Some scientists have argued 10 that pest susceptibility should be considered a shared public good, and that growers will need support from the entire value chain – similar to efforts in cover crops, and soil and water conservation – to implement sustainable pest management practices for the future. To keep this trend going, the cotton community is currently working on resolving the growing resistance to existing herbicides and insecticides, including resistance to Bt cotton. 8 Overall, while worldwide cotton production has risen, the total volume of insecticides used has declined. by 66% in terms of pounds/acre between 19. Together with integrated pest management practices and other improvements, Bt cotton helped drive down insecticide applications in the U.S. After rigorous scientific evaluation, Bt cotton was placed on the market in 1996, allowing the plants to protect themselves with a significantly lower need for insecticides. In the 1990s, scientists were able to move the gene that encodes Bt directly into a plant. Bt, a bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis, kills a variety of insects (chiefly worm pests) that harm the cotton plant. One of the reasons for the significant reduction in the use of insecticides is the global introduction of Bt cotton. 6 In the United States, cotton yield has steadily increased while overall pesticide use has remained consistent. Australian use of all types of pesticides went down by 18.2% in just five years between 20. Between 19, Australian cotton growers have for example reduced their use of insecticides as measured in grams/bale by 97%. Significant Improvements in Cotton Pesticide UseĬountless improvements have been identified for pesticide use around the world. In other areas around the world where legal protections may be less comprehensive, growers have the opportunity to engage with a host of other programs, including for example the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) which includes core principles on crop protection and criteria for using crop protection products with proper safeguards such as personal protective equipment.
3 In Australia, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) takes a similar approach, whereby only registered and assessed products can be used, and only according to safety guidelines, established following rigorous evaluation by expert panels.
To be on the safe side, the EPA exaggerates the risk for sensitive populations by including 10X safety factors. for example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts in-depth worst-case studies – vetted by numerous third-party scientific expert review panels – to determine when, how and if a pesticide can be safely used taking especially into account interaction with humans, plants, pollinators, water, animals and protected species. Governments around the world scrutinize pesticides before placing them on the market.