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The Floriculture Industry: Thorns without Borders

The Floriculture Industry: Thorns without Borders. Martin Donohoe. “Say it with flowers”. 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.

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The Floriculture Industry: Thorns without Borders

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  1. The Floriculture Industry:Thorns without Borders Martin Donohoe

  2. “Say it with flowers”

  3. Flowers • Long history of religious, folk, heraldic and national symbolism • Gifts of love, friendship and filial devotion • St. Valentine’s Day • Mothers’ Day

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. Floriculture and Women • Predominantly female workforce • Low wages • No benefits • Short contract cycles • Child labor, dismissal for pregnancy, unpaid overtime common

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. Floriculture: Toxic Exposures • Flowers carry up to 50X the amount of pesticides allowed on foods • USDA inspects for pests, but not pesticides

  11. 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.)

  12. 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

  13. Floriculture: Health Effects • Local physicians poorly-trained, lack resources to manage pesticide-related health problems • Many providers employed by floriculture company • Conflict of interest

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. 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 martindonohoe@phsj.org

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