1 teaspoon of this pesticide is enough to kill 1.25 billion bees……

by Kenneth Keavey

1 teaspoon of the neonicotinoid Thiamethoxam can kill 1.25 billion bees, if you are unsure how much that is have a look at the video.  

In 2018 The EU banned the use of neonicotinoid chemicals as the data was irrefutable, these systemic chemicals were destroying bee populations and causing insect numbers to plummet.  

Enter the giant agribusiness pesticide manufactures, who lobbied for years and right up to the end to keep these chemical cocktails in the conventional farming repertoire. They knew they were killing bees and yet they persisted, no different to the fossil fuel lobbyists today, (who with full knowledge of the damage being wrought by man made climate change persist in pushing their wares as harmless.

These neonicotinoid chemicals are still manufactured in Europe and shipped to countries that currently have no ban on them including the US. Not only do these chemicals impact the insect and the bee populations, they have also impacted bird populations, as the birds eat the insects, and this has meant that in the US alone the population of insect eating birds has dropped by over 3 billion.  

These chemicals persist in the soil and a recent study showed that they are still prevalent in Irish soils even though they have not been used here since 2018.  

New studies in France have shown that the bird populations are recovering but at a slow pace, but there is hope as there have been recorded relevant increases of 3-4% per year. This new research demonstrates when nature is given a chance it can recover, but we need to give it space.

It is certainly clear to me, even though we produce so much food right here on our small farm, that biodiversity flourishes when given a chance. The native Irish honeybees that we have on our farm are some of the most productive Gerry the beekeeper has seen.  

For the size of our farm then number of birds and butterflies and bees can be positively breathtaking, and we are not doing anything spectacular, we are just growing hedgerows, growing wildflower, not using chemicals, leaving wild areas, and we are producing literally tonnes of food. It is a model that works, yes of course the food may be a little more expensive, but do you think those extra few cents are worth the investment in nature, and the investment in our own health?  

For all the talk of supporting sustainability supermarkets are still driving the price of fresh vegetable to rock bottom, and with this comes a real price, how can a farmer support a sustainable food system, if he is barely surviving? Supermarkets need to do better.

With your support we our farm has nearly made it through another year, without your support we would not. So thank you for supporting us it makes all the difference.  

Kenneth

PS As our Christmas shop is now open, please if you can support us this Christmas, the supermarkets profit margins are already bulging and they will certainly not miss you, but we will.

Order here https://greenearthorganics.ie/christmas-delivered-to-your-door

There’s No Planet B

by Kenneth Keavey

Our story this year has many parts to it. The planning and advice, the hard work and organisation of the farm team. The fertility and soil management, the weather and the birds and the bees have all played their part.

Our amazing team of packers, rising each morning sometimes at 4am to get to work at 5am to start packing your orders. Finally, having you our customers willing to supporting our farm and a whole bunch of good luck has got us through to another autumn, my 17th year growing vegetables and our 15th year in business.

Growing vegetables commercially is a tough endeavour and in the stony wet land of the West of Ireland it is particularly challenging.  

The skill and art of growing our food is so important and we need to preserve this knowledge. It is invigorating to see so many small-scale growers embrace sustainable growing.

Yet, many commercial growers are struggling, the work is too hard, the price for their produce is too low, the seasons (due to climate change) are unpredictable, and planning for a market that is ever changing and is sometimes 12 months in the future makes it a precarious undertaking indeed.

As with everything and it is no different in our food system, decisions based purely on financial gain with no regard for our environment are causing devastation to our planet.  

It is much easier for a large supermarket buyer to import cheap produce, grown abroad where labour is inexpensive and where very often the working conditions are poor, and the attention paid to biodiversity is scant than buy more expensive IRISH grown crops.  

I am glad we have you our customers and that we do not need to knock on supermarket doors to sell our produce.

Our harvest is overflowing, now we have parsnips, carrots, swedes, cabbage, leeks, celery, pumpkin, kale and Brussels sprouts, the last of the broccoli and the soon to start purple sprouting broccoli and the first time in 10 years we will have celeriac.

I think you might taste the flavour in your in your boxes, tell us if you do! You will also notice the size of all our crops, the warm September and a soil temperature that is 5C above normal means growth has continued well past when it should have slowed leading to bigger produce. 

The days are closing in now and the weather is wet and it should be cool, but as I write this, we have temperatures here in Galway of 17C and it is 8pm, is this climate change in action right here on our doorstep? 

Our promise is simple, “When you get a box from us you do not need to think about whether you are choosing sustainably, we promise you are”. 

Your support for us means our farm survives and thrives, our people stay in jobs, and we get to mind our little patch of land here in the West of Ireland sustainably.

Thank you

Kenneth