Coded Transcript

The Food Challenge - Part 1: Toxic Business

Minute 10:00:23:00  - Minute 10:00:52:04

Kenya, somewhere on the outskirts of Nairobi. A confusing metropolis that is growing rapidly. People buy their food from small market stalls which might be there one day and disappear again overnight. Where the food comes from is hard to understand. The same applies for knowing whether the food is healthy. The price must be the right and the product should look good. That's what matters here.

Minute 10:01:01:04 - Minute 10:02:00:15

Kenyan expert Daniel Maingi of the Kenyan Food Alliance is suspicious. He believes that farmers are ready to use pesticides unrestrained in order to produce as much as possible and as cheaply as possible. And that the profit-oriented agricultural and chemical industry exploits this shamelessly. He wants clarity.

Daniel: We bought some vegetables today, they are looking good. Because it’s an open market and the sources are not very clear, I really want to know what pesticides are on these products. I am going to use the local institutions to try and test these products to see what’s on it.

Titel

Minute 10:02:20:01 - Minute 10:03:37:16

Daniel's worries are not unfounded. Every year, up to 41 million people are poisoned by pesticides, in many cases with fatalities. The great part of the victims come from developing countries. And in Kenya, the chemical companies are continuing to attack. Agro shops in rural areas are now running a colorful assortment of products extolling a poisonous cocktail for every problem. Problems such as the Fall Army Worm which cause nowadays such large crop losses that they are considered a national disaster.

In Kenya, around 70% of the population live as small-scale farmers, who manage an average land area of less than one acre. Modern equipment such as tractors, silos and harvesters can be afforded only by a few.

With the backing of the government, the industry is trying to bring small-scale farmers into "chemical agriculture" and convince them of the benefits of modern seeds, modern crop protection and fertilizers. For them, people are a billion-dollar sales market.

Minute 10:03:45:10 - Minute 10:04:20:11

Daniel Maingi is watching the lobbying of the chemical industry in Kenya critically. In his view, it is high time to create a counter-movement. He wants to start with the consumers, by showing them the dangers they are exposed to by the industry. He hopes that consumers will be able to change course in agriculture - as in Germany, where the market for agrochemicals is now getting smaller and smaller. That's why he brings vegetables bought at street markets to the University of Nairobi, where they are testing pesticide residues that are hazardous to health.

Minute 10:04:27:00 - Minute 10:04:42:03

Daniel: We have some samples that we bought from the market. So, we want to ask if the institute of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology helps us check them and whether they cause any harm to our health.

Minute 10:04:44:03 - Minute 10:05:19:02

Daniel: The issue of food safety in Kenya is beginning to become important. We have had issues of consumers and our farmers, small scalled farmers, who are badly effected. They have various forms of cancers, they have a lot of allergies that are developing, that are cropping up. And that effect has actually skyrocketed

Minute 10:05:20:09 - Minute 10:05:59:22

Mbaria: why do you want us to check them?

Daniel: As Kenya Food Alliance we said let’s begin with this to start from an evidence based approach and start with the consumers and the farmers to create awareness.

Mbaria: The threat is real.This chemicals have been associated with so many adverse effects which the public might not be aware. So keep it up and we we will promise to collaborate with you.

Minute 10:06:00:08 - Minute 10:06:24:11

Daniel: I think it has brought us to the question of what is this business that we are doing, allowing so much chemicals to be sprayed on our vegetables, our fruits, our tomatos, everything. And what exactly is the effect that is happening, that we are pushing onto the people and onto the environment?

Minute 10:06:32:03 - Minute 10:07:21:17

How dangerous are the pesticides that are sold in Kenya?

Silke Bollmohr is an environmental scientist and has been living in Nairobi for several years. She took a closer look at the registered products within Kenya and came across shocking results:

She has found around 700 agricultural pesticides that are imported from around the world. Over ¼

would be illegal in Europe because of their active ingredients. The 173 products from Bayer,

Syngenta and BASF are no exception: every third pesticide from Europe would be banned there.

Silke is worried about the fact, that those companies deliberately enter markets where there are no protection programs.

Minute 10:07:24:05 - Minute 10:08:01:10

Silke: There are no monitoring programs for rivers, soils, bees, insects. Long-term monitoring programs as they exist in Europe. That means we do not know if we are facing an environmental problem or not. Because little data is recorded, especially in the water sector little data is recorded, few pesticide analyzes are performed. There are few labs, the analyzes are too expensive. And again, there is no awareness of it. Neither by the government, nor by the population.

Minute 10:08:04:05 - Minute 10:09:36:03

Critics call this sales strategy a double standard based on the double morality that underlies it. While the dangers of cancer, damage to aquatic organisms or bees are too great for Europe's own market, European law allows these poisons to be sold to other countries outside the EU. And the corporations are happy to use it. Upon request, Bayer states that EU bans are not relevant for export to Kenya, as they target OECD countries:

"Bayer only sells products registered in an OECD country."

Translated, this means that the weakest standard of any of these 36 countries is evident in exports to Kenya. Depending on the policy and country, the individual product bans vary. However, export to Kenya does not have to be stopped until there is a ban in all 36 OECD countries. A very weak protection for the African market.

This is also confirmed in a study published by the Pesticide Action Network in 2014. The number of active substances withdrawn from the market in the OECD member states varies greatly and they did not find one that is simultaneously banned in all countries.

Minute 10:09:37:03 - Minute 10:09:58:20

Silke: Now if we look at the manufacturer Syngenta, we have the products Fusilat, Actelic Super and so on, Pegasus, and here are the different ingredients. And here you can see all the active ingredients that are not approved in the European market but have been registered by Syngenta here in this country.

Minute 10:10:01:06 - Minute 10:10:39:08

The Syngenta product Actellic Super, that Silke speaks about, shows the double standard. US authorities have categorized permethrin as potentially carcinogenic and it has been withdrawn from the EU market because it is highly toxic to fish and bees. The active ingredient has been banned

since 2007 even in Switzerland - the country where it is produced. But for Kenyan farmers like Lydia, Actellic Super is still very popular. It protects farmers’ crops against pests and larvae.

Unfortunately there are serious side effects.

Minute 10:10:40:05 - Minute 10:11:03:20

Lydia: After you have applied the Powder, you don’t just start consuming immediately. You have to wait for about 2 month or even more, before you start consuming. So that the strength of threnght of the powder don’t effect you so much. But if you use it immediately you have some side effects in your body or your stomach.

Minute 10:11:08:03 - Minute 10:11:50:16

Pesticides from many different countries are piled up on the shelves of village agricultural shops. It's about Bayer products like Antracol, Basta or Milraz. It concerns BASF products such as Cadre, or Syngenta products such as Primagram. Primagram has an active ingredient in it called Atrazine, which has been banned in Germany since 1991 and in Switzerland since 2007. It's not just a single product, an exception or mistake. One could gues a deliberate strategy - at least from the outside. A strategy to make profit out of old and dangerous products.

Minute 10:11:55:03 - Minute 10:12:28:19

Daniel: We as a Food Alliance are concerned very much, when we find big corporations, BASF, Bayer, Syngenta, Monsanto or Pioneer, are making products for this market yet those products are not acceptable in Europe, in the US. Why would such a big corporation be silent on what products are ending up with the consumers in Kenya where as they are not acceptable in Europe?

Minute 10:12:32:21 - Minute 10:13:08:24

In order to reach small farmers with chemical products, the agribusiness industry organizes large exhibition events. Farmers are brought from rural areas by bus. They come in the hope to buy products for faster and more successful agriculture. With dance performances, the big producers like Bayer or Syngenta create a show and then bring poisons to the farmers. The exhibitors from Bayer are also convinced of their products. Their message is clear - the user does not have to worry about safety.

Minute 10:13:12:20 - Minute 10:13:27:18

Roda: We make sure then product we are bringing in its safe to the environment in the sense that it doesn’t interfere with any other living creature in the environment. If you are targeting insects let it be the targeted insect. And we make sure that the product is registered, and the farmer is aware and uses it in the right way.

Minute 10:13:42:16 - Minute 10:13:58:01

Daniel from the Kenya Food Alliance has also found his way to the exhibition to get an idea of what products the corporations are promoting. There are many different product solutions to the problem

- but often with highly toxic agents.

Minute 10:14:00:24 - Minute 10:14:25:11

Daniel: When you see those chemical companies competing for the attention of the farmer, it is very interesting. Because one has one solution, another one has multipurpose solution for that same problem. Unfortunately, what we are not seeing is farmers who are talking about alternative methods. It’s all about selling and selling solutions for the same problem.

Minute 10:14:27:18 - Minute 10:14:52:15

So far, the companies generate less than 6 percent of their global pesticide sales in African agriculture. This means there are huge profit opportunities on the continent. And it looks good for them: in Kenya alone, the import of pesticides has quadrupled in the last 15 years. And for sure: Bayer promises to bring the best and most modern products to market.

Minute 10:14:56:05 - Minute 10:15:04:04

Roda: Innovation is the very key for us right now for Bayer as a company. Bringing in something new that can offer a solution to the farmer.

Minute 10:15:07:01 - Minute 10:15:26:14

Modern products? You could see it differently. Many active ingredients, such as the pesticides Roundup, Milraz or Sencor presented at the exhibition, date back to the 1970’s and their licenses are highly criticized in the European market.

Minute 10:15:29:04 - Minute 10:16:02:20

Speaker 1: A US court sentenced the Bayer company Monsanto for compensation due to their glyphosate-containing herbicide Roundup causes cancer.

Speaker 2: Bayer chairs punched earlier by the most than 15 years as investors fearing the potential cost of the tracked legal battle after the Monsanto was hit with 289 Million Dollars in damages.

Speaker 3: The case is filed back in 2016 when Mr. Johnson alerted that Monsantos weed killers caused him Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma. Now the judge expidated the case due the severaty of his ilness and Johnson has only a few month to live.

Minute 10:16:03:08 - Minute 10:17:18:10

In the U.S.A, Johnson is one of thousands of people suffering from cancer, who have worked with the pesticide called glyphosate. In Europe there is a constant dispute over a ban. There is little similar debate happening in Kenya. Glyphosate is an absolute bestseller! The active ingredient is contained in 68 products, including among others, in the product Roundup from Bayer and Touchdown from Syngenta.

Industry-related studies indicate that with proper protection, there is no danger despite concerns that have been voiced about the risks of involved. The product references themselves do not indicate any risk of cancer as well as Glyphosate is only classified as "slightly dangerous", characterized by a green label.

Joseph has participated an intensive training, offered by the Ministry, since then he is an educated sprayer. He often gets assigned by other villagers to bring also the herbicide Glyphosate for weed killing on to the fields. Previously, the weeds were plucked out in manually.

Minute 10:17:38:04 - Minute 10:18:12:18

Despite having good training - which he is very proud of - Joseph does not protect himself. He wears no gloves, no breathing mask, no rubber boots. Whether it's the lack of access to protective gear, lack of money, or people's lack of understanding, you rarely see anyone protecting themselves. In addition, there is very poor public health care in the region and early cancer diagnosis in remote rural areas is far from people’s minds and capacity.

Minute 10:18:16:07 - Minute 10:18:21:17

Joseph visits the neighboring typical health resort for a check up of his health situation.

Minute 10:18:24:05 - Minute 10:18:52:03

Mary: Since you have been spraying, are you having any problems with the skin, with the nose or breathing?

Joseph: It depends on the kind of chemicals that are being applied. Some can be very toxic, like the one for ticks.

Mary: But were you having masks?

Joseph: No, I have never used.

Mary: You did not use masks.

Minute 10:18:53:08 - Minute 10:19:16:15

Not only does the sprayer expose himself to the toxic dangers of the products, the whole family is affected. Especially in smallholder regions, the cultivated fields are right next to the family houses. The fields are often so small that no minimum distance for the protection of the family or running waters envisaged by the industry can be maintained.

Minute 10:19:20:04 - Minute 10:19:46:18

Silke: And if they had the information, it would probably be very difficult for a small farmer to keep a 25 Meter marginal stripe if he only has one Hectar of land. So difficult to follow these application instructions on the one hand under the local or national conditions here in Kenya, but often this information is not even available.

Minute 10:19:49:05 - Minute 10:20:44:10

The risk for pregnant women is particularly high when they live in regions where insecticides are used. In the U.S., it has been observed over a period of 20 years, that numerous premature births occurred in these areas and that children often had a lower indicators of intelligence. The product compound, Chlorpyrifos, is particularly dramatic. The likelihood for children to be born with autism triples in areas where it is applied.

The poison was banned in Germany in 2009 for general usage. In Kenya, 28 products are registered with exactly this active ingredient, including the product BULLDOCK STAR from Bayer.

Minute 10:20:45:20 - Minute 10:21:36:23

Mary: Are you having a wife? One or two?

Joseph: One, one wife. Mary: Is she still productive? Joseph: Yes.

Mary: When she is pregnant or when she is breast feeding, she should not go near this kind of work.

Joseph: Yes. I don’t even entertain here.

Mary: Also, if a small child should not go. And keep those things they must be away a distance from the house.

Joseph: That’s good sister. I even had a procortion when I went to colleague when research was done they said there is a link between cancer and the very much use of chemicals.

Minute 10:21:44:13 - Minute 10:22:19:07

Daniel picks up the results for his vegetables and is disappointed with the few options for analysis. Although the monitor shows many peaks, only a few can be named. The lab has too little reference material to detect all drugs. Therefore he can´t find an approve, if the pesticide residues could play a critical role on the high increase of cancer cases within the country, even as case numbers doubled in the last five years. But what is found in his vegetables worries him anyway.

Minute 10:22:39:00 - Minute 10:23:06:03

Mbaria: So, when we analysed some components could not be detected. But at least we managed to identify one Alpha-BAC. Which is shown in a chromatogram.

Daniel: And what group of pesticides will that be?

Mbaria: It belongs to the organochlorine group where we have the famous DDT.

Minute 10:23:08:01 - Minute 10:23:57:22

DDT has been banned from agricultural use in Kenya since 1986. Nevertheless, studies conducted on Lake Victoria show high levels of the active substance in water and soil 30 years later on. This shows, on one hand, that late effects of pesticides can still occur decades later.

And on the other hand, it indicates how long products persevere before they disappear from the global market after being banned.

It´s particularly unsafe in countries like Kenya when corporations ignore recognized threats to the environment, animals and people, and - greedy of gaining financial profits - turn to countries where there are few consumer and environmental protections in place, like there are in Europe.

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