The Floriculture Industry: Thorns without Borders Martin Donohoe.
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Transcript of The Floriculture Industry: Thorns without Borders Martin Donohoe.
Flowers
• Long history of religious, folk, heraldic and national symbolism
• Gifts of love, friendship and filial devotion
–St. Valentine’s Day
–Mothers’ Day
The Floriculture Industry
• $30 billion cut flower industry
• Major producers: Holland, Columbia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, India, Mexico, China, Malaysia
• World’s largest producer: Dole Fresh Flowers
• Largest import markets: U.S. and Germany
The Floriculture Industry
• 190,000 workers in developing countries
• Ecuador and Columbia account for ½ of flowers sold in U.S.
• Most profit flows to large, multinational corporations, headquartered outside producing countries– Small amount reinvested locally
Floriculture and Women
• Predominantly female workforce
–Low wages
–No benefits
–Short contract cycles
–Child labor, dismissal for pregnancy, unpaid overtime common
Floriculture and Labor
• Labor organizers harassed, workers fired for trying to organize unions
• Third party contractors shuffle workers from plantation to plantation, avoiding payment of social security and inhibiting union organizing
Floriculture and the Environment
• Floriculture displaces crops grown for local food consumption
–Contributes to malnutrition and increased local food costs
• Requires large quantities of irrigation water
–Contributes to drop in water tables
Floriculture: Toxic Exposures
• Flowers = most pesticide-intensive crop
– Greenhouses increase ambient levels of pesticides
– 1/5 of pesticides banned or untested in U.S.
– Carcinogens, persistent organic pollutants/endocrine disruptors
Floriculture: Toxic Exposures
• Flowers carry up to 50X the amount of pesticides allowed on foods
• USDA inspects for pests, but not pesticides
Floriculture: Health Effects
• Over 50% of workers have symptoms of organophosphate pesticide exposure (cholinergic symptoms)
• Other common health problems:– Allergic reactions, heat stroke, pneumonitis,
RSI, cellulitis, UTIs, neuropathies, mental health problems, cancers, reproductive problems (low sperm counts, spontaneous abortions, fetal anomalies, etc.)
Floriculture: Health Effects
• Labeling, handling, and storage problems rampant
• Protective gear often lacking, not working
• Reuse of pesticide-saturated greenhouse plastic for domestic purposes not uncommon
• Workers wash / bathe children in same sink
Floriculture: Health Effects
• Local physicians poorly-trained, lack resources to manage pesticide-related health problems
• Many providers employed by floriculture company
–Conflict of interest
Alternatives and Solutions
• Flowers:– Grow your own– Purchase locally- or internationally-produced,
organically-grown, labor-friendly bouquets• Farmers’ markets• Whole Foods• http://www.proflowers.com• http://www.organicbouquet.com• Others
Alternatives and Solutions
• Flowers:– Consumer education– Pressure on supermarkets, florists– Boycotts → voluntary eco-labels in Europe– NGOs developing industry standards– Food First Information Action Network’s
Flower Campaign → voluntary International Code of Conduct
Alternatives and Solutions
• Flowers:– Veriflora Certification System:
• Organic production with phaseout of pesticides• Water conservation• Safe waste management• Mitigation of previous environmental damage• Fair labor practices / fair wages / overtime pay /
right to organize• Unannounced audits ensure compliance
Alternatives and Solutions
• Flowers:– Veriflora Certification System: Campaign
focused on• Supermarkets (29% of U.S. flower sales, market
share increasing, 50 major companies)• Less focus currently on wholesalers (1200
nationwide) and florists (30,000, 47% of market share)
• Society of American Florists yet to endorse
Alternatives and Solutions
• Consider alternative tokens of affection– Homemade gifts (cards, photo collages,
videos, poems, meals, home improvement projects)
– Donations to charities– Eco-jewelry made from recycled materials by
indigenous peoples• Profits returned to local communities, providing
wide-ranging social and economic benefit
Conclusions
• Beneath the beauty of cut flowers lie practices involving significant damage to local communities, human health, and the environment
• Consumers and health care advocates should work, individually and collectively, for reform of the floriculture industry
Paper/References/Contact Info
Donohoe MT. Flowers, diamonds, and gold: The destructive human rights and environmental
consequences of symbols of love. Human Rights Quarterly 2008;30:164-82.
http://www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org
http://www.phsj.org