On 27/7/07 11:38, in article
, "La Puce"
wrote:

On 27 Jul, 11:24, Sacha wrote:
Nobody has said it is wrong for you to try to eat as healthily as possible.
What we are saying is that your claims that children are dying because of
the use of glyphosate appear unsubstantiated.

Why don't you look at the reports that I have shown? And it's not only
about food, but about flowers too, where precautions are not being
taken by the workers using all these sprays. Why? Because they are not
regulated as we are here in the UK. Sadly.

I do not dispute that sprays - some sprays - are bad for us. We use
biological controls here and sprays are used so rarely as to be virtually
unknown. After all, there are claims that washing up liquids are
carcinogenic and I am scrupulous about rinsing every glass or dish that I
wash by hand. But the simple, if sad, truth is market forces rule. If
people in a foreign country are trying to make a living out of growing
flowers or veg. and use sprays to do it, what motivates them is paying their
workers and keeping their own families. The same goes for people in this
country - they have to make their businesses profitable and now that we do
have refrigeration and cut flowers and vegetables being flown all over the
world, we, the British producers, are in direct competition with growers in
Egypt, Israel, Chile, Peru, France, Thailand, Holland and Spain. Until and
unless, we either ban all sprays or exports of food, all will continue to be
in competition with each other. And then, when all that is banned, children
will be dying of disease and starvation because their parents can't work to
earn money to feed their families. It just isn't as simple as "don't use
sprays".

Nobody is giving you a bad time. You made a case and some others don't
agree with it. This is a discussion forum so people are discussing.

I understand that. But there's some strange comments always added,
please be honest. Calling me a 'fanatic' is a bit far fetched. We all
have the good intentions towards our environment, even Judith has, but
we must be an example of good practice and not be selective. If you
have horsetail in your garden, dig it up. Don't use chemicals.

Your original reaction did smack of the evangelical, if you prefer that to
'fanatical'! I think the problem is that people are less easily or readily
convinced by emotional reactions and arguments, however they are expressed,
than by a calmer approach. Not everyone has the time or patience or
physical ability to dig. I don't But I'm lucky that I live with people who
can do the digging. But for those who can't, sprays are undoubtedly useful
and while the science is available, not everyone is going to read it or be
swayed by it. They're going to do what is most useful for them. And "even
Judith" is entirely unnecessary, BTW. Judith has children and
grandchildren, works within the medical profession and has a husband who is
a respected scientist. I think she knows more about environmental concerns
and has as much invested in them, as anyone here.

Of glyphosate on someone's garden? I don't think so. That's the problem as
far as I can see. You're painting with too broad a brush for the purposes
of the group.

You must see the bigger picture, I'm sure you are quite capable of
this. Sadly what I've come to realise is that when you make a point,
quickly, you won't come back onto it even if you haven't entirely
thought about your answer and realise there's more to it. And that is
so annoying. We all must accept that we cannot have the solution first
time around. *That* is the point of a discussion.


We can all see the bigger picture but your reaction to one person talking
about glyphosate for his garden was extreme and didn't do your pov any
favours in the way you expressed it. And I have no idea what you mean about
me making a point and not coming back to it. I have now done so twice.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'