Farms, Organizations Partner with UN to Save Earth's Ozone Layer
AEN News
New York - More than 5,000 farms and organizations today joined forces
with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in a
partnership that aims to phase out the use of Methyl Bromide,
an agricultural pesticide that damages the Earth's protective
shield – the ozone layer.
Methyl Bromide has been used by farmers to kill pests in the soil
before planting crops like tomatoes, strawberries, melons and
flowers, but in 1992 it was officially controlled as an
ozone-depleting substance and is scheduled to be retired
under the Montreal Protocol, the international treaty set
up to protect the ozone layer.
The new International Partnership for Phasing-out Methyl Bromide
brings together many farms and companies that have led the way
in protecting the ozone layer, and aims to speed up the
world-wide switch from the pesticide to ozone-friendly alternatives,
UNEP said in a news release.
"The battle to restore the ozone layer, which protects all life
on Earth from harmful solar ultra-violet radiation, has been
one of the great environmental success stories with a wide
range of chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) already
largely phased out under the Montreal Protocol," said Shafqat
Kakakhel, UNEP's Deputy Executive Director.
"However, Methyl Bromide, one of the last on the list, is proving
harder to remove with some farmers convinced that the alternatives
are ineffective or too costly. By demonstrating the fact that
thousands of farms and companies can grow, source and sell
products without using this chemical, the Partnership sends
a clear signal that a Methyl Bromide-free world is possible
sooner rather than later."
A survey carried out for the Partnership has so far identified
more than 5,000 commercial farms, in more than 30 countries
worldwide, that produce tomatoes, peppers, melons, strawberries
and flowers without using Methyl Bromide.
UNEP said that the Partnership plans to establish a
business-to-business net-based service, linking grocery stores
seeking goods produced without Methyl Bromide with farmers
and suppliers who do not use the pesticide.
Farms and companies that join the Partnership have already stopped
using Methyl Bromide or will pledge to halt its use by September
2007, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol.
Supermarkets involved in the Partnership include Marks & Spencer
and Co-op, while apart from UNEP, other organizations include
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Development
Program.
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