Mastodawn

Are berries safe to eat? How worried should I be about the pesticide dimethoate?
#Health #Berries #Fruit #FoodSafety #Pesticides #Toxicology #ChildHealth #Dimethoate #BerrySafety #PublicHealth #FoodRegulation #HealthyEating #Blueberries #The14Media #The14
https://the-14.com/are-berries-safe-to-eat-how-worried-should-i-be-about-the-pesticide-dimethoate/

Are berries safe to eat? How worried should I be about the pesticide dimethoate? | The-14

Australia suspended dimethoate on berries as rising consumption may raise exposure risks for young children; washing berries reduces residues to keep them safe.

The-14 Pictures

Mojo ♻️Nov 12

Finally! The APVMA suspends dimethoate use on berries. A classic case of "better late than never," but the real scandal is that a chemical this risky was ever approved for our food.

#Regulation #Dimethoate #Health #AusAg #blueberries #bigpharma

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-12/apvma-suspends-dimethoate-use-on-berries/106001530

Regulator suspends use of dimethoate insecticide on berries

Australians' surging appetite for berries has prompted the national farm chemical watchdog to suspend a popular insecticide.

ABC News

BellingenNSW Oct 8

Pesticide spray drift from intensive horticulture on the the mid-north coast NSW -
Discontent in the region.

Home owners, dairy and beef producers among those concerned about how pesticide use affects their land as well as water quality on the mid-north coast

“Between 2001 and 2016 blueberry farming expanded 400% – mainly around the Coffs Harbour region.”

“This monitoring showed the continued detection of pesticides in most waterways sampled, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring in the region.”

“Monitoring in the Nambucca valley by the EPA has detected three different pesticides in low levels in three creeks, suggesting water quality in the area is not being impacted by excessive amounts of pesticides.”
>>
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/09/blueberry-farms-nsw-north-coast-rapid-expansion-development-pesticides
#Pesticides #food #beef #diary #prawns #blueberries #plantations #monoculture #rivers #water #export #runoff #pollution #neonicotinoids #imidacloprid #dimethoate #SprayDrift #CoffsHarbour #Macksville #Nambucca #Woolgoolga #conflict #violence #EPA #regulation #horticulture #industry #tourism #PeoplesHomes #TankWater #governance #MidNorthCoast #NSW #biodiversity #wildlife #extractivism

‘Gobsmacked at the scale’: blueberry industry’s rapid expansion divides NSW’s mid-north coast

Dairy and beef producers among those concerned about how pesticide use affects their land as well as water quality on the mid-north coast

The Guardian

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earthling Sep 7, 2025

@mojo

#Dimethoate is a neurotoxin used to combat the pest fruit fly and acts by interrupting a chemical essential for nerve function. At certain levels, it is toxic to the human nervous system.

It was banned in the European Union in 2019, and has been classed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a "possible human carcinogen".

It is legal to use it in Australia.

#blueberries
#pesticides
#Australia

BellingenNSW Sep 6, 2025

"... Poor pesticide spraying practices in the Nambucca Valley and Coffs Harbour regions...Chemical banned by European Union still used in Australia."

When you drive from Nambucca Valley to the Coffs Harbour regions you can see giant white plastic nets enclosing blueberries, raspberries and blackberries plantations. There are toxic chemicals on some berries, the water and the area.

"Banned chemical thiometon detected in berries sold at supermarkets."

"Blueberry farming has boomed in NSW, including in the Nambucca Valley, as minimal red tape is required to set up. Blueberry farms can be started without formal registration or oversight, making it hard for authorities to track pesticide use. Since January 2022, the EPA has prosecuted 21 pesticide-related incidents across a range of crops in local courts across NSW... The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) announced a review into the use of dimethoate on blueberries, raspberries and blackberries."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-07/pesticide-review-thiometon-dimethoate-blueberries-raspberries/105701674
#food #regulation #toxins #pesticide #water #BerryIndustry #EPA #APVMA #governance #fruits #blueberries #NSW #plantations #MidNorthCoast #nambucca #CoffsHarbour #pollution #sprayDrift #dimethoate #thiometon #neurotoxins