In 2018, after a ruling of the European Court of Justice put the latest breeding methods under the burdensome EU GMO legislation, the Volume 5, Issue 3 edition of European Seed (Aug. 2018) was titled:
Technological innovations in plant breeding can address serious issues from climate resilience to biodiversity decline to sustainable intensification to feed a growing (and increasingly affluent) global population. But scientists are facing an activist community that feels a better solution lies in letting the planet heal itself. In reality, they are campaigning to abandon innovative research solutions.
Myth: Organic agriculture is pesticide freeFact: It is commonly believed that organic farmers do not use pesticides and that organic food is therefore safer to consume than conventionally farmed fruit and vegetables. This claim that organic farmers work without using pesticides is a view that has been spread widely but is clearly false. Pesticides can be sprayed on organic fields as plant protection products or used in warehousing as biocides. In many countries a significant part of the most popular pesticides sold are also approved for organic farming. For example, in the EU, according to the pesticide approvals database, there are currently close to 500 substances approved for use as pesticides of which 28 are approved for use in organic agriculture, many of which are neurotoxins or with a toxic profile requiring “Danger” labels. Some of those pesticides that are allowed in organic agriculture are boron (may affect brain, liver & heart); acetic acid (burns skin, eyes, risk
The aim of the European Seed series on Myths, Fake News, Misinformation and Disinformation is to dive deeper, taking a closer look at a variety of seed related topics. This article looks at the myths surrounding crop protection.Myth: Insect deaths are the result of pesticide useFact: The decrease in insect populations must be studied from various angles and can be linked to a wide range of causes. Mainly climate change, but also lack of living space (due to a lack of open space and/or hedges, for example), all types of soil sealing (due to construction projects and roads), the introduction of substances into the environment (for cleaning and plant protection), an increase in light sources (due to the constant illumination of roads), an increase in traffic (insect collisions), and a lack of biotope protection (e.g., fewer wetlands) all impact insect populations. Farmers depends on and protect insects and other pollinators that are essential for their crops. Many farmers go to great le