Organic farms blocked for pesticide discovery

Organic farms blocked for pesticide discovery

06/12/2014

Over the past few months, feedstuffs contaminated with pesticides have been fed to several organic farms in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. For six farms, a provisional eco-marketing ban has been imposed, it is said by the Ministry of Agriculture. Pesticides pose many health hazards to humans.

Feed contaminated with pesticides
From the end of September to November, organic pet owners in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern fed feed contaminated with pesticides. This is evident from a message from the news agency dpa. A spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Friday that a temporary organic marketing ban had been imposed on six companies, including one of the largest organic egg producers in Germany. These are four cattle farms, a sheep farm and the organic eggs producer combination Fürstenhof in the district of Rostock. According to the data, 13 of the 14 laying hen farms were closed for the second time after one week because of pesticide contamination in the feed.

Sunflower seed from Ukraine
According to a spokesman for the ministry, about 230 tons of organic sunflower presscake from Ukraine has come in via a Dutch distributor. This feed is obtained when pressing sunflower seeds to oil. The feed mill in Eldena in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, which had been blocked as a precautionary measure, was also supplied by the trader concerned. According to the Ministry, follow-up inspections of feed in the Fürstenhof producer group have demonstrated significant exceedances of plant protection product limits in five out of 29 samples.

Organic farming rules violated
The Minister of Agriculture of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Till Backhaus (SPD), said that this had massively violated the regulations of organic farming. Furthermore, the laying hens had received longer feed than previously assumed - over two months - loaded feed. Thus, they should no longer be regarded as organic laying hens. According to the news agency Backhaus expressed „immensely disappointed“ about that, „that a food producer did not fully live up to his responsibilities in the handling of feed and food“. Over a long period of time, self-monitoring of the companies did not work.

Self-inspection and eco-control body
However, Fürstenhof CEO Friedrich Behrens had already announced on Tuesday that the burden of the feed was discovered by self-inspection and the eco-control body. A week ago, the shipment of more than one million eggs had been put on the market for four days until it became clear that the eggs had not been contaminated. Then the lock was canceled again. Up to 350,000 laying hens are kept in the holdings of the producer group.

Health hazards due to pesticides
Again and again pesticide finds in agriculture or in waters are known. These chemicals pose many health hazards to humans. For example, skin contact, such as an itchy skin rash, may be in contact with the skin. Depending on their type and amount, pesticides can also cause allergies, gastrointestinal complaints, fertility and genetic defects, neonatal birth defects and even cancer. In several studies, researchers have also named pesticides as a possible cause of autism and Alzheimer's. If there is an acute poisoning by pesticides, it may cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, blurred vision, eye and skin damage, muscle spasms or unconsciousness. (Ad)