For years, the USDA has collected and made publicly available annual surveys of pesticide use on major crops. In 2008, no data was collected, ostensibly because of a budget shortfall in the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
PCC Natural Markets asked the Center’s Chief Scientist, a long-time user of NASS pesticide use data, what the loss of this public pesticide use data means for anyone wanting to understand trends in pesticide use and risks. “Flying blind” describes the consequences of this curious decision by the Bush administration.
Photo Credit: http://www.usda.gov/oc/photo/95cs2841.htm
Original Story: http://www.organiccenter.org/science.pest.php?action=view&report_id=133
