An article in today’s Irish Independent stated that an elderly farmer turned up to a hazardous waste collection (organized as a one off event by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency) with enough cyanide to wipe out the whole of his home county, Roscommon. The cyanide was used to kill rabbits on his land. ‘Other waste products that farmers arrived with included one of the main ingredients in Agent Orange, a chemical weapon used in the Vietnam war.’
As shocking as this is (seen from our current perspective) it points up just how these lethal substances are deemed ok when used to expand markets. Especially in poor countries, which Ireland certainly was. Banned herbicides and pesticides continue to be marketed in more vulnerable, emerging markets with devastating consequences by, in my opinion, amoral (sociopathic) corporates. Even the so called ‘safe’ substances are only safety tested in isolated compound form and not as an entire substance. For example, glyphosate is claimed by Monsanto to be safe but a chemical called polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEA), which is part of normal Roundup formulation has been found to be questionable. ‘In 2005, Relyea documented that Roundup was lethal to frogs. More than 90 percent of the tadpoles exposed to small doses were killed by a chemical called polyethoxylated tallowamine (POEA), which is part of normal Roundup formulation. POEA allows glyphosate to penetrate plant leaves.’ See article here We just don’t know what the long term effects of the constant barrage of pesticide and herbicide formulations with ever expanding ingredient lists will be for humans, flora and fauna. Not to mention GMO and the inherent moral problem of seed patenting.
In her controversial paper ‘Organic Solutions to Hunger‘, Vandana Shiva points up that organic and traditional farming methods preserve land quality into the future and in many cases increase yield. The first fully organic country, Bhutan, is adopting her advice for preserving their food security into the future by continuing and expanding traditional practices adopted over centuries and passing up on the poisoned chalice proffered by Monsanto and their ilk. It seems GNH is a better measure for our shared environment than GDP/GNP.
I only hope that these trade Deals like TTIP will die the death that they envisioned for citizens of nations under the cast iron grip of Globalist Neo Corporatism.
Here is a really interesting and ire raising documentary if you have the time to watch it. CIRCLE OF POISON