EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
Education and stewardship in the
crop protection industry.
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Food
In a recent Los Angeles Times article
■ W hat future for food?
■ Fuel versus food
■ P est management in
the food industry Amvac was berated for the products
Facing up to the greens
that they manufacture and sell,
particularly, Phosdrin (mevinphos).
I was quoted in that article as saying
“If Amvac is selling these older
�X�X�X��B�H�S�P�X�N�B�H��D�P�N�
products, at least they are older
products in a safe pair of hands."
I stand by that comment but it
has set me thinking. What is our
industry’s obligation to ensuring the
safe use of crop protection products?
Is there a difference between the
moral and legal obligation? And how
EXCLUSIVELY
does our industry go about meeting
that obligation?
Our industry does not have a good
FOR YOU
public image. Many years of poor
representation in the media – from
‘Silent Spring’ onwards – means
that pesticides have become
inescapably linked in peoples minds
with something bad, unnatural or
dangerous.
How did that come about? The
AGROCHEMICALS
revelations of Silent Spring and
subsequent research demonstrating
some of the harmful effects of
KemFine has established a world leading pesticide products, shocking as they
reputation for operational excellence in
were, could not be enough to fuel
the production of agrochemicals at both
the distrust that still burns.
its Kokkola and Grangemouth sites, where
intermediates and active ingredients are
Far more serious in the eyes of the
general public is the possibility
produced on an exclusive basis.
that pesticide manufacturers did
not do their utmost to ensure safe
Decades of experience has enabled us
manufacture, use or disposal of
to develop highly effi cient protocols for their products, or were aware of
executing large scale toll manufacturing
possible health and environmental
projects. A culture of continuous improve-
risks and did nothing to alleviate or
ment underpins our operations.
minimise those risks. This mistrust is
certainly not limited to our industry.
The pharmaceutical industry, the
food industry and, notoriously, the
tobacco industry have all faced
similar concerns.
www.kemfi ne.com If we take it as given that it is in our
industry’s best interest to minimise
2 May 2007  •  www.agrowmag.com
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