We encourage the use of organic residues and the recycling of biodegradable organic wastes such as manures, green manures, seaweed, and compost.
We encourage the use of minerals in their natural forms as fertilisers to re-establish soil mineral balance and to nourish soil microbes.
We are opposed to the use of synthetic fertilisers.
Photo credit: Nick Holmes
Education
/in Education and KnowledgeEducation is key to ensuring an environmentally sustainable future for the planet. Just three generations ago our food came from gardens and orchards, we were all gardeners, and each bioregion was self-sufficient in most fresh foods.
The opposite is now true. Today in Aotearoa New Zealand less than 7% of people are growing food for the other 93% of us. Our modern industrial food system is both ecologically destructive and functionally fragile. We are already experiencing increasingly unseasonal weather extremes as climate change kicks in. The next few decades will be very different from the last few, and our food supply and therefore our communities are vulnerable. We need more people growing food, and more young people to choose growing and farming as their future and this all starts with education.
The Soil & Health Association supports community food production initiatives such as community gardens, food forests and orchards that help to educate the public on small- scale sustainable food production techniques.
We encourage:
The development of food gardens and orchards in public institutions such as early childhood centres, schools, prisons, hospitals and retirement homes.
Educational links between schools, farms and community food projects.
We believe that:
There is a need for better government support for food production education at all levels of the education system.
School curricula should incorporate the practice and theory of food production.
Food is valued as an academic subject.
All schools should be supported to provide an area for children to learn how to grow food.
Cooking classes, including food traceability, preparation and storage skills, and a focus on nutrition should also be included in the curriculum for primary school and secondary school children.
Wherever farming and horticulture is taught, organic and sustainable methods must be central in all courses.
Pesticides
/in Campaigns, GlyphosateConventional 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
Biodiversity in agriculture/diverse agriculture
/in Farming and HorticultureAgriculture 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.
Clean waterways
/in Health, WaterNew Zealand’s waterways are in a dire state with a staggering 60% of monitored rivers being unsafe for swimming and 74% of freshwater fish species are threatened. A big factor in this is nitrogen pollution from the increasing intensification of agriculture. Much of the nitrogen pollution comes from cattle urine diffusing through soils and pasture root zones, and from soluble synthetic nitrogen fertilisers, so while planting stream banks and fencing off streams is good, it cannot solve this issue on its own. Going organic is part of the solution to fixing polluted fresh waterways in New Zealand. Organic dairy farming does not use any soluble nitrogen fertilisers, has lower stock density, promotes greater biodiversity, has grass-fed cows, and feed supplements are free of GE ingredients and palm kernel.
Soil & Health Association believes that the bottom line for human health in fresh water bodies should be that they are safe for primary contact i.e. for swimming. Soil & Health believes that freshwater pollution is not merely about farmers breaching rules. What is required is government intervention to lift water quality standards and incentivise more sustainable and organic methods of farming.
Soil & Health supports:
Fencing off stock from waterways.
Riparian strips and buffer zones of vegetation.
Sustainable stock numbers.
Organic and biological farming methods that involve nitrogen fixing pasture species, and healthy living soils with good moisture-holding capacity.
Mixed rotational farming.
Photo credit: Nick Holmes
Safe food
/in Food, Health and FoodThere are increasing levels of diet-related health issues in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many illnesses have been linked to food including diabetes, attention deficit disorder, fertility problems, thyroid disorders, obesity, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Aotearoa New Zealand has the third highest adult obesity rate in the OECD and one in ten children are obese. The majority of people in the developed world eats excessive quantities of highly processed pre-packaged foods and have no idea about the number of harmful chemicals they are exposed to every day through the food they eat. Many pesticides have been consistently linked to cancers and other long-term illnesses.
Micronutrients are essential for good health but are commonly lacking or diminished in industrially produced food. This has led to a demand for safe, organic food free of harmful chemicals. There is a growing awareness of food and how it determines health. People are now becoming more aware of what is in our food and demanding to know how it is grown.
The Soil & Health Association believes that everyone has a right to safe food, which covers the right to have food free from:
Microbial contamination, harmful organisms, pesticide, harmful chemical, and heavy metal contaminants, harmful additives, irradiation, and genetic engineering.
Soil & Health believes that government intervention and regulation are required to ensure that everyone has access to a healthy, balanced diet, and the knowledge and means with which to make the best food choices.
Soil & Health supports:
Healthy food being available in all public institutions such as early childhood centres, schools, hospitals, retirement homes and prisons.
Education in schools about healthy diets and nutrition.
A greater emphasis on primary and preventive health care.
Photo credit: Nick Holmes
Food labelling
/in Food, Health and FoodTo know our food is safe and free from contamination and harmful residues is a fundamental human right. However the right to know exactly what we are eating is often taken away and even routinely denied to us. While growing our own food or buying local and organic food remains the best way to ensure we know what we are eating, we must also know what has been sprayed onto crops and soil, added to foods, and used in the processing of the food we purchase.
Soil & Health is committed to advocating for clear and honest food labelling in Aotearoa New Zealand. We believe that transparent food labelling is fundamental in allowing people to make informed choices.
We stand for:
Country-of-origin labelling.
Labelling of the origin and production method for all meat, eggs and dairy products used in any food, and the source of all seafood. The country where the product is processed should also be identified.
All oils (e.g. palm oil, canola etc.) being specifically declared as an ingredient where used, not just as a ‘vegetable oil’.
Regulations and guidelines on claims about natural, sustainable, locally produced, fairly traded, and organic, being developed to ensure that people are not misled or deceived.
GE foods or foods containing GE ingredients being labelled as including or containing GE ingredients.
Labelling of any irradiated food or food ingredient.
Labelling standards for animal welfare claims.
Photo credit: Nick Holmes
Fluoride in local body water supplies
/in Freshwater, HealthIn New Zealand around 60% of public water supplies have fluoride added to prevent dental decay. The main chemicals used to fluoridate drinking water are known as silicofluorides. These fluorides are not pharmaceutical-grade fluoride products but unprocessed toxic industrial by-products of the phosphate fertiliser industry. There is conflicting evidence on the benefits of water fluoridation to dental health. There is also a growing medical concern about the cumulative negative wider health impacts of ingestion of fluoride. Many people in New Zealand already manifest dental symptoms of fluorosis – fluoride overdose. New Zealanders are already ingesting elevated levels of fluoride from plants and animals raised on land treated with phosphate which contains naturally occurring fluorides.
The Soil & Health Association is opposed to artificial fluoridation of public water supplies in New Zealand. We believe that adding fluoride to local body water supplies is a form of forced medication. We believe that individuals should have a right to choose whether they want to ingest fluoride or not. We believe that dental health is best achieved through a healthy diet and eating fresh, wholesome organic foods.
Photo credit: Nick Holmes
Animal welfare
/in PoliciesEvery year thousands of animals in New Zealand are farmed intensively, kept in unhygienic and cramped conditions, with high levels of stress and injury, and unable to express normal behaviours. This is ethically unacceptable and contrary to the stated principles in the Animal Welfare Act. Additionally, large numbers are subjected to cruelty through drug and chemical testing.
The Soil & Health Association advocates for the highest standards of animal welfare.
We believe that:
All animals should be treated with compassion and respect and be optimally nourished.
If animals are to be slaughtered then this should be done in the most humane way possible and as close to the point of production as possible to reduce stress on the animals.
Any farming methods that cause animals to suffer or prevent them from expressing normal patterns of behaviour should be phased out.
Drug and chemical testing should use in silico and in vivo methods to the greatest extent possible.
We are also opposed to:
The live exporting of animals.
The use of sow crates, battery cages, colony cages, and standing-room-only pens for cattle, and any other forms of close confinement for animals that prevent them from expressing their natural instincts and tendencies.
Cruel practices such as debeaking and toe-cutting of poultry, tail docking of cows and pigs and mulesing of sheep.
Vivisection.
Unnecessary testing of drugs and chemicals on animals including testing GMO and GE cloning.
We support the internationally recognised Five Freedoms of animal welfare.