Dr Meriel Watts: Our food is denatured through chemical use. NZ is lacking political will to address this

Interviewed by Tim LynchJuly 26, 2017
Share this on  

New Zealand needs to face up to the widespread use of chemicals that are applied in agriculture, either topically or coated on seeds, and how the chemical affect our food and therefore our health. There is a toxic plethora of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, along with artificial fertilisers that make chemical companies masses of money, but are not to the benefit of us, the consumers.

One might think that a so called clean green country, like New Zealand, would be keen to show itself as just that, but instead we apply toxic chemical
after toxic chemical all over the country.

In one evening meal, that is not organic, you could be consuming as many as 17 different agro - chemicals in small quantities. Research on how they all work together has not been done. New Zealand’s chemical assessments are not being based on science.

The Formal UN Recommended Organisation SAICM (Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management)
states that highly hazardous pesticides be phased out and replaced by agro-ecology. (Agro-ecology is known as organics in NZ.) However, although 170 countries
are involved and send delegates to the meetings, incredibly New Zealand has not chosen to be involved, and seems unaware of the serious repercussions of
chemical use. Meriel states that the heads of the Departments for the Environment, Health and Agriculture (Primary Industries) need to attend to learn,
and realise the critical situation that NZ is in.

Where is the powerful influence that keeps the toxic chemicals in use? Here’s an example from the US.

Dow Chemicals has given a million dollars for Donald Trump’s campaign fund. Dow are makers of Chlorpyrifos. This pesticide has been banned by Sri Lanka
and Yemen and US scientists have identified it as a major concern, but of course after that donation, the hopes of getting it banned in the US have
been dashed.

In New Zealand we are unsure of the influence by companies like Dow. However the pesticide Chlorpyrifos is used here in New Zealand. There is not much political will to ban it, and although home gardeners are not allowed
to use it, the government still allows its use on farms, and by commercial gardeners.

Children are especially at risk. Chlorpyrifos is an acute nerve toxin and suspected endocrine disruptor that has been linked to numerous health issues.
It has been found in human cord blood and is known to cause foetal damage and neuro-developmental disorders. Most recently, it has been linked to an
increased risk of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.

Chlorpyrifos is found at particularly high levels in children. It is prevalent in fruit and vegetables; also in dairy products, nuts, cottonseed, wheat
and wheat-based products such as bread and pasta, rice, maize, chickpeas, fish, muesli, jam, olive oil, pizza, hamburgers, raisins; also soft drinks
and drinking water.

HAVE YOU EVEN HEARD OF CHLORPYRIFOS? Before this interview, I hadn’t.

So why does our government lack the political will to put a ban on chemicals like chlorpyrifos, glyphosate / Roundup,
1080, and the bee threat neonicitinoids?

Agriculture is the largest sector of the tradable economy in New Zealand. This means that farmers have a strong voice around decisions made that affect
them. They and the large chemical trans-nationals will undoubtedly have influence regarding decisions made, that could affect them. However we the
public need to have a voice about what affects us – namely some very toxic chemicals.

NZ’s Government Department NIWA , the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, tested
the water of Auckland harbour and were very concerned at the level of glyphosate in the water - Yet the Government is ignoring the aquatic environment.

Our soils are sick from greed-based, irresponsible agricultural practices, pesticides, chemical fertilisers, erosion and mineral depletion, all
of which stop or reduce adequate microbial activity in the soil, rendering them sick and/or dead and sterile. Sick soils make for sick plants and sick
plants make for sick humans and animals.,” Says the president of the US National Health Federation, Scott Tips.

If the soil is poor, not enough micro-organisms are taken up into the plant. So we are replacing nourishment with chemicals. The answer to growing good
strong healthy plants that do not need chemical assistance, lies in the soil.

We cannot put the entire blame on farmers, says Meriel. The whole approach to pesticides has to change, from home gardeners, to household use as well as
farm use. We can’t very well demand farmers change without stopping using fly spray, for example. Fly spray is made with synthetic pyrethrum and is
carcinogenic.

The level of cancer is soaring around the world and yet we are not informed about agricultural and industrial chemical use, and its effect on human health.

New Zealand is, in Meriel's opinion, between 10 and 20 years behind in understanding the side effects of pesticide use. This is unacceptable.

She challenges which ever government is in power to create a caring state and ensure the health of all people throughout the country. One main way
to do this is to walk away from the chemical cocktail that affects us all.

Dr Meriel Watts had a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a PhD in risk assessment of pesticides and the consequences of its flaws for pesticide
policy.

She has been working on behalf of civil society for 27 years on pesticide issues and safer alternatives – including for Greenpeace and the Soil & Health
Association. Now she works (since 1993) for Pesticide Action Network (PAN), a global network of about 600 civil society organisations in 90 countries
– coordinate PAN Aotearoa NZ, Senior Technical Advisor to PAN Asia Pacific, the regional centre in Malaysia, and represents the global network at UN
chemicals conventions, agreements and technical groups.

Meriel has been involved in NZ’s organics sector for about 24 years – including helping to establish and run Organic Farm NZ – a low-cost certification
scheme for growers supplying only the domestic market. Together with her partner, she runs a certified organic farm, on Waiheke Island, supplying locals
with fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and olive oil.

Author of 5 books on pesticides, Meriel has contributed to numerous other publications including monographs e.g. on both the glyphosate and chlorpyrifos,
act.

Her most recent book = Replacing Chemicals with Biology – Phasing out Highly Hazardous Pesticides with Agro-ecology - is about why we need to phase out
chemical pesticides. That successful growing without pesticides is possible and is now being proved globally and what policy changes are needed to
get us there.

The websites mentioned in the interview:

Pesticide Action Network of Aotearoa New Zealand.

http://www.pananz.net

Replacing Chemicals with Biology: Phasing out Highly Hazardous Pesticides with Agroecology: http://pan-international.org/resources

and

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, report on pesticides to UN human Rights Council, A/HRC/34/48: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Food/Pages/Annual.aspx

Also of interest may be:

PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides: http://pan-international.org/resources

PAN International Consolidated List of Ban Pesticides: http://pan-international.org/resources

PAN International Monograph on Glyphosate: http://pan-international.org/resources

------------------------------------

This interview was sponsored by The Awareness Party

 

Share this on  

Tim Lynch

Tim Lynch, is a New Zealander, who is fortunate in that he has whakapapa, or a bloodline that connects him to the Aotearoan Maori. He has been involved as an activist for over 40 years - within the ecological, educational, holistic, metaphysical, spiritual & nuclear free movements. He sees the urgency of the full spectrum challenges that are coming to meet us, and is putting his whole life into being an advocate for todays and tomorrows children. 'To Mobilise Consciousness.'

You May Also Like