USDA Funds $300M for Organic Transitions: Is It Enough? Critics Say No (My First Piece for TheNewLede.org at EWG)

Read all about it here. 

Glyphosate Hurts Wild Bees: New Study Finds Popular Herbicide Harms Bee Reproduction

A new study on wild bees and the wildly popular herbicide glyphosate finds the chemical hurts bee colonies by destroying the colonies' ability to maintain temperatures in their hives. The study was conducted by Dr Anja Weidenmüller at the University of Konstanz, Germany.

She writes, "Bumblebee colonies maintain their brood at high temperatures via active thermogenesis, a prerequisite for colony growth and reproduction. 

"Using a within-colony comparative approach to examine the effects of long-term glyphosate exposure on both individual and collective thermoregulation, we found that whereas effects are weak at the level of the individual, the collective ability to maintain the necessary high brood temperatures is decreased by more than 25% during periods of resource limitation. 

"For pollinators in our heavily stressed ecosystems, glyphosate exposure carries hidden costs that have so far been largely overlooked."

A Guardian article on the bees study stated: “Bumblebees are a vitally important group of pollinators [and] the new findings are especially important given the widespread global use of glyphosate,” said Prof James Crall, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, who was not part of the study team. “[Current] environmental safety testing is insufficient for identifying often unpredictable effects on behaviour, physiology, or reproduction that occur at sublethal exposures.” 

The study adds growing weight to the evidence that insect populations vital for bird, butterfly and ecosystem services are under stress and experiencing dramatic declines. A recent study found a more than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in Germany.

Glyphosate is widely used on wine grapes in California and elsewhere. State data for California shows the following distribution on wine grapes in 2018 for the potassium salt version. The herbicide is widely used in wine country on both supermarkets wines and fine wines.

The map below shows where one form of the herbicide is used on wine grapes in California, using 2018 (the most recent available) state data from the Dept. of Pesticide Regulation.

Environmentalists Win Major Court Challenge on EPA's Faulty Glyphosate Assessment; 9th Circuit Court Orders EPA Do-Over

A federal court today said the EPA failed to evaluate glyphosate properly and ignored critical studies, expert advice and cancer risk guidelines when it determined in 2020 that the widely used herbicide was probably not carcinogenic. The court further said that the EPA failed to follow guidelines to protect endangered species by allowing glyphosate to be used. 

As Reuters reported, "In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with several environmental, farmworker and food-safety advocacy groups that the EPA did not adequately consider whether glyphosate causes cancer and threatens endangered species.

The litigation began after the EPA reauthorized the use of glyphosate in January 2020.

Groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Food Safety and the Rural Coalition, which represents farmworkers, faulted the agency for rubber-stamping glyphosate despite its alleged harms to agriculture, farmers exposed during spraying, and wildlife such as the Monarch butterfly.

Circuit Judge Michelle Friedland wrote for the Pasadena, California-based appeals court that the EPA did not properly justify its findings that glyphosate did not threaten human health and was unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans. She also faulted aspects of the agency’s approval process.

George Kimbrell, a lawyer for the Rural Coalition, in an interview called the decision “a historic victory for farmworkers, the public and endangered species.”

In Europe, the European Chemical Agency is under attack from environmentalists who say it failed to evaluate the herbicide's carcinogenic history in multiple lab studies with rats in which tumors rapidly developed in rats fed glyphosate. See The Guardian's coverage of this story here. 

Domaine Bousquet Becomes First Winery Outside U.S. to Earn Regenerative Organic Certified™ status

Congrats to Domaine Bousquet for once again leading the way. Just sharing their good news.

Press Release

Miami, FL, June 15, 2022-- Domaine Bousquet, Argentina’s largest producer and exporter of wines made exclusively from certified organic fruit, has earned Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)™ status from the Regenerative Organic Alliance. Domaine Bousquet becomes one of only four wineries to do so to date, and the first outside the United States to meet ROC™’s stringent requirements. The other three wineries are Fetzer Vineyards (CA), Tablas Creek Vineyard (CA) and Troon Vineyard (OR). ROC™ status pertains to food/produce, fiber, and botanical ingredients.

 

The California-based Regenerative Organic Alliance (motto: “Farm like the world depends on it,”) has adopted USDA Organic standards as a baseline. ROC™ requires certification in three areas: soil health and land management, animal welfare, and farmer and worker fairness. Sensibly, potential members apply existing certifications from blue chip organizations such as Demeter, Certified Fair Trade, and Certified Humane, among others, to meet requirements.

 

Domaine Bousquet co-owner and CEO Anne Bousquet cites the potential reach of ROC™ certification: “Individual farmers and agricultural entities seeking to fight climate change and campaign for social justice are to be respected, but they cannot move the needle on their own. If we are to make a meaningful difference, then we must work together, and ROC™ certification effectively unites all sectors of farming.” --Anne Bousquet, co-owner and CEO, Domaine Bousquet

 

Founded in 1997, Domaine Bousquet has farmed organically from the get-go. Wines are made from 100% certified organic grapes, with some, such as Domaine Bousquet’s Virgen collection and Alavida Kosher Malbec, also USDA Organic-certified. All Domaine Bousquet wines are vegan-certified. Fair for Life-certified, the winery provides worker educational opportunities at its remote Gualtallary Andean home, has helped build new roads, instituted a strong employee benefits system, and emphasizes promoting from within. Domaine Bousquet is also a founding member of the London-based Sustainable Wine Roundtable, whose goal is to create a global standard for sustainability within the wine industry.

 

Domaine Bousquet, owned and run by husband-and-wife team Labid al Ameri and Anne Bousquet, has made a name for itself in the organic category in a relatively short period, beginning with the 2005 release of the winery’s first vintage. The 672-acre estate in Gualtallary, a sub-zone of Tupungato in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, is now Argentina’s premier producer and exporter of certified organic wines. Vineyards planted in virgin terrain, starting in the late 1990s, lie at a dizzying altitude of 4,000 feet. True to its owners’ European heritage, the wines are crafted with a French winemaking sensibility.  https://domainebousquet.com/en/

 

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC)™ is overseen by the 501(c)3 nonprofit Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA), which was established in 2017 in California. With the tagline “Farm like the world depends on it,” ROC™ is a new certification for food, textiles, and personal care ingredients. ROC farms and products meet the highest standards. Founding members include the Rodale Institute, Patagonia, Patagonia Provisions and Dr. Bronner’s All-One! https://regenorganic.org/