MARK DAVIS, coordinator of the Obsolete Pesticide Programme (OPP) of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has written to me saying how delighted he was that I raised the matter of obsolete pesticides with Gareth Thomas, the then information minister at the Department for International Development (快猫短视频, 8 January, p 47). He adds that he is continually frustrated by the profound lack of understanding of both how the OPP operates and the kind of help developing countries need to get rid of their toxic burden.
Davis says he has to raise all the OPP鈥檚 funding himself, as it receives nothing from the FAO鈥檚 central budget. The Africa Stockpiles Programme 鈥� which aims to safely dispose of 50,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticide waste 鈥� can provide funding, through the FAO, for just six country projects. So the FAO鈥檚 reply to Thomas that 鈥渨ith respect to Africa, prevention and disposal will continue鈥︹�� is incorrect.
Davis adds that he is attempting to help Paraguay, Bolivia, Syria, Mozambique, Eritrea, Somalia, Oman, Trinidad and Tobago, Algeria, Cameroon, Botswana, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia, all of which have requested the OPP鈥檚 assistance.
Advertisement
The OPP鈥檚 accumulated expertise has also been a boon for those dealing with hazardous waste in countries devastated by the recent tsunami, and it is frequently asked to contribute to discussions, technical guidance and policy in international forums.
However, with no operational budget to do any of this work, the OPP is forced to draw on funds allocated for other tasks. Yet this highly unsatisfactory situation could be resolved with an annual budget of just 250,000. I have asked Gareth Thomas to respond.
JAPANESE delegates to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) are wont to argue that today鈥檚 population of around 760,000 minke whales is abnormally high and threatens other endangered species, such as the blue whale, by outcompeting them for food (快猫短视频, 26 February, p 16).
When I pointed this out to the UK fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw, he replied that new research casts serious doubt on this figure. He said that both the 2000 and 2001 IWC committees concluded that it was not possible to make reliable estimates, but indicated a much smaller population than the Japanese had calculated. And apparently there are at least two species of minke in the Antarctic whose numbers have not yet been estimated.
I cannot see that there is now any excuse for whaling, other than perhaps subsistence quotas for peoples such as the Inuit, who would be careful about safeguarding the recovery of target stocks.
