A couple of years ago I did some work for a legal related research defending a
strawberry grower.
The strawberry farm was upstream from a wetland where all the fish and most the
birds had suddenly died. The owner was upset and had call the council.
The local council tested the water and found 7 pesticides over allowable
environmental limits.
I sampled water across the site and the lab results confirmed the local
councils results - a very close match. One organophosphate you can use in Auz,
(banned in Europe and the USA) was over 1000x the allowable environmental
level). We also analysed the spraying records.
The results didn’t help defend the accused and we were asked not to send in the
report.
What amazed me though was in a strawberry growing season the crop had over 250
chemicals sprayed on to them. About 1/2 were chemical fertilisers etc and the
other 1/2 were fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, general pesticides.
So when you buy those little punnets of strawberries on the cheap in Coles and
Woolies etc. be aware of the process to get them to you. It would be similar
for a lot of fruit and veg I’m told!
Sent from my iPhone
> On 19 May 2020, at 12:06, Penny Brockman <> wrote:
>
> Our rural town of Gloucester has ever since I moved here sprayed in town and
> along streets to kill weeds leaving behind a depressing dead mess that
> eventually is blown away or squashed into dust by vehicles. At the same time
> we still have a very healthy population of House Sparrows. There are 4 sites
> known to me where they breed one close to my house. So far so good.
>
> However no doubt combined with herbicide and insecticide spraying , the
> disastrous effects of the fires which brought heavy smoke to the area
> December January has resulted in a serious decline here in small
> insectivorous woodland birds. I no longer count more than a couple of E
> Spinebills in the garden, Red/browed Finches, whistlers, thornbills, small
> honeyeaters were also seriously reduced in numbers and with winter coming on,
> we won’t see any change until spring. Along the river banks where native
> vegetation remains things are a bit better. These areas were refuges even
> when water levels were reduced to a few puddles of revolting green gunge.
>
> Many birds took refuge at the coast in unburnt areas. They didn’t return when
> the rains came mid January.
>
> The other notable effect of the extreme heat was the absence of flies-
> changed abruptly after the rains when they erupted. I’m told due partly to
> absence of dung beetles.
>
> --------------------
> Penny Brockman
>
>> On Tue, 19 May 2020, at 4:07 AM, Michael Hunter wrote:
>>
>> After an ornithologically sterile month traversing California, a
>> creeping realisation that Mulgoa Valley, once seething with small birds
>> now has far fewer, ditto Avoca on the NSW Central Coast, the penny
>> dropped.
>>
>> INSECTICIDES. are wiping out the base of the food chain in built
>> up and semi rural areas.
>>
>> Not just for small birds, but all the way up to raptors like
>> Black shouldered Kites and falcons which include insects directly, and
>> indirectly via small reptiles which are largely insectivorous.
>> Honeyeaters eat insects in flowers as well as their nectar.
>>
>> A very obvious example has been the demise of House Sparrows
>> worldwide, although granivorous their young need animal protein, in the
>> form of insects, to develop. Those insects have largely gone due to
>> insecticides, House Sparrow sightings are now rare. My last single
>> sighting was in Bunnings Gosford Nursery. ? Significance ?
>>
>> Most Reptiles, most small Mammals, most Amphibians and most
>> Fish need insects.
>>
>> How many Councils spray entire suburbs for Flies and
>> Mosquitos, unwittingly killing thousands of birds and reptiles.
>>
>> A giant problem. Any suggestions re a longterm solution.?
>>
>> "Bring Back the Birds. Ban inorganic and long lasting Insecticides "
>>
>> Hoping that this starts a longterm campaigns
>>
>> Much more to come.
>>
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
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