And our local farmers have all been saying that nothing they spray is harmful to man, animal or the environment??? And that because they have GlobalGap certification and because no one has complained, that they must be doing things right !!!???
There are none so blind as those who do not wish to see.
Or is money and profit (from their vines) more important than human health ?
Face the facts. South Africa is a " 3rd World" country, with much "softer laws" [ Act 36 of 1947 is 64 years old and long overdue for a revamp!!] and our National Dept of Agriculture, Municipalities are unable or unwilling to enforce the law so as to protect innocent bystanders from exposure to clouds of toxic spray drift that get blown out of the vineyards, orchards and fields and into adjacent residential areas and schools.
Our local Municipalities, true to form, are useless when it comes to accepting that they have a responsibility to protect their citizens as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. They are too busy lining their pockets and enriching themselves with the spoils of "corruption" to realise that they have a responsibility to the citizens who pay their generous salaries.
If the farmers want to poison themselves that great, let them do it. However, labor is cheap in South Africa and its the poor, down-trodden and "voiceless" farm-worker who gets the brunt of the poison. You dont see the farmer doing the spraying on his tractor now do you? One wonders if things would change if the farmer had to apply all these toxic pesticides himself ??
Clearly there is a problem and its reared its ugly head in France.
How long will it take before South Africa wakes up and smells the roses ??
The consumer will, at the end of the day, force change. There is already a shift towards organic wine and I guess that within the next 5-10 years Europe will only be importing "organic wines" from South Africa, if at all. The wine industry will therefore need to quickly wake up, change the way that they think, or else find that no-one wants to buy their product.
Perhaps the farmers are the innocent victims here. They do, after all, rely on the smiling "gifsmous", the multi-millionaire "purveyor of poison", who seems to have convinced them that the solution to every problem, every disease, lies in a bottle of "gif" !! Anyone who has seen a centrifugal mist blower at work, will soon realise that 60% of the chemical gets blown into the air and carried away on the wind. What a waste!! But then the more chemical that is used, the happier the supplier.
Towards the end of 2009, The TATIB Foundation received a large number of complaints, from residents of Stellenbosch, alleging that they had been exposed to spray drift as a result of spraying practices on vineyards owned and managed by the University of Stellenbosch.
TATIB investigated and found two “problem vineyards”, The STIAS Perold Vineyard in Jonkershoek and the Welgevallen Vineyard bordering Paul Roos School. Both these vineyards border on the residential area and it was to be noted that no buffer zones had been implemented between the vineyards and the residential areas, and that during spraying, in particular on Welgevallen, large clouds of spray drift would be blown into the surrounding streets and onto the playing fields of Paul Roos.
As a result of the complaints, and our own investigations, TATIB approached the University of Stellenbosch. Initially the University went on the “defensive” and in this regard insisted that TATIB address all correspondence to their attorneys.
All that we were asking for, was that the University of Stellenbosch obey the various laws that govern the use of agri-chemicals, and that they ensure that no spray drift was to leave the confines of their vineyards and be blown into the residential areas.
Realising that if we took the “litigation approach” the only real winners would be the attorneys, we decided to rather enter into ‘dialogue’ with the University and in this regard our Steering Committee met with Professor Mohammad Karaan, Dean Faculty of Agri Sciences, University of Stellenbosch on 08 March 2010.
An agreement was reached and it was proposed that the STIAS Vineyard Committee be established so as to look at alternatives to using toxic agri-chemicals (pesticides / funcidides / herbicides), using the STIAS experimental vineyard as a starting point.
The STIAS Vineyard committee consisted of both University of Stellenbosch and TATIB members as follows :-
CHAIRMAN :
Prof Mark Swilling : Sustainability Institute Stellenbosch
UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH
Albert Strever : Viticulture
Florian Bauer : Enology
Michael-John Freeborough : Faculty Manager Agri Sciences
John Van Breda : Programme manager TsamaHUB
THE TATIB FOUNDATION
Jurgen Schirmacher : Chairman TATIB Foundation
Ian Odendaal : Founding Member
Amanda Odendaal : Founding Member
Anneret Wolfaardt : Member - medical cluster
The STIAS Vineyard Committee had several meetings, during which it was established that the STIAS Perold Vineyard was in fact planted on a single residential erf and as such was in contravention of the zoning scheme regulations and therefore an “unlawful” vineyard.
Various documents, in support of this were lodged with the University of Stellenbosch and can be found at the links below :
Whilst the TATIB Foundation was in consultation with the University of Stellenbosch and active on the STIAS Vineyard Committee, we were told that all matters discussed during the committee meetings would have to remain private and confidential at all times, which in effect meant that we would not be allowed to divulge any of the information to the press. The first meeting was “taped” without our prior knowledge and consent and our attempts to get a copy of the “tapes” were rejected by the University. We reiterated our hopes that the meetings would be a platform for open and transparent discussion.
The University undertook to place a “moratorium” on the use of all agrochemicals on the STIAS Vineyard and to rather implement natural forms of pest control that did not require “chemical” intervention
See letter from University of Stellenbosch dated 25 August 2010 :
After careful consideration of the facts of the matter and the large volume of evidence and documentation submitted by TATIB, the STIAS Vineyard Committee, under chairmanship of Professor Mark Swilling, concluded that the STIAS Perold Vineyard was indeed in contravention of the zoning scheme regulations and that as a result of this it was an “illegal vineyard”. The Committee made a recommendation that the vineyard be removed and transplanted to another location, or the erf in question be rezoned
See Report from Prof Mark Swilling sent to Professor Arnold Van Zyl (Vice-Rector : Research Universty of Stellenbosch :
A few weeks after the abovementioned report was submitted by Prof Mark Swilling, he suddenly resigned as chairman of the STIAS Vineyard Committee . We at TATIB felt that pressure had been placed on him, from higher up, to resign or face the consequences.
There was one final meeting of the STIAS Vineyard Committee in November 2010, at which Professor Arnold Van Zyl overturned the findings of the STIAS Vineyard Committee, dissolved the committee, lifted the “moratorium” on the spraying and in effect dismissed TATIB as if we were a bunch of naughty school-children.
In our opinion there was clearly “political interference” in a process that really should have been open and transparent. The unfortunate message that the University of Stellenbosch has sent out , is that they do not care if the vineyard is illegal, that they will continue to do as they please and in this regard continue to spray potentially hazardous chemicals in close proximity to the residential areas and schools, without any consideration for the heath and safety of the residents & students.
We wonder what their “Donors”, for example the Wallenburg Foundation, would think of this ?
The University should really have seen this as an opportunity to do the right thing whilst at the same time look at using only natural methods of pest control. We understand that agro chemical giants like Bayer Crop Science do sponsor the University and that they may lose their sponsorship if they decide to go organic or bio-dynamic. It must however be noted, that the STIAS Perold Vineyard was always meant to be an experimental vineyard that was cultivated according to organic / bio-dynamic principles, which it clearly is not.
Florian Bauer, at one of the STIAS Vineyard Committee meetings, stated that the soil / ground on which the vineyard is planted, was tested prior to the establishment of the vineyard and was found to be sterile and totally unsuitable for vines. Independent agricultural experts confirmed, after inspections of the vineyard, that its soil composition and location was not suitable for pinotage grapes, in fact unsuitable for any vineyard. Perhaps the real experiment is how to grow vines on sterile ground, with maximum use of potentially toxic chemicals ?
Reputable sources have confirmed, that a lot of pressure was placed on the University, by a handful of “elite” residents who still yield considerable political clout and that these residents were opposed to another parking lot or student residence and that this is where the idea of a vineyard originated.
Perhaps it’s the “dead wood”, those “old cronies”opposed to change, who have sabotaged the progress of this very important issue ?
Shimla, in Die Burger of 27 January 2011 “Ons dorp, Skelmbos, laat sy kop sak” commented as follows :
“Dis n algemene verskynsel in SA dat bevoorregte mense onder die wanindruk verkeer, dat hulle persoonlike klein paradysies onaangeraak gaan bly. Dit is egter onmoontlik, en hoe gouer die besef deurdring, hoe beter. “
The Air That I Breathe Foundation (Tatib) has been formed BY the people & FOR the people of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Somerset West & surrounding areas, as a platform from which the residents, parents, students, rate payers, farmers & farm workers can campaign against the harmful effects of exposure to potentially toxic spray drift from the adjacent vineyards & orchards, into bordering dwellings/residential areas.
Our hopes are that the awareness of this serious issue is one that will spread further afield, to other towns & cities nationwide so that the public can help put pressure on the relevant authorities enabling laws to be put in place to protect not only human health but also that of the seriously deteriorating environment. When last did you see a chameleon in your garden ? Have you noticed the dwindling number of small birds to be seen? And the lifeless rivers & streams? Our aim is to ensure that the air that WE breathe is kept pesticide, fungicide & herbicide free at ALL times and that this happens in a spirit of harmony & cooperation with the local farming communities. It is our duty,as custodians, to leave this earth a better place for our children & grandchildren, affording them their basic right to enjoy fresh air and clean water.
Whilst the problem of spray drift, and resulting ill health, is not a new one to Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl & Somerset West (first complaints were lodged with Stellenbosch Municipality way back in 2008), the Tatib Foundation is still very much in its infancy. In this regard it has only been a short time since the first official Tatib meeting in Stellenbosch was held. This forum was a platform for concerned residents, parents,students, rate payers, farmers & farm workers, who felt that something needed to be done to bring this problem out into the public spotlight, and under the attention of the relevant Municipal and Provincial Officials.
The response was so overwhelming that many requests to attend this meeting could not be met - as there was only enough seating for approximately 100 people - and so a large number of concerned residents, parents & students had to be turned away. However, Tuesdays meeting was only the first of many more to come, and we hope that this initiative will gain momentum and grow in numbers.
We would like to extend our special thanks, on behalf of all the residents, students, parents and various officials who attended, to the guest speakers who gave up their valuable time to address this worthy cause:
DR JOHAN MINNAAR: who flew to Cape Town from Groblersdal. Thank You!
CHARL PIENAAR: for your organic input ! Thank You !
PATRICK DOWLING (WESSA): who drove in from Kirstenhof. Thank You!
RUPERT VD MERWE: our local hero who helps organic farmers. Thank You!
JURGEN SCHIRMACHER: who helped with quality information & to mobilize so many people. Thank You !
A very special thank you, to YOU, the RESIDENTS, PARENTS & STUDENTS, who for the past 3 weeks have helped to get this initiative up and running, the result of which has been the formation of the Tatib Foundation.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, we are so very proud to inform you all, that eight volunteers have put down their names for Tatib’s Steering Committee.
The Legal Resources Centre in Cape Town(www.lrc.org.za), having been involved with the problem of spray drift poisoning following the Carte Blanche “Poisoned Fruit” national broadcast (May 2007), is assisting Tatib, and after attending the meeting of 24/11/2009 shall be drafting an urgent letter, on behalf of Tatib, addressed to Stellenbosch Municipality / Cape District Winelands Municipality (further municipalities to follow) & Provincial Admin Western Cape, calling for amendments to be made to the relevant Air Quality Management Act & Municipal-By-Laws.
Both Municipalities will be officially requested, through the LRC, to do a full "Audit" on all the adjacent vineyards & orchards (surrounding the towns) , so as to supply the Tatib Foundation & all interested parties including government, with a list of each and every pesticide / fungicide / herbicide that is used in the area. That way the residents of Stellenbosch & Franschhoek initially, and eventually Paarl & Somerset West, will be placed in an informed position to know exactly what agricultural contaminants they may have come into contact with.
A copy of the LRC ‘s letter to the Municipalities will be emailed to all who attended Tuesdays meeting and then also posted on Tatib's website as soon as this is up and running. When the list of pesticides / fungicides / herbicides is received, this will also be posted on www.tatib.org.za
In closing, we the concerned residents, parents, students and other interested parties, thank you all for attending Tuesday’s meeting, and for showing us, by your overwhelming positive response, that you view this issue as seriously as we do, and that you too feel that something must be done to address the problem.
The serious consequences of pesticide poisoning are well documented in Carte Blanche’s DDT Story available now from the links below:
Founded by Amanda & Ian Odendaal , we are a group of residents, parents, students, professors, medical practitioners who are concerned about the damage, to human & environmental health, that is caused by exposure to pesticides.
