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Join guest host Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 222 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:
Sugar beet growers in France are battling unfavorable weather conditions and a pesticide ban that have sent their yields plummeting to 14-year lows. Experts have long argued that the prohibited insecticides, seed coatings known as neonicotinoids, pose minimal risks to human health and the environment while helping farmers control aphids that spread several deadly plant viruses. Will regulators reconsider the neonic ban in light of its potentially disastrous impact on the country’s sugar production?
Food and consumer goods manufacturers are routinely accused of “greenwashing,” using dubious claims to market their products to sustainability-minded shoppers. The oft-overlooked problem is that the politicians and activists who complain about greenwashing are guilty of promoting falsehoods about agriculture, energy and recycling as they try to generate public support for their environmentalist causes.
American voters tend to focus on a handful of highly polarizing, controversial issues during presidential elections. But the federal government’s recent push for “green” farming—that is, growing crops with access to fewer pesticides and less fossil fuel—could force the public to pay more attention to agriculture policy in 2024.
These restrictions on farming could depress crop yields and ultimately raise consumer food prices. The European Union is further along in this process and its residents are beginning to push back on similar proposals that threaten their food security. Will America learn from Europe’s experience?
Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on Twitter @DrLizaMD
Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter @camjenglish
