The Floriculture Industry: Thorns without Borders

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The Floriculture IndustryThorns without Borders

• Martin Donohoe

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Say it with flowers
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Flowers

• Long history of religious, folk, heraldic and
  national symbolism
• Gifts of love, friendship and filial devotion
• St. Valentines Day
• Mothers Day

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The Floriculture Industry

• 30 billion cut flower industry
• Major producers Holland, Columbia, Kenya,
  Zimbabwe, Ecuador, India, Mexico, China, Malaysia
• Worlds largest producer Dole Fresh Flowers

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The Floriculture Industry

• Largest import markets U.S. and Germany
• Only 1/3 of cut flowers sold in U.S. are domestic
• Most from CA

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The Floriculture Industry

• 190,000 workers in developing countries
• Ecuador and Columbia account for ½ of flowers
  sold in U.S.
• Most profit flows to large, multinational
  corporations, headquartered outside producing
  countries
• Small amount reinvested locally

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Floriculture and Women

• Predominantly female workforce
• Low wages
• No benefits
• Short contract cycles
• Child labor, dismissal for pregnancy, unpaid
  overtime common

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Floriculture and Labor

• Labor organizers harassed, workers fired for
  trying to organize unions
• Third party contractors shuffle workers from
  plantation to plantation, avoiding payment of
  social security and inhibiting union organizing

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Floriculture and the Environment

• Floriculture displaces crops grown for local food
  consumption
• Contributes to malnutrition and increased local
  food costs
• Requires large quantities of irrigation water
• 120 liters/dozen roses
• Contributes to drop in water tables

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Floriculture Toxic Exposures

• Flowers most pesticide-intensive crop
• Greenhouses increase ambient levels of pesticides
• 1/5 of pesticides banned or untested in U.S.
• Carcinogens, persistent organic
  pollutants/endocrine disruptors

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Floriculture Toxic Exposures

• Flowers carry up to 50X the amount of pesticides
  allowed on foods
• USDA inspects for pests, but not pesticides

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Floriculture Health Effects

• Over 50 of workers have symptoms of
  organophosphate pesticide exposure (cholinergic
  symptoms)
• Other common health problems
• Allergic reactions, heat stroke, pneumonitis,
  RSI, cellulitis, UTIs, neuropathies, mental
  health problems, cancers, reproductive problems
  (low sperm counts, spontaneous abortions, fetal
  anomalies, etc.)

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Floriculture Health Effects

• Labeling, handling, and storage problems rampant
• Protective gear often lacking, not working
• Reuse of pesticide-saturated greenhouse plastic
  for domestic purposes not uncommon
• Workers wash / bathe children in same sink

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Floriculture Health Effects

• Local physicians poorly-trained, lack resources
  to manage pesticide-related health problems
• Many providers employed by floriculture company
• Conflict of interest

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Symbols of Love Alternatives and Solutions

• Flowers
• Grow your own
• Purchase locally- or internationally-produced,
  organically-grown, labor-friendly bouquets
• Farmers markets, Whole Foods, other upscale
  markets
• http//www.LocalHarvest.org
• http//www.proflowers.com
• http//www.organicbouquet.com
• http//FlowerPetal.com (contributes to carbon
  offsets)
• Others

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Alternatives and Solutions

• Flowers
• Consumer education
• Pressure on supermarkets, florists
• Boycotts ? voluntary eco-labels in Europe
• NGOs developing industry standards
• Food First Information Action Networks Flower
  Campaign ? voluntary International Code of Conduct

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Alternatives and Solutions

• Flowers
• Veriflora Certification System
• Organic production with phaseout of pesticides
• Water conservation
• Safe waste management
• Mitigation of previous environmental damage
• Fair labor practices / fair wages / overtime pay
  / right to organize
• Unannounced audits ensure compliance

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Alternatives and Solutions

• Flowers
• Veriflora Certification System Campaign focused
  on
• Supermarkets (29 of U.S. flower sales, market
  share increasing, 50 major companies)
• Less focus currently on wholesalers (1200
  nationwide) and florists (30,000, 47 of market
  share)
• Society of American Florists yet to endorse
• Fair trade flowers

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Alternatives and Solutions

• Consider alternative tokens of affection
• Homemade gifts (cards, photo collages, videos,
  poems, meals, home improvement projects)
• Donations to charities
• Eco-jewelry made from recycled materials by
  indigenous peoples
• Profits returned to local communities, providing
  wide-ranging social and economic benefit

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Conclusions

• Beneath the beauty of cut flowers lie practices
  involving significant damage to local
  communities, human health, and the environment
• Consumers and health care advocates should work,
  individually and collectively, for reform of the
  floriculture industry

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Paper/References/Contact Info

• Donohoe MT. Flowers, diamonds, and gold The
  destructive human rights and environmental
  consequences of symbols of love. Human Rights
  Quarterly 200830164-82.
• http//www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org
• http//www.phsj.org
• martindonohoe_at_phsj.org