I would imagine most us know that buying 'organic' is a good thing to do - but how many of us thoroughly understand the real impact non-organic farming has on framers, workers and our wildlife eco-systems? The statistics in the below article will surprise you. For instance:
- Cotton producers use as much as 25% of the world's insecticides and more than 10% of pesticides.
- According to the World Health Organisation up to 20,000 deaths each year are caused by pesticide poisoning in developing countries.
- In the US, more than 10,000 farmers die each year from cancers related to the chemicals used.
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service has found that pesticides unintentionally kill at least 67 million birds each year.
Read the full article that appeared in the Huffington Post by David Dietz here.