Philippines: Local Farmers Battle Agribusiness Corporations Over Aerial Spraying Case

MANILA, Dec 23 (IPS) - Cecilia Moran never thought that she would one day have to give up farming owing to poor health. She grew up helping her father tend a family-owned plot in Davao province. The sale of such produce as rice, corn, coconut and durian in the local market took care of family needs.

A few months ago, after being weakened by tuberculosis, Moran retired from farming. Her illness, Moran said, was brought on by constant exposure to aerial spraying with toxic pesticides.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[SworldPeas]

According to DOW's own MSDS sheets Dithane is not to be used on food. It's against the law in California to use it at all due to KNOWN CANCER CAUSING AGENTS.

Google Dithane and DowAGro comes up. To bad the farmers didn't read the directions.

Looks like Mancozeb is the active ingredient that is to blame. It's all on the MSDS SHEETS!!!

[JScott]

Kinda sad when a country uses the US/Big Corp Ag model instead of the relocalized ag model.
This is the result.

[schatsie]

wow, 400,000,000 from 5,000 employees or 80 grand per employee and it is cheaper to spray with the planes and make the people sick than modify the spraying that is making the employees sick... after all there are plenty of people for the jobs.... reminds me of the railroads killing off the brakemen instead of putting the damn breaks on the train, it took an act of Congress to make it happen.

I wish them the best of luck, but maybe we need to boycott bananas... think about it....

[watchingthings]

How about charging some of these "Global Cprporations" with mass murder with their toxic products. They do not tell these people that they are handling highly toxic chemicals which will maime and-or kill them unless handled with exreme caution and proper equipment.