There has been a huge attack towards organic food recently from all media, with the arguments such as it can not feed the world
it is too expensive, and organic farming should not exclude hydroponics and geneticaly modified crops. Especially big corporates through online newspapers push hard authorities to make organic farming practices to be included into the cultivation of genetically edited or modified crops..
We have seen printed scientific magazine publishers spending big money on supporting the genetically modified food (bioengineered)
Even countries outside of EU have been attacked when they decided to go for organic cultivation in certain products. Everybody looks scared of losing control of profits gain from the sales of toxic pesticides and wider use of GMO food (bioengineered food as it has been on USA).
Very limited organisations or companies have dealt and revealed the cost of not having organic food on our table, if any. On the other hand the supporters of GM and conventional food are in plethora.
There is plenty of scientific evidence of the damage caused by pesticides, GMO and heavy metals used in farming and animal raising. The financial cost on human health and economy though has never been revealed or calculated and revealed to the public, either on a state level or geographical sectors.
Let’s be a little more specific with some examples: Cancer cases caused by use of pesticides or leftover of pesticides in our food require specific treatment. The cost of such treatment in a national level still remains unknown. Anyone can understand that we are not talking about the actual cost of medical treatment but the overall cost to the society not having organic food on our plate.
Water contamination with pesticides residues does not have immediate impact but a long term impact. The impact of toxicity is not like the electricution where the impact is immediate and lethal. The impact of conventional food consumption is not acute and therefore we do not see a consumer to acquire cancer one morning the day after consuming the contaminated food.
Are you aware of the news about the imports from Turkey:
”25 Official Alerts for Turkish Lemons (18) and Grapefruits (7) in the EU due to presence of pesticides
not authorised or exceeding the MRL’s.”
Probably not, but how many people will become sick in the long term using the contaminated lemons? We do not know and we will never learn.
- Cost of lost harvest,
- Cost of usage for the pesticides and fertilisers,
- Cost of the long term impact of contaminated fields, soils having non degradable pesticides,
- Cost of the long term impact from the contamination of waters either rivers or underground waters or even lakes
