Do you buy pineapples / fruit from farms using Paraquat and Bromacil?
Paraquat and Bromacil are herbicides which are used on pineapple plantations to prevent the growth of annual and perennial grasses around the pineapple crop. The main driver for the use of these chemicals is to prevent grass seeds being caught in the crown of pineapples sold to the fresh fruit market which can pose a contamination issue for customs in the importing countries. The excessive use of these chemicals can pose a safety issue for workers applying the chemicals and result in pollution of local watercourses making the water unsafe for drinking or agricultural use. An additional problem is that the exposed soil around the pineapple beds is highly prone to erosion – losing valuable fertile soil and clogging watercourses with sediment. Both the Rainforest Alliance and Innocent standards do not allow the use of pesticides that: • Are not register in the country for use • Are not register in the country for use for a specific crop • Are not allow by US or EU market • Belong to the S
