Andrew Porterfield | July 13, 2021
Europe is currently in a frenzy trying to drum up enough support to dramatically rollback approvals of targeted synthetic pesticides, the backbone of conventional agriculture. Leveraging the ongoing public debate about the pending new Green Deal and Farm to Fork policies, activists are calling for tighter restrictions and in some cases outright bans. Last month, Switzerland came close to banning synthetic pesticides, and the measure is sure to get resurrected.
Much of the ire is directed at the herbicide weedkiller glyphosate, which is reviled in the activist community, although study after study shows it is among the safest of agricultural chemicals. There have been 18 major reviews of glyphosate by independent global agencies, and none has found it poses any food dangers to humans. In June, in an 11,000 page report, the European Union concluded, yet again, (in their legalese) – “The AGG proposes that classification of glyphosate as for germ cell mutagenicity genotoxic or mutagenic is not justified.” Glyphosate is focused on weed control and is not used in organic farming, which relies mostly on mechanical weeding.
Glyphosate has attracted the attention of anti-GMO activists and members of the EU because it works hand-in-hand with some genetically modified crops bred to resist it. Critics of synthetic pesticides are unimpressed by the scientific consensus on the safety of glyphosate. They actively pursue bans, claiming that conventional agricultural chemicals causes serious ecological collateral damage to soil and insects. It’s time to draw the line on the use of conventional agricultural chemicals, they say.
But science is not so simple and life is filled with irony. Let’s consider the safety and environmental profile of copper sulfate and other copper compounds, the most popular class of pesticides used in Europe. As they are a natural compound, they are classified as ‘organic’ even though they organic compounds are technically inorganic (ironically, technically, glyphosate is organic.) They are widely used by organic farmers an algaecide, bactericide, fungicide, and root killer. When it is mixed with calcium hydroxide it is known as a Bordeaux mixture. Their use grew in popularity in the 1800s to deter people from sampling French wine grapes. Copper sulfate was used as a deterrent to downy mildew became quickly apparent......................
Copper sulfate works by binding tightly to proteins in fungi, algae, and other organisms. It then causes the cells to leak, killing the target (and some non-target) organisms. In its “Bordeaux mix” formulation, hydrated copper sulfate is mixed with lime (calcium hydroxide) to neutralize the copper compound and reduce plant damage. It can also persist through rain and stick to plants, which also causes some of the environmental problems both farmers and regulators have seen.
Downy mildew is a scourge to wine grapes. Although the alga causing it (Plasmopara viticola) was discovered in the southern US in the 1830s, it really started causing problems later once it arrived in Europe, particularly among French wine growers. Once classified as a fungus, scientists now regard it as biologically closer to algae. It still has properties that make it a challenge to combat.
Copper compounds including various copper sulfates but also copper hydroxides have been in use by almost all farmers, including many conventional ones because the safer, targeted synthetic versions used by some conventional farmers are not as effective as the more toxic organic copper products. Most countries in Europe use about 1.5 to 2 times the amount of pesticides per acre than the US mostly because of the use of copper compounds, primarily on vineyards, as they control mildew. They are also used in other aspects of organic farming, especially with potatoes, grapes, tomatoes and apples.
Does organic mean safe? Not in the case of copper compounds work?
But let’s be clear here: just because organic compounds are organic, does not mean they are safer. In fact, organic copper products are one of the most toxic chemicals used anywhere in farming.Studies show that soil copper in conventional and organic vineyards had lower soil microbial activity in organic vineyards, which had higher copper concentrations than conventional fields. Highest concentrations were measured from vine leaves. Copper cycling is very slow, so it can accumulate in large amounts in the soil over time. Too much copper can cause chlorosis of vine leaves.
Copper compounds don’t biodegrade and can essentially ‘kill’ the soil, rendering it useless, if not properly managed. It is bio-accumulative, meaning it can build up to toxic levels in the soil. In fact, many organic wine growers, in the US and in Europe (including France) have opted out of their organic designation in order to use alternatives to copper sulfate fungicide. Their fears? Accumulation of the chemical in soil.
Unlike glyphosate, it poses huge dangers to beneficial insects and other life forms. According to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA), copper sulfate “is very toxic to aquatic life, is very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects, may cause cancer, may damage fertility or the unborn child, is harmful if swallowed, causes serious eye damage, may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.”
In January 2018, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in a report co-commissioned by the French Institute for Organic Farming (ITAB), concluded: “Excessive concentrations of copper have adverse effects on the growth and development of most plants, microbial communities and soil fauna,” recommending in a scientific report that the government should intervene to “reduce use of copper for the protection of biological uses”.
A few months later, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) declared copper compounds to be “of particular concern to public health and the environment.” Definitive research has shown copper sulfate can be toxic to humans, far more so than glyphosate. It is not as targeted as many biological pesticides are, so whatever it does to fungus cells, it can do to you and to beneficial insects. It has been associated with skin and eye irritation. Signs and symptoms from swallowing it are a metallic taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, upper abdominal pain and tissue damage.
It is toxic to honeybees and a study showed extreme toxicity to bees in tropical environments (it was carried out in Brazil), where copper sulfate is used as a sprayed fertilizer (to provide heavy metal nutrients). In addition, and unlike glyphosate, the European Chemicals Agency has declared it a carcinogen—research has associated it with kidney cancer, in particular. As a carcinogen, copper sulfate would be subject to EU regulations restricting its use among workers, if not banned altogether.
In addition, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) pointed to risks to farmers, birds, mammals and soil organisms. Both the EFSA and the US Environmental Protection Agency say more data is needed on the potential health effects on consumers, but there is evidence of carcinogenicity........To Reads More, Much More!.
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