Anti-chemical lobby growing

Press, 29 January 1988, Page 12

Anti-chemical lobby growing

It was only a question of time before New Zealand would have to set up a programme to educate farmers to grow crops without the use of chemicals, believes an American organic grower. Mr Joe Tooker, who advises growers in California on ways to convert to organic farming, said New Zealand had a reputation for a pollution-free environment. But people would soon wake up to the fact that New Zealand growers and farmers were intensive users of chemicals, such as pesticides. Tougher legislation had recently been introduced in California, as a result of grass-roots pressure from the public, making chemicals subject to far more intensive testing before they can be used by farmers and growers, said Mr Tooker. This is likely to result in some of the more dangerous chemicals being phased out and taken off the market. Some of the large-scale growers who used chemicals extensively, were realising their hands could be tied on future chemical use

and were starting to panic. Mr Tooker is a member of an advisory board of farmers and researchers set up by the University of California to advise in converting mainstream agriculture to a low-input organic system.Mr Tooker said the tougher legislation in California on chemical use could have repercussions for New Zealand as the residue levels of chemicals in exports, such as kiwifruit, would be lowered. Countries in Western Europe, particularly Germany, were bringing in very strict legislation banning some pesticides. The Californian legislation applied also to chemicals in household use, such as that used for termite control which was a major source of chemical pollution. The legal right of people, such as farm labourers, to sue if chemical use polluted their workplace, was a major reason for the strength of the organic movement in the United States, he said. Organisations could not afford the chance of having a lawsuit brought suc-

cessfully against them by a person claiming chemical use had affected their health. Gone were the days when organically-grown produce was of a poor quality and difficult to sell, said Mr Tooker. Organic growers could now produce crops of firstclass standard even better than those grown with chemical help, and with a much higher nutrition value. Laboratory tests had shown apples grown on Mr Tooker’s organic farm had a vitamin C content 400 per cent higher than the United States average. The Tookers run a certified biodynamic farm on 4.5 ha near San Diego where they grow fruit and vegetables. Supermarkets were encouraging large scale growers to grow crops without chemicals and, in some cases, having the produce tested in laboratories and displaying the results to the public. Mr Tooker visited New Zealand to lecture on organic growing and gather information on aspects of the organic movement in this country.