The Floriculture Industry:Thorns without Borders

Martin Donohoe

“Say it with flowers”

Flowers

• Long history of religious, folk, heraldic and national symbolism

• Gifts of love, friendship and filial devotion

–St. Valentine’s Day

–Mothers’ Day

The Floriculture Industry

• $30 billion cut flower industry

• Major producers: Holland, Columbia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, India, Mexico, China, Malaysia

• World’s largest producer: Dole Fresh Flowers

• Largest import markets: U.S. and Germany

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

Floriculture and Women

• Predominantly female workforce

–Low wages

–No benefits

–Short contract cycles

–Child labor, dismissal for pregnancy, unpaid overtime common

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

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

–Contributes to drop in water tables

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

Floriculture: Toxic Exposures

• Flowers carry up to 50X the amount of pesticides allowed on foods

• USDA inspects for pests, but not pesticides

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.)

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

Floriculture: Health Effects

• Local physicians poorly-trained, lack resources to manage pesticide-related health problems

• Many providers employed by floriculture company

–Conflict of interest

Alternatives and Solutions

• Flowers:– Grow your own– Purchase locally- or internationally-produced,

organically-grown, labor-friendly bouquets• Farmers’ markets• Whole Foods• http://www.proflowers.com• http://www.organicbouquet.com• Others

Alternatives and Solutions

• Flowers:– Consumer education– Pressure on supermarkets, florists– Boycotts → voluntary eco-labels in Europe– NGOs developing industry standards– Food First Information Action Network’s

Flower Campaign → voluntary International Code of Conduct

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

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

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

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

Paper/References/Contact Info

Donohoe MT. Flowers, diamonds, and gold: The destructive human rights and environmental

consequences of symbols of love. Human Rights Quarterly 2008;30:164-82.

http://www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org

http://www.phsj.org

martindonohoe@phsj.org