IN 1893 the overthrow of Hawaii’s last monarch, Queen Liliuokalani, involved powerful plantation owners backed by American forces. When sugar and pineapple operations eventually declined, agricultural biotechnology firms set up during the 1960s: Monsanto, BASF, Syngenta, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont-Pioneer, which all remain in place. But big agricultural interests still seem to inspire little trust in the state. An argument over pesticide use has settled like a fine mist over the operations of these companies.
Over half a billion pounds (600,000kg) of pesticides are used in America each year; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates their distribution, sale and application. Much of its oversight is delegated to state departments of agriculture. The EPA distinguishes between “general use” pesticides, for all and sundry, and “restricted use pesticides” (RUPs) for application only by those qualified to do so. These types are among the most regulated and most toxic.
In Hawaii 1.3m pounds of active ingredients contained within RUPs were sold in 2013. Hungry termites meant 36% of the stuff was used for urban and structural...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/20aIp6o
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