INDIANAPOLIS,
Ind./U.S. Newswire/ -- A new report shows a shift to organic farming methods could
increase pesticide use by hundreds of millions of pounds per year. Representing
less than 1 percent of total agriculture, this research reveals that even a marginal
increase of land placed under organic farming methods could result in significant
increases in use of persistent and toxic ''organic'' pesticides such as sulfur,
copper and other natural chemicals allowed in organic production.
The
''natural'' pesticides used by organic farmers are among the most heavily used,
toxic, and persistent in American agriculture today, according to a report from
Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues. A mandate for organic-only farming
would lead to massive increases in pesticide use, soil contamination, and topsoil
loss. The result would be a major decrease in the sustainability of American agriculture,
the report concludes.
''The myth that organic farming is toxics-free should
be buried forever. The American public has been misled through poor reporting
and aggressive marketing schemes to believe organic is 'pesticide-free' and safer
for human and ecological health,'' said Alex Avery, the report's author.
The
report, ''Nature's Toxic Tools: The Organic Myth of Pesticide-Free Farming,''
concludes that:
-- Organic pesticides are the most heavily used pesticides
in the United States
-- One organic insecticide accounts for more than
half of all U.S. insecticide use
-- One organic fungicide accounts for
more than half of all U.S. fungicide use
-- Switching to all organic production
would result in up to a 700 percent increase in U.S. fungicide use
--
An all-organic mandate would lead to a massive increase in soil erosion and reduced
sustainability
-- U.S. regulators have no information at all on the use
of most organic pesticides, despite the fact that millions of pounds of these
toxic pesticides are used in the United States every year
''At this moment
of critical debate about the health and environmental benefits of conventional
farming and genetically improved crops, organic farming is being promoted as the
ideal alternative. The reality is organic is less understood, untested and potentially
riskier for both people and the environment,'' said Avery. |
