Warning sounded on chemical fertiliser use

Warning sounded on chemical fertiliser use

The barrage of chemical fertiliser that New Zealand farmers continued to use had the very real potential to undermine the country’s food safety rating.

Viafos, a national wholesaler of natural fertiliser, says the recent Global Food Safety Forum has highlighted the increasing economic importance of ensuring a healthy, robust food production system.

At the Forum’s launch last week, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said that globally consumers were increasingly demanding more information while producers were seeking to increase production and quality, “so both Government and business need to be smart about keeping up with changing consumer expectations.

“What we use to feed and treat animals, fertilise crops and manage pests, transport, process and package food regardless of its destination or origin, all counts towards food safety.”

Keith Jackson, General Manager of Viafos Limited, agrees but said more attention needs to be paid to soil and water quality. “Soil nutrient quality is the starting point of the production food chain and we need to start paying serious attention to what we are feeding into the system.”

Mr Jackson shares the view of most biological and organic farmers that many New Zealand commercial farmers are over reliant on chemical fertilisers including superphosphates and generally poor in relation to managing the resultant heavy metals. “We apply more than two million tonnes of chemical phosphate fertiliser to our pastoral and horticultural soils every year, translating to a staggering 30-40 tonnes of cadmium to our agricultural soils.”

This is not positive news for our export industry. Cadmium is ingested through eating certain vegetables and certain animal by-products. While the health implications are uncertain, the report of the Cadmium Working Group in 2011 noted the risk of falling behind the cadmium standards of New Zealand’s major trading partners as potentially damaging our ‘clean and green’ reputation.

The report also suggested that “not addressing soil cadmium accumulation may pose risks to the future ability to subdivide land for residential or rural residential purposes and could affect the ability of landholders to grow certain types of produce.”

Mr Jackson said the results reinforce that without adequate measurement practices in place, areas that were high in heavy metal contaminants were not being adequately managed. “This serves to reduce the value of soil capital to a point where the sustainability of farming comes into question.

“Everyone needs to be accountable for their actions (the dairy industry is a prime example) and implementing systems and practices to protect our future now must be made rather than our forever having the waiting ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”

About Viafos Importing Ltd
Initiated by soil consultants concerned about the long term impacts of chemical fertilisers, Viafos was established in 2009 as an importer and wholesaler of a range of quality natural fertilisers with nutrient rich ancient bird guano phosphate fertiliser (Viafos) being the backbone. Viafos products, mined safely at source, are available nationally through a network of retailers who are focused on biological farming and aim to reverse the damage being done through overuse of chemical fertilisers. The company’s vision is to contribute to a healthier New Zealand through improved knowledge and understanding of soils and the application of better nutrient and plant available fertilisers.

ENDS

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