Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare’s next fortnightly working bee will be on Saturday, the 17th of June, from 9 am to 1 pm, at Brunswick Heads Crown Land Reserve site. Meet at the end of South Beach Road fire track gate, not far from the Surf Club. We will be working on the front dune, doing Bitou Bush seedlings.
This month we also will held an event on the 12th of June, public holiday, at Federal Community Preschool. We will be removing Duranta, another popular nursery plant, that has become a environmental weed. It’s seeds are highly poisonous to pets and children, with one death of a 2.5 year old being recorded in Queensland. We will prune it and remove with the tree poppers. All welcome to come and help, I have 10 pairs of loppers to share. Thick leather gloves, as it has large thorns.The Pre school is located at 898 Binna Burra Road, FEDERAL NSW 2480.
Please wear boots, long sleeved shirt and long pants, a hat, gloves, and bring water, rain coat and some morning tea. Tools and first aid kit will be provided. Please call 0478272300 to find us if you come later.
Letter from The Greens.
http://www.nature.com/news/widely-used-herbicide-linked-to-cancer-1.1718
Dear Donald, thanks for your email regarding the use of Glyphosate.
The Greens are supporters of chemical-free weed control methods. Only this year, new Greens Leader and health spokesperson Richard Di Natale wrote to the Office of Chemical Safety requesting a review of glyphosate use in Australia following research by the International Agency for Research on that claimed that glyphosate was a probable carcinogen. See: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-26/chemical-group-disputes-finding-that-glyphosate-causes-cancer/6349246
A new study finds that Indian farmers in rain-fed areas are being driven to suicide from the increased cost of growing Bt GMO cotton varieties that confer no benefits to them, writes Eva Sirinathsinghji. The extra expenses arise from buying new seeds each year, along with increased chemical inputs, while suffering inadequate access to agronomic information.
Alternative systems such as organic farming have already been shown to produce superior yields. Bt cotton, instead of bringing farmers out of debt, is fuelling the problem and should be replaced by short-season, local and organically grown varieties.
A new study directly links the crisis of suicides among Indian farmers to Bt cotton adoption in rain-fed areas, where most of India’s cotton is grown.
Many fall into a cycle of debt from the purchase of expensive, commercialised GM seeds and chemical inputs that then fail to yield enough to sustain farmers’ livelihoods.
http://www.nature.org.au/get-involved/take-action/stand-up-for-nature/
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