General

In den zurückliegenden Untersuchungsjahren wurde bei grünen Bohnen immer wieder ein erhöhter Anteil an Höchstmengenüberschreitungen festgestellt, insbesondere bei Bohnen aus Kenia und Marokko. Daher werden auch in diesem Jahr im Rahmen der amtlichen Lebensmittelüberwachung Bohnen auf Rückstände an Pestiziden untersucht. In unserem Bericht sind die Untersuchungsergebnisse von 2010 bis Juni 2013 zusammengefasst. Am CVUA Stuttgart wurden im Berichtszeitraum (2010 bis Juni 2013) insgesamt 180 Proben grüne Bohnen aus verschiedenen Herkunftsländern auf Rückstände von über 600 Pestiziden untersucht. Bei 127 der 180 (70,5%) Proben wurden Rückstände an Pflanzenschutzmitteln festgestellt, wobei 99 Proben (55%) mehr als einen Wirkstoff pro Probe (Mehrfachrückstände) aufwiesen. Insgesamt 18 Proben stammten aus ökologischer Erzeugung, diese waren praktisch rückstandsfrei. Bezogen auf Bohnen aus konventioneller Erzeugung wurden bei 16% der Proben Höchstmengenüberschreitungen festgestellt (Zum Vergleich: in 2012: 24,5%; in 2011: 5,7%; in 2010: 20%; in 2009: 8%). In drei Fällen wurden Rückstandsgehalte eines einzelnen Wirkstoffes festgestellt, die zu einer Überschreitung der toxikologisch noch akzeptablen Aufnahmemenge, der sogenannten akuten Referenzdosis (ARfD) bezogen auf Kleinkinder, führten. Eine Probe davon wurde als möglicherweise gesundheitsschädlich beurteilt.

Speaking at the Vic No-Till annual conference in Ballarat last week, Dr Clapperton said: "It's bad for you, it's bad for the environment, it's bad for the soil - it's bad for everything. "But some times we need it, I get that. Our goal should be not to need it. "Insecticides are some of our most toxic substances - they kill all insects, beneficial and pests - and insects are probably more manageable than many of our other pests. "Now with our technology we can put things between rows properly and grow mixed covers, we have some opportunities to look at this more. We are starting to understand the different insects and how they interact." Dr Clapperton is a freelance scientist and farmer, proving her science in her own fields.

In a new study on ecosystems in the Midwest, scientists suggest that once-fertile landscapes dominated by tall grass prairies and supported by microbial biodiversity have been destroyed due to decades of agricultural production. The study, Reconstructing the Microbial Diversity and Function of Pre-Agricultural Tall Grass Prairie Soils in the United States, published in the journal Science, demonstrates the crucial role soil microbial diversity plays in ecosystem stability and health. Although soil microbes are inherently important for the breakdown of organic matter, the cycling of nutrients, as well as plant productivity, previous research has narrowly focused on the role of nitrogen fixing root fungi, rather than broader aspects of soil microbial diversity. Thus, this new study represents one of the first to delve into the importance of soil microorganisms in ecosystem restoration projects.

Butterflies in Singapore have decreased in both number and variety since the 1980s. Excluding new butterfly species, some 117 are now believed to be extinct; there have been no reliable observations of them for at least the past two decades. A comparison with past recorded checklists shows there are now 306 species, down from 386 in the 1950s to 1980s. Citing these figures, butterfly expert Khew Sin Khoon, who is also an honorary research affiliate at the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, said the trend was mainly due to the loss of habitats. "Butterflies are tightly correlated with plants, and as Singapore developed, the habitats that they prefer may have been destroyed... Some of the caterpillar host plants may have (also) gone extinct," he said. It is not known when the sharpest decline in the number of butterfly species took place but Mr Khew said the peak of development occurred in the 1970s and 1980s when tracts of land were cleared to make way for new homes. Ecologist Anuj Jain, 29, said that over the years, developments around forests have resulted in what he calls "fragmented forests". "If the forest is big, you have a bigger interior but if you have smaller forests, it means there are more areas for light exposure," said Mr Anuj, who heads the Butterfly Interest Group at Nature Society of Singapore (NSS). "Although some species are adaptable to light conditions, most butterflies like to hide in darker areas."More recently, the increased fumigation in residential areas is also threatening butterflies and caterpillars, said Mr Khew.

Deutsche Konzerne haben vom Europäischen Patentamt mehr Patente auf gentechnisch veränderte Pflanzen erhalten als ihr Konkurrent Monsanto aus den USA. Das zeigt eine Auswertung aller rund 2.000 Schutzrechte auf transgene Pflanzen, die das Amt in den vergangenen 20 Jahren erteilt hat. Sie wurde von den Initiativen „Kein Patent auf Leben!“ und „Coordination gegen Bayer-Gefahren“ erstellt und lag der taz vorab vor. Der Leverkusener Chemiekonzern Bayer besitzt demnach 206 Patente auf Gentech-Pflanzen wie Mais, Weizen oder Bäume. Das US-Unternehmen Pioneer steht mit 179 Schutzrechten auf Platz zwei - gefolgt von der Ludwigshafener BASF mit 144. Monsanto steht nur auf Rang fünf mit 119 Patenten, hinter der Schweizer Syngenta mit 135 Schutzrechten.

Friends of the Earth Canada has filed a notice of objection to Health Canada’s decision under the Pest Control Products Act to renew conditional registration of a bee-toxic pesticide, clothianidin, despite lack of due diligence by the applicant companies. Health Canada’s agency dealing with pesticides is recommending renewing use of clothianidin on potatoes, grape, pome fruits (like apples), stone fruits and turf even though the applicant chemical companies have not met conditions of their earlier registration. Because the pesticide accumulates in pollen and nectar, the chemical companies were required back in 2009 to do a hive study to assess chronic toxicity to bees and a study of the behaviour of clothianidin in plants. Friends of the Earth believes this research is even more important today than it was in 2009 given the dramatic die-off of Canada’s pollinators like honey bees. “Canada’s Minister of Health should put protection of the environment and the safety of bees ahead of profits of chemical companies,” says Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada. “Clothianidin should be off the market until proven safe to bees and other pollinators.”