PDA

View Full Version : Aldi requests farmers to stop using Neonics.



Greengage
21-01-2016, 08:53 AM
Aldi requests suppliers stop using pesticides hazardous to bees
German and Dutch fruit and vegetable suppliers have been asked by German discount retailer Aldi to stop using eight pesticides that were found hazardous to bees. According to a press release from Greenpeace, Aldi Süd has asked the suppliers to bring this into effect at the earliest possible time. This makes Aldi the first European retail to put a stop on the use of these pesticides, which include thiamethoxam, chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, fipronil, imidacloprid and sulfoxaflor.
The Dutch and German growers, who supply fruits and vegetables to Aldi Süd, will now have to adapt their cultivation to suit the new requirement from Aldi. According to Greenpeace, this will not be a huge problem. More and more farmers and growers are succeeding in cultivating food without using these pesticides, Greenpeace said in the release.
Nefyto, the trade association of the agrochemical industry in the Netherlands, considers the requirement of Aldi Süd undesirable and inappropriate. Nefyto Secretary Jo Ottenheim says, “As a society we have an usage policy. Pesticides and similar products may only be used if the risks have been assessed and approved. Aldi's move is considered undesirable by the Ctgb (College for the authorization of plant protection products and biocides.
http://www.internationalsupermarketnews.com/news/22414
http://www.freshplaza.com/article/151981/Aldi-requests-suppliers-stop-using-pesticides-hazardous-to-bees

Adam
30-01-2016, 12:34 PM
Some farmers here have seen problems now that they cannot use neonics on OSR, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

prakel
30-01-2016, 12:36 PM
Some farmers here have seen problems now that they cannot use neonics on OSR, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Do you have details of the issues?

The Drone Ranger
31-01-2016, 01:00 AM
It would seem to vary depending on where the crop is grown
http://www.thecourier.co.uk/business/farming/news/farmers-quitting-oil-seed-rape-due-to-difficulties-1.741728

Or who you read
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2973266/oilseed_rape_flourishes_without_beekilling_chemica ls.html

Adam
01-02-2016, 02:31 PM
Issues:- The ban on neonics for OSR was lifted in some counties last year as farmers were having problems with bugs (stem flea beetle I think) on their OSR. However I don't think that the yield was too bad last year nationally.
If you read Farmers Weekly online you see that farmers are having to use more and more pesticides/herbicides/fungicides year on year in order to keep the yields up as the treatments become less and less effective. Really quite worrying!

The Drone Ranger
01-02-2016, 05:48 PM
I think the crop subsidy should be on a sliding scale inversely proportionate to the chemical input
So untreated gets the full subsidy lots of chemicals no subsidy
Everything else something between the two
It surprising sometimes how problems disappear when there are cash incentives to do it differently