As part of its long bid for European Union membership, Turkey has announced that 74 pesticides are off limits because they are poisonous. The Hurriyet Daily News reports that the EU has a list of 135 illegal chemicals, and Turkey is working on the others.
This is part of several environmental moves afoot in Turkey, from ecological building to a new renewable energy initiative.
Turkish agricultural officials say that the first 74 chemicals are relatively unimportant, and not often used in Turkish agriculture. Another six will get the axe next year. However, the remaining 55 will be harder to eliminate because they are some of the most crucial pesticides to local farmers.
A board member of the Adana Chamber of Agricultural Engineers told Hurriyet that the European demands may be out of touch:
“Some pesticides are only a health risk when used incorrectly. Some of them are not needed in the EU as the products for which these pesticides are used are not widespread or there are other alternatives. However, Turkey has continued to sell them because it could not develop any alternatives,” he said.
This story shows the extent of European influence on agriculture, which extends even to farmers worldwide who seek to export to the Continent; produce has to meet rigorous standards on pesticide residues, worker conditions, and the size and weight of the fruit or vegetable. In that way, Europe can help raise the standard of agriculture worldwide, and that’s a good thing.
However, where those standards don’t match the reality on the ground – such as a list of pesticides that doesn’t change according to climate and the type of crops grown, it could generate frustration and apathy.
(Photo from Hurriyet)
Author: Daniella Cheslow
Daniella Cheslow grew up in a car-dependent suburb in New Jersey, where she noticed strip malls and Wal-Marts slowly replacing farmland. Her introduction to nature came through hiking trips in Israel. As a counselor for a freshman backpacking program at Northwestern University, Daniella noticed that Americans outdoors seemed to need to arm themselves with performance clothing, specialized water bottles and sophisticated camping silverware. This made her think about how to interact with and enjoy nature simply. This year, Daniella is getting a Master’s in Geography from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She also freelance writes, photographs and podcasts. In her free time, she takes day trips in the desert, drops off compost and cooks local foods like stuffed zucchini, kubbeh and majadara. Daniella gets her peak oil anxiety from James Howard Kunstler and her organic food dreams from Michael Pollan. Read more at her blog, TheTruthHerzl.com. Daniella can be reached at daniella (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Much of Turkey’s agriculture remains relatively ‘traditional’ (as opposed to chemical-dependent intensive farming).
As such, it can be converted to certified organic production relatively easily – the best way to say goodbye to polluting (and unecessary) pesticides – thus safeguarding both the environment and rural livelihoods.