EarthJustice Workers Submit Freedom of Information Act, Putting Scott Pruitt Under Scrutiny
Pesticide Action Network, “Decades after Edward R. Murrow’s Harvest of Shame documentary and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, farmworkers in this country still face many of the same deplorable conditions.”
From the fields of Florida, to the crops of California, farm workers across the country are directly impacted by federal regulatory laws which allow for use of pesticides in agriculture. The workers, many of whom are children, are mixing and spraying such toxic chemicals, and have terrifying stories to tell. Pesticide exposure is degrading the environment and our public health, as doctors diagnose up to 20,000 poisonings a year. Pesticide runoff, and waste created from agricultural areas, has seeped into our waterways and wells that are intended primarily for public use.
In the past several years, the EPA has made two federal rulings to help protect Agricultural Workers; including the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (2015) and its sister set of safety standards, the Certification of Pesticide Applicators Rule (2017). Now, the (corrupt!) Scott Pruitt-led U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced its intent to gut these two poisoning-prevention measures. We need to carefully consider the lives of farmers and the delicate ecology of our communities. We must advocate for federal measures which account for the full impact of pesticides on public health and the environment, establishing the costs from every corner of society (not just the ones in power who benefit from slashing protection laws and rolling back regulations)!
Check out this NPR story about a food panty in Morgan, Colorado which provides food to industry workers and families, no matter what their immigration status might be. The story addresses the socio-economic conditions of many people, and the issue of food insecurity in a policy-web that does not provide direct support for those who are ‘unauthorized’ to live here. Reports of reduced and limited SNAP coverage, in addition to the stories of people unable to ask for direct support due to fear that listing themselves and/or their children will lead to becoming detained by ICE, is certainly compounding the issue of hunger in our country. Grassroots community organizers and places of worship have been very successful in looking to Ecology as an important framework for understanding how frail our food system is and what happens when we don’t collaborate with each other to solve such problems.
Busted Regulations That Give Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations A Tax Break, Meanwhile Small-scale Farmers Have to Pay, Need to GO
“The way 97% of feeder hogs live.”
Barry Estabrook, James Beard winner, writer and author of the book, recently revised, Tomato Lands: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit, is also the author of another book which investigates the disparity between the true cost and production of Pigs raised in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) in terms of both human and environmental health. More widely known in the context of CAFO regulation, this form of agricultural exceptionalism is “an insincere policy.” Regulators’ intent is to get the sticker price of commodity meat to seem as low as possible without regard to production costs such as climate pollution and warming.
This is unacceptable! Industrialized animal production not only causes suffering to the lives of animals and humans (consider the workers in these conditions!), but the impact of methane is worse! According to a 2006 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “animal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, including 37 percent of methane emissions and 65 percent of nitrous oxide emissions.”
Join the People’s movement to educate each other about the negative impacts of factory farming on the environment, on human health and on animal welfare, so we can move forward to organize and mobilize millions of consumers to demand labels on beef, pork, poultry and dairy products derived from these unhealthy and unsustainable so-called “farming” practices (CAFOS = bad).
Cuomo Announces Nearly $2 Million In Funding To Help New York Farms Address Impacts of Climate Change
January 22, 2018, NYS representatives on both sides of the aisle have stated their support for farmland protection through grant funding. However, ensuring that valuable farmland remains in agricultural production and that it moves towards farming methods which are sustainable is another story. We need to keep letting our representatives know that we want better food labeling regulations and programs for organic, non-GMO products!
Last Friday, in an announcement in Albany, Governor Cuomo said he would continue the program, now in it’s fourth year, investing in nearly three dozen farms. According to the Associated Press, the funds are to “make farms more water and energy efficient, and to help them prepare for droughts or severe weather” including methods to mitigate soil erosion and to capture methane emissions.
On New York’s governor website, farmers and food producers like the New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher have applauded the program’s success, “New York’s farmers have a long history of sound environmental management, and the grants announced today will support that effort. Increasing the use of cover crops, building up soil health and reducing erosion are some of the long lasting benefits of the projects taking place on our farms. It is fitting that the state’s farmers, often seen as the first environmentalists, are being recognized for the stewardship they continue to provide.”
Long Island Thimble Oyster Company Owner, and Ocean Farm Founder, Featured on CBS 60 Minutes
My radio guest from February 22nd, Bren Smith, who fishes and farms both oysters and seaweed, was just featured on CBS Network’s 60 minutes, to address issues in sustainability and innovation in our food system. May we continue to consider carefully the impacts of Climate Change on our precious water sources, considering the limited space to expand agriculture on land.
Victory for NY Renews Campaign
Activist group 350.org made this beautiful video of last Monday’s rally, showing the passion and diversity of the crowd, so please watch and share with others! Hopefully, by sharing this video amongst our own circles, we can model and inspire others across the US to push our public officials and Governors to commit to a fossil free future, too.
“This event was made possible by more than 100 endorsing organizations – members of the NY Renews coalition and beyond – who came together to demand that Governor Cuomo move NY to 100% renewable energy, make big polluters pay for their damage, and put a stop to all fracking infrastructure in the state. And the very next day, the New York State Assembly passed the Climate & Community Protection Act for 100% renewable energy by 2050 for the third year in a row.” – NY Renews
If you would like more information on how to join forces with this important campaign or would like to partner, contact the coalition organizer, Daniela at daniela.lapidous@nyrenews.org.
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