Dr Alison Bleaney
Mum and children on outskirts of town, early morning, sudden appearance of 2 planes which in turn spray a 40 plus acre crop across the little valley between them. The wind is blowing their way and she takes the child – who has not been well in the last 2 years – inside and closes the door. The first spray is of ‘white stuff’- she can see it clearly, and she goes onto her deck to get a better view as the second plane sprays a yellow substance – she feels the spray tingling on her face and realises the sprays have been brought across the valley and onto the house- the drinking water source.
THIS IS A STORY. It happened today, but it has happened to many of you in Tasmania already, and much worse than this, and will no doubt happen tomorrow and at other times in the future. It fills me with a sadness, and a frustration that this is allowed to continue to happen to the general public; the mums and dads, the workers, those that live in houses and inhabit offices and workplaces far away from fields and forrests. But mostly I am distressed for the babes and youngsters who do not yet know what is and has happened to them.
Our Governments know and as we speak are rapidly preparing ‘position statements’ on the recent UK High Court ruling ( Spraying: Government acting unlawfully ) that the UK Government is unlawfully causing harm to the health of its citizens by its approach to pesticide use and application methods. Will these statements allow for a preventative or even a precautionary approach to toxic chemicals? You will have to judge.
Back to the story of today.
Mum and children on outskirts of town, early morning, sudden appearance of 2 planes which in turn spray a 40 plus acre crop across the little valley between them. The wind is blowing their way and she takes the child – who has not been well in the last 2 years – inside and closes the door. The first spray is of ‘white stuff’- she can see it clearly, and she goes onto her deck to get a better view as the second plane sprays a yellow substance – she feels the spray tingling on her face and realises the sprays have been brought across the valley and onto the house- the drinking water source.
She feels fearfull and goes inside and closes the windows. She cannot contact DPIW or anyone as their business depends on the ‘farmer’- responsible for the spraying – and she knows he will not appreciate a call or visit by any Department. But we talk about cleaning the roof before the rain comes – forecast 2 days time on Saturday – and preventing the spray washing into the water tanks.
She finds it hard to believe that the Local Council has no say in this behaviour, that by law she does not have to be told when they spray and what they spray. That by law this is a legally correct application of pesticides. The off-site and off-target contamination is regarded simply as collateral damege by the relevant authorities; it is not in their backyard. Should she be worried? – this spraying happened many times last year and the little one was sick a lot.
This story is one of many, many and the laws need to change so we stop hearing them. People need to sleep easy at night knowing that the law is there to prevent the off-site movement of toxic chemicals, especially from moving freely into our houses,our yards and paddocks, our waterways and being with ‘the wind in our face’.
