| Pesticides Destroy Organic Farmer's Livelihood |
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| Written by Erika Fredrickson | |
| Friday, 14 March 2008 | |
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A farmer for Bioland – the largest German organic farming association – had to destroy part of his crops due to pesticide contamination, with $1 million in damages. Bernd Kuglemann bought fennel plants from a Holland company called the West Plant Group, but when he noticed that the seedling seemed too clean and that there were bluish pellets in the soil, he had them tested. Sure enough, the plants had been soaked in pesticides. One of Bioland's largest clients, a discount supermarket called Lidl, dropped Kuglemann immediately. Lettuce, celery and much of the soil had become contaminated and unusable. Kuglemann lost more clients and says he is now almost broke but still trying to rebuild his organic reputation. The Dutch suppliers, in the meantime, claim that the seedlings they sent were perfectly organic, and refuse to pay compensation. After a Dutch inspection service found pesticide residue in West Plant Group's supplies, they pulled a permit for one site. This incident appears to part of a larger problem of trust in the organic trade. Another issue is simply that organic standards often says nothing about organic crops being grown next to conventional ones. Such close proximity often ends up in the pesticide slathered crops contaminating the organic ones, with no accountability for the damage. Source: Spiegel Online International |
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