Farmers are reluctant to stop using toxic weed killers

[rooster59 8,404]

Farmers are reluctant to stop using toxic weed killers

 

 

The government’s plan to phase out three chemical weed killers, paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, which are widely used by Thai farmers, may be easier said than done as most farmers oppose the ban because the chemicals enable higher crop yields.

 

A recent field survey, of farmers in the northern province of Phrae by Thai PBS reporters, shows that many of them are unlikely to give up the use of the weed killers while an effective alternative is not available.

 

The farmers said that, because of their large farms and shortage of labour, they need to use the weed killers both before and after cultivation to ensure they get large enough harvests to generate the incomes they need.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/farmers-are-reluctant-to-stop-using-toxic-weed-killers/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-08-17

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[PatOngo 22,490]

Sell it and they will buy. Why let health stand in the way of profit! It's a cultural thing!

[pokerface1 314]

It's the same the world over. Some must die so that others can live. I bet the farmers buy organic and don't touch their own produce. 

[IsaanAussie 1,164]

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

[Crossy 19,730]

1 hour ago, PatOngo said:

Sell it and they will buy.

 

Exactly.

 

Simply ban the manufacture / import and sale of the stuff. Whilst not perfect (some will always find its way in) it should push the price up above the safer alternatives.

 

[Matzzon 2,688]

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

most farmers oppose the ban because the chemicals enable higher crop yields.

Yes, naturally. Almost like force feeding people with poison and steal their wallet when they die.

[MikeN 521]

14 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

well, is it jungle or farmland ?

If it is virgin jungle then perhaps it should not be cleared by any means, mechanical or chemical ? and if it is actually farmland what have they been doing for the last year ? Snoozing in their hammocks, 24/365 ?

[Paul Henry 410]

Facts: Chlopyriphos is an organic phosphate and is an insecticide not a weedkiller. There is no conclusive evidence that glyphosate is harmfull to mammals. Infact many years of study by many countries show this ammino acid chemical is safe.Vested interest groups have made some claims with several USA courts awarding damages to cancer victims ( Two of them self proclaimed longterm smokers.) Thailand has Not carried out any trials that I am aware of to prove one way or the other on the mammalian toxicity of glyphosate.

Yes the bipyridial paraquat is highly toxic and kills many every year. Chlopyriphos has also been banned in many countries as it builds up in the fat of animals and can then be consumed by humans, few people die directly by using it according to the label.  

[IsaanAussie 1,164]

^{Still waiting for the alternatives guys. It's like I'm baying at the moon. I suppose that makes me a Bayer Fan?}

[RPCVguy 389]

25 minutes ago, Paul Henry said:

Facts: Chlopyriphos is an organic phosphate and is an insecticide not a weedkiller. There is no conclusive evidence that glyphosate is harmfull to mammals. Infact many years of study by many countries show this ammino acid chemical is safe.Vested interest groups have made some claims with several USA courts awarding damages to cancer victims ( Two of them self proclaimed longterm smokers.) Thailand has Not carried out any trials that I am aware of to prove one way or the other on the mammalian toxicity of glyphosate.

Yes the bipyridial paraquat is highly toxic and kills many every year. Chlopyriphos has also been banned in many countries as it builds up in the fat of animals and can then be consumed by humans, few people die directly by using it according to the label.  

Correct both on bipyridial paraquat and chlopyriphos, the latter being an insecticide which works on blocking neurotransmitters. Besides insects, it has effects on young children. Here's a medical researcher's statement: "People can be exposed to chlorpyrifos when breathing dust that drifts from nearby fields into homes and schools. Chlorpyrifos readily evaporates from leaf and soil surfaces to become airborne and, once in this gas form, can migrate. Farm workers are at risk through on-the-job exposure. After harvesting, traces of the pesticide are left as residues on fresh foods, and for this reason, I strongly advise to always peel or thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before eating to reduce these residues." [https://www.physiciansweekly.com/why-we-should-ban-the-brain-damaging-pesticide-chlorpyrifos/]

As for the comment about glyphosate, is quite carefully worded. I wish to help people know about and explore the long term controversy that exists as to glyphosate. The debate is alive and widely separates the USA's EPA analysis from policies accepted in Europe. A "peer-reviewed article answers the question of how and why the US EPA and EFSA reached diametrically opposed conclusions to IARC about glyphosate’s genotoxicity.[1] The article shows that the EPA relied on unpublished industry studies, 99% of which found that glyphosate was not genotoxic, whereas IARC relied on published studies, 74% of which found that glyphosate was genotoxic." [https://www.gmwatch.org/en/news/archive/2019/18699-how-did-the-us-epa-and-iarc-reach-opposite-conclusions-about-glyphosate-s-genotoxicity]
Add in another concern - one I watch since we have 2 bee hives. A study in Texas links glyphosate to disrupting of gut bacteria in bees, causing another avenue for dwindling bee populations. [https://cen.acs.org/environment/pesticides/Glyphosate-disrupts-honey-bee-gut/96/web/2018/09]

Beyond its potential direct health effects on humans I look at how it functions in soils.  Glyphosate was originally patented as a chelator (bonding agent) back in 1964. It bonds to minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium & manganese and removes them from being accessible as plant nutrients. It was used to clean pipes that had mineral buildup. It is the most widely used herbicide, primarily due to the widespread cultivation of Roundup Ready GMO crops. This leads us to ask... when you spray a chelator on our farmland and our food, how much of the nutrients are chelated from the soil and the crops. Add to that the fact that glyphosate is in our food - and we have to wonder to what extent it is removing vital nutrients from us and the foods we eat?

[Tropposurfer 630]

I’ll have ddt with my morning glory please

[hotchilli 5,070]

4 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

Round-up !

[Redline 2,719]

5 hours ago, IsaanAussie said:

Hey guys, take another look at the "jungle" those men are standing in. Now please add some more of your experience and wisedom and suggest just how they could clear 10 or 20 Rai of farm land covered in that stuff to plant their crops.

How did they build the pyramids, Stonehenge...

they burn everything anyway

they also have weed cutters with metal blades, and machete s. 

 

Edited August 17 by Redline

[GreasyFingers 849]

38 minutes ago, Redline said:

they also have weed cutters with metal blades, and machete s. 

You must be very fit. Offer to help them, this year, next year and every year thereafter.

[Classic Ray 1,759]

They don’t care because there are no sanctions for causing illness to their workers and they can make more profit. 

 

That’s what Governments are for, to protect the workers from business people like these, but here they are on the same side against the workers.