Stop Wildlife Poisoning

Category: carbofuran | Date: Sep 22 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Dear readers,

I have been underground for a while! I mean to apologize but…. I am still on with the business of ending wildlife poisoning. I will be back soon with stories at my study site in Bunyala.

The blog title above not only rekindles hope that the remaining stocks of Furadan are now getting depleted but also confirms that FMC indeed upholds ethics by pulling off their supplies of the chemical as the only proper measure to follow lions’, birds’ and other biodiversity outcries of being decimated by carbofuran. And what else could be an affirmation than FMC executives’ words that indeed they have not supplied any Furadan to Kenya since August 2008! and an invigorated buy back underway starting March 2009! This was at the meeting with the Stop Wildlife Poisoning Task Force at Wildlife Direct on 15th April 2009.

But the blog post Lion Poisoning in Tanzania just challenges the reassuring words above. The post contents are words from our informant and colleague who also sent along a pdf. document of the scanned label of the Furadan pack they purchased from one of the Agrovet stores in Tanzania. The pdf speaks volumes! Please look at the 1st page of the sent furadan-label.pdf by our informant for the details I will give below.

JUANCO is East Africa’s distributor of FMC-manufactured Furadan. FMC proclaimed they stopped distributing ‘their’ Furadan to Kenya (essentially to East Africa) around May 2008. The manufacture date on the label pdf reads November 2008. Zoom the document and you will see the date as well as repeated ‘JUANCO’ underwritten in faint brown on the user information in bold black. The underwritting is JUANCO’s ‘water mark’ and therefore authenticates that the product is distributed by JUANCO in this case after being supplied from FMC.

If the product was manufactured in November 2008, there is a likelihood that the product was distributed this year (2009). It means Furadan supply was not halted in May 2008 and there might be on going distribution by the company in question especially due to the fact that there are collosal stocks in the neighbouring countries, Uganda and Tanzania (Furadan is available, for the case of Uganda). Yet again birds continue to be taken down in Bunyala in thousands by the poison with a ghost source but with labels on its containers certainly pointing to JUANCO. Worst case scenario is rebuying to resupply, God Forbid!

The poison’s supply withdrawal and buy back just have not alleviated the situation so far….or are they in effect?!

Technorati : Bunyala, FMC, Furadan, JUANCO, Kenya, Lion, Tanzania, Uganda, Wildlife Direct

Tags: Bunyala, FMC, furadan, JUANCO, Kenya, Lion, Tanzania, Uganda, Wildlife Direct

One response so far

Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 11 2009 | By: Martin Odino

An officer in his office at PCPB is discussing with his accomplice from JUANCO of their next useful yet again lucrative agrochemical deal. In parliament, politicians are struggling to have patronage over the solving of the cases by the perpetrators of Kenya’s post-election violence.A continent away, a scientist is working away on a computer at FMC. In all these cases, these giants are aware of the sizzling hot Furadan poisoning issue but is a trivial matter to them, or is it a necessary outcome that does not surpass the giants’ benefits from the continued existence of the pesticide in our midst?

In this conservation venture, I meant to collect baseline information and alert conservation and government stakeholders, also train educate and raise awareness on the Furadan poisoning issue. But all these targets are designed to function as a unit. It is therefore a drawback when the enforcer who is the government and its appointed agency, the PCPB, seem dormant and insensitive on the matter.

The Furadan bird poisoning until now seems to effect a mortality of 30% - 40% of the whole bird population exposed to the poisonings. It means 3 to 4 birds die in every 10 that wander into the poacher’s baiting set up. The threat is even higher for tightly social colonies such as the migrant sandpipers and Abdim’s Storks with up to whole colony deaths or 100% mortality.

When FMC announced and began the buy back of its supplied Furadan stocks from Kenya, Mocap quickly replaced it and is at the moment fairly extensively used. No negative effects of the pungent Mocap nor its underperformance have been revealed hitherto which is what was feared of the pesticide. But it was disturbing to find the pesticide still in Kajiado (Kiserian) months later, yet lion deaths due to poisoning by Furadan are known of this pastoralist region. Then Eldoret a few weeks back shocked us with the explicit display of the poisonous pesticide in some agrovet store shelves and now poachers in Bunyala are declaring it on the rise again. I have still not gotten the confirmation but the claim that, “The supplier is still supplying us with Furadan….” by some store keepers in Eldoret Town is a depressing statement. I am forced to think aloud if the statement means, ‘JUANCO are still supplying Furadan’ and where is it from????!!!!…FMC???’ an abomination!

Fellowshipping with bird poachers and trying to enlighten them, counting bird carcasses and turning in poisoning updates has been the procedure during every month’s survey. More has been the testing of the poisoned birds as evidence of bird poisoning using Furadan. While this evidence was stressed on as crucial if any regulation measure had to be effected for Furadan, the agencies whose delegates vehemently insisted on the lab evidence have since been quiet. Does it mean the evidence is not enough as has always been the defence? I am willing to get more samples if they will chip in towards the testing costs. Or is the matter already decided on that Furadan is here to stay?

Technically, this survey is testing methodologiy to be employed elsewhere and is expected that the model survey can be used anywhere. A near success of the methods seems to have hit a snag!

While bird poisonings in Bunyala had drastically declined last month, this is gradually being reversed and is on a steadily elevated trend calling for a change in strategy; may be fill papers with poisoning images. I hope an environmental lawyer out there hears me out!

Keep reading.

Technorati : Bunyala, FMC, Furadan, JUANCO, Mocap, PCPB, Poacher, Poison

Tags: Bunyala, FMC, furadan, JUANCO, Mocap, PCPB, Poacher, poison

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Aug 09 2009 | By: Martin Odino

A few days ago, I finished administering questionnaires and interviewing people in Bunyala about the issue of bird poisoning. Disturbing findings came up: vitually the entire population knows about Furadan and its toxicity yet majority of the immediate population at the rice scheme feed on poisoned birds; poachers say Furadan is banned but it continues to be available. I sought to know the poachers’ unanimous opinion on vegetable farming in exchange for bird poisoning as we had agreed they discuss (in May) and tell me what they thought but the few I met said birdmeat business seemed good again with the poison’s supply having increased and was not as scanty as it had been 2 months back. I just seem to have lost a would be band of converts who are crucial if poisoning is to be eradicated in Bunyala, thanks to increasing Furadan supply in the area! It means starting all over again which for the sake of lvelihoods, I am left with no other option.

The rice scheme fields are being ploughed in readiness for planting. Birds have started flocking in the fields and will reach peak numbers with the flooding of the paddy fields at planting time. It is even more worrying because the rice planting area has been expanded.

This field used to be left fallow during the previous seasons but is now being converted to be used for rice planting

Birds anticipating food bounty and a tractor ploughing in the distance

Poachers are therefore going to be more spread to poison as many birds as they can and are beefing up their stocks of Furadan for the season. It is disturbing that much as I was trying to focus on the interviews and questionnaires, harsh reminders of on-going bird poisoning kept coming up on the footpaths criss-crossing the villlage recidences. The doves below had dropped to their deaths on the path I was using, having been intoxicated while foraging at the irrigation scheme.

Finding the actual source of this pesticide in Bunyala has proven difficult because the chain of people involved is long and mysterious. I know one old man who supplies the poachers with the pesticide and it is alleged he gets the poison from the irrigation scheme. An interview with the man did not yield much information as he insisted on telling me more about his blacksmith venture, a genuine art but perfect masquerade for the pesticide underground deals he engages in. Further, my assistant got a 100g pack of Furadan from an official of the board who incidentally got this chemical through convincing or bypassing the person with the key to the store where the pesticide is stored. For some time, the fellow had been unable to secure the pesticide because the store key only has one custodianwho had been away for a while . No doubt the illegal pesticide’s blackmarket deals go on within the confines of the Bunyala rice board premises but it seems nobody heeds the call for the rice board supplies to be retrieved especially when they bear the trademark showing they are Juanco distributed and as far as I know, it is the same juanco involved with the buy back.

Keep reading on the worrying, regulation-ignored Furadan poisoning scene in Kenya

Technorati : Bunyala, Furadan, Juanco, Poacher, Poison

Tags: Bunyala, furadan, JUANCO, Poacher, poison

2 responses so far

Category: carbofuran | Date: Jul 26 2009 | By: Martin Odino

The big question as concerns Furadan poisoning in Kenya is if the pesticide’s availability is legal or illegal. This leaves the situation as concerns practical legal measures to check poisoning of wildlife especially using Furadan uncertain. At the moment, my understanding and many involved conservationists is that the pesticide has been withdrawn from Kenya since early in the second quarter of this year by the known, original manufacture, the FMC . Yet again the business men cum agrovet-keepers ALL seem to have the understanding that Furadan is BANNED. They make reference on the banned status of Furadan to the persons who have been going round retrieving what was left of their Furadan 5G stocks. We know for sure that Juanco, once the local distributors of Furadan have been the ones buying back Furadan and therefore must be the ones giving the explanation that they are retrieving the pesticide because it has been misused to poison wildlife in particular lions. PCPB and AAK have not issued any statement as concerns Furadan, while the Kenyan government discussed the banning of the pesticide in parliament and left the matter on the decision to ban Furadan and other carbofuran’s pending and have since been silent about the issue.

I have continued to observe bird poisoning in Bunyala and though the chemical has not been available on agrovet shelves since December, 2008, birds continue being poisoned in Bunyala Rice irrigation Scheme using the poison. While the means of aquiring the poison have changed and is now a top secret affair, the evidence of the poison’s availability is strongly clear with birds continuing to be poisoned and the product once in the hands of bird poachers, not all of them are astutely careful, leaving about the mess during manouvres to screen the identity of the pesticide uncleared; I mean the containers and labels of Furadan poisoning are never well disposed and litter the fields where they bait birds. Worse is the fact that even though FMC-manufactured stocks of Furadan are being called back, which have a designated label pattern of the text overwritten on diagonal inclined “juanco”repeated sequence throughout the label, some of these labels do not have the identity print suggestive of counterfeit or other manufacture product in wide circulation.

Pieces of evidence not well disposed by bird baiting poachers; no authentication of JUANCO distribution by the repetitive ‘juanco ‘on label and therefore possibly a black market product.

A classic example of the unchanged situation of Furadan in Kenya which has shunned conservationists’ hopes that the supply of the poison will trickle to none in the market hence at least control poisoning of wildlife is the availability of the pesticide in Eldoret, openly displayed in a number of agrovets, just this month. It had been broadly observed that the pesticide was slowly becoming hard to come by (since the buy back was declared) in agrovet stores and in the stores where it was available it was hidden and apparently sold to ’specilal’ customers after authentication that the customer is not a law enforcer. That Furadan is openly available in Eldoret Town and the shopkeepers admiting they know it is ‘banned’ and yet continue displaying and selling it is a disturbing issue.

These are my inferences: If agrovets are still selling the pesticide, it is not against the law if the pesticide is from JUANCO. This is because PCPB acknowledges supplies of Furadan from FMC and JUANCO was the acknowledged local distributor until when FMC voluntarily decided to withdraw and buy back Furadan in which case we hope they have stopped supplying and distributing it respectively. With PCPB’s and the government’s stands unchanged, then the agrovets still with the pesticide are not on the wrong, with supply and distribution regulations unchanged by PCPB. In addition, Kenya’s pesticides’ law infers that a pesticide cannot be banned due to misuse. Sadly, this makes me wonder if the agrovets’ persons tales that ‘Furadan is banned’ was not a story ‘told to be told’ to investigators. In addition, it means Furadan’s ban hitherto is unwarranted by the poisoning of carnivores, birds and possibly people!However, sell of counterfeit pesticide products is illegal and offenders are subject to discipline by law. But the problem is that the non-FMC Furadan may be from licenced suppliers by the regulatory agencies who keep so many matters as classified.

Furadan may just be still legal, much as the withdrawal and buy back by FMC of the poison seemed to push its status to a pseudo-illegal product, I should say. Well, FMC’s and non-FMC Furadans still linger our land and there is no knowing of their fate by our legislators and regulators which still leaves our wildlife perilously vulnerable to deadly , devastating poisoning by this deadly poisonous substance.

A poacher holding poisoned birds by Furadan baiting for human consumption: A scene reflecting a situation in dire need of solving.

Tags: AAK, Birds, Bunyala, FMC, furadan, JUANCO, Kenya, lions, PCPB, poison, Wildlife

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Jul 15 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Dear readers,

Just having finished combing the rice growing areas a few days ago to find out if Furadan is still at large and used for poisoning, at least birds, affirmatively the pesticide is available in these rice schemes turned poisoning camps.

A moment ago, I checked my email inbox only to find one from a coleagueresearcher, Dr.Dino Martins with the screaming title: FURADAN IN ELDORET. Dino’s email details that the agrovet had the pesticide displayed on the shelves in full view of anyone while the keepers are aware that it is being withdrawn but the “distributors are still selling it!”

Now, it does look like the western Kenya agricultural town of Eldoret still boasts the poisonous pesticide and is far from being short of it, with the distributors keeping the stock steady. I really hope this distributor is not Juanco and that it is not coming from FMC. But then it means the doors of another or other distributors have been flung open and with no ban announced on the poison, poachers and pastoralists can still easily lay their hands on Furadan and kill wildlife at will. Below is a photograph taken by Dino at one of the Agrovets in Eldoret.

Furadan 5G

Tags: FMC, furadan, JUANCO, poison

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Jul 14 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Dear readers, no doubt it is hard to be certain that Furadan is responsible for the poisoning of wildlife in a poisoning incidence unless you carry out lab tests on the wildlife samples which is possible to get 100% precision as far as Furadan 5G carbofuran testing is concerned in just one local lab.

But even in the other laboratories using a less sensitive and older methodology (TLC; new methodology is HPLC), the argument is that Furadan 5G is the only carbofuran known to be locally available (Now greatly dwindled reserves in isolated places due to FMC’s buy back program but with contraband supply known to exist). This means that with heavy dosage of the pesticide on an animal and submission of the sample, may be as soon as within a week following proper freezing conditions still guarantees valid positive results if the poisoning was due to Furadan poisoning. Furadan would be the inferred carbofuran given no other locally available carbofuran. During a workshop last year, Juanco and PCPB insinuated that other carbofurans exist but neither specified which ones exactly. It appears there is none other than Furadan 5G.

In the field, I have observed a number of things on the birds that I am certain occur on Furadan-poisoned cases:

Even before the birds dies, the bird’s limbs are stiff at the joints (this is already known of carbofuran poisoning). However, before the stiffening, the wings become relaxed and loose hanging I bet rendering the bird incapabality to flap hence fly.

A pigeon, just poisoned, you see the hanging wings

Hanging wings in another casualty

He tried flying off but the stiff wing would not allow

At death, however, the joint-stiff stretched out wings progressively get folded in to almost normal position at death. Meanwhile the rigid but foldable legs also get stiffened. In hardly an hour after death, the legs and wings are totally stiff; wings folded stiff while legs are stretched out stiff.

Stiffened folded in wiings and stretched out stiff legs after death

More doves; Stiff stretched out legs and folded in wings showing in a number of these

About the time when the bird’s limbs are very stiff, the eyes also seem sunken in or colapsed into the sockets. Just my experience with dying, poisoned birds

Tags: furadan, JUANCO, PCPB, poison

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Category: carbofuran | Date: Jun 18 2009 | By: Martin Odino

Hi readers,

We have results for carbofurn testing from the Government Chemist of the Birds collected from Bunyala in May. 5 out of 6 samples tested positive for carbofuran poisoning.

The samples were collected from Bunyala on the 04/05/2008 and transported frozen overnight to Nairobi. In Nairobi, they coninued to be frozen at the nearest Ornithology lab of the National Museums of Kenya.I submitted them to the KEPHIS labratory on the 08/05/2009 but told the HPLC (recommended modern methodology of testing for carbofuran) facility was not functioning but was being fixed.

I received a letter on 18/05/2009 requiring my confirmation that the samples had been tested at the Veterinary Lab and found free of other pathogens that would be harmful to the technicians handling them at the Analytical Chemistry Lab at KEPHIS. I went to KEPHIS to seek clarification because that is where Pest Control Product’s Board, Agricultural Association of Kenya and FMC together with Juanco had instructed us that we should have our samples analysed before we can blame Furadan for the poisoning of wildlife. I questioned the delay by KEPHIS holding on to the samples when they knew I had to have them checked at veterinary laboratory. They apologized but reminded me everyone was afraid of the Avian Flu and Swine Flu! Avian flu there was reason for concern but I have been involved in the Avian Flu Survellance in Kenya since 2006 and so far we have no incidence reported. I even told them that it would have been witnessed in the chicken in the area, even humans and since nothing of the sort had been seen and all migrants had as good as all flown back north there was no reason for fear. As for Swine Flu????!!!!…. Anyway I knew I could not bypass the lab ethics and just had to do as they commanded. I was upset that even the pesticide regulators, manufacturers and distributors did not mention that Vet lab had to be visited as well. Each of these labs would charge differently for the samples and these justified stakeholders were not going to pay a penny towards this common problem.

I was able to get the samples from KEPHIS on the 25/05/2009 and headed straight for Veterinary Laboratory. I told the officer in charge that I had collected the bird gut samples to be tested for carbofuran poisoning but had been told that I needed verification that the birds’ guts did not pose any health threat to humans. He gave the samples to his junior who came back to ask me what exactly I wanted and that as a matter of fact their facilities were not working. I thought he was the vet and that he knew what relevant procedures were to be applied to test for the security of the tissues! He gave me the other option of travelling back to Bunyala, get the District Veterinary Officer from Busia Town (2 t0 3 hour drive away), pay him per diem and have hm witness the poisoning and rule out any other cause of death before I could deliver the samples to KEPHIS or Vet Lab. He even quickly gave me Busia’s District Veterinary Officer’s contacts. Further, I was given an irrelevant note stating that the Vet Lab was at the moment not of capacity to do any toxicological analysis and requested KEPHIS to go ahead. In the first place they were meant to do Pathological analysis and not toxicological analysis. I was told to try out the various options given to me and I would have a break through. I was lost then ever and a whole day gone without concrete assistance.

I froze the samples overnight at theOrnithology lab at the National Museums of Kenya and delivered them to government first thing the next day, 26/05/2008 and told to check the results after 2 weeks.

Well, the results are now out. I have my field notes of the birds from which we eviscerated the guts.

I had actually formulated my hypothesis of the results to expect. Honestly I expected positive carbofuran results for all the 6 samples (5 guts and 1 bait) but I hypothesized that wounded birds’s gut extracts might not test positive for carbofuran. This is because may be the birds were ambushed by the poachers, knocking them with their clubs before they had eaten substancial amount of bait. well, sample 3 tested positive. I suppose this is because full adult birds have greater resistance for the poison and therefore the bird had consumed quite a bit of the bait but still seemed strong and therefore was clobberedso it does not escape.

Sample 8’s result is the puzzle, being the only sample that tested negative carbofuran testing. I recall its crop was not as full compared to the other birds so may be the contents were not enough to show positivity.

Nonetheless, here’s the certificate for carbofuran poisoning results- analysis.pdf

Tags: Bunyala Poacher, FMC, furadan, Governmnet Chemist, JUANCO, KEPHIS, Natioanl Museums of Kenya, poison

6 responses so far

Category: Pesticides, carbofuran, lions | Date: Jun 05 2009 | By: emobisa

Hi everyone!

I have been following the developments on this topic (wildlife poisoning) keenly. The issue of furadan (carbofuran) beeing used as a poison has been particularly so depressing! Depressing because it is all too real to me. I know this because I have been an agronomist advising farmers on how to go around solving their problems and even helping them access the best remedies. For stubborn pests like nematodes we always advised or supplied farmers with furadan. Birds, baboons and even dogs were considered noxious pests!! I remember, we helped some of the best pesticides, and folliar feeds from Juanco including rootgard, humax etc to remote areas where only us could reach (by foot) like Kebirichia, Mugae, Kimbo, Intirimiti in Meru. This is how far we could possibly take furadan.

Many farmers I shared with knew that furadan would kill birds and other wildlife that destroyed their crops. Farmers in Karimenu (Nyeri) will tell you that furadan has been very helpful to them in eradicating the menace of mouse birds on their vegetable gardens. One of the farmers once told me that he remembers painting a furadan solution on a tomato fruit which was later eaten by a mouse bird while he was watching. The bird did not leave the farm. It got drowsy and fell on the ground after a few seconds. His dog ate the dying bird. The dog also died after about five hours. This same farmer regretted why they did not know furadan in the past because they could have used it against baboons and monkeys that were once a menace on their farms. In Nanyuki, I worked with farmers growing snow peas and sugar snaps. The farmers used furadan as a nematicide by inoculating the planting holes before planting. But I later on discovered that it was a common practice to put some grains of furadan mixed with maize, in a container and leave it on the farm. This was meant to kill the so called black and blue birds that used to flock on the farms to destroy the crops at their flowering stage. I later came to learn these birds were super starlings! So the farmers in this areas have been aware of the multiple purposes of furadan for a long time.

My recent visit to a few agrovets showed that people are aware of the negative impacts of furadan on wildlife but they can still use it. They are very much aware it has been withdrawn but also they know it is in the market. It can only be sold to you secretly by someone who knows you. An agrovet attendant in Kitengela told me they know it has been banned because the Maasais use it to kill lions. She however told me they know one distributor who has stock in Kitengela and Machakos. She was certain it can only be sold to me if I am well known to the owner of the agrovet. In the same week, I was in Migosi estate, Kisumu. I visited two agrovets stores looking for a nematicide. I was told the most effective has been withdrawn because the government, through parliament has banned it and if anyone was caught selling it, would be arrested. In trying to ask them what they did with the stock they already had, they wondered if I was not Kenyan! “Everything can’t go back you know” one of them said. “There is no Kenyan who can’t speak out if there is money given and this thing can only be sold to those who well known”

I know all these guys meant selling it to farmers who use it a pesticide and not for poisoning wildlife. But now I think there is no dispute about furadan’s ability to kill wildlife and the fact that People have been aware of this fact for a long time.

Tags: Birds, FMC, furadan, JUANCO, poisoning, Wildlife, Wildlifedirect

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Category: Masai Mara, Pesticides, carbofuran, lions | Date: Jun 03 2009 | By: paula

A colleague dropped in to our office to tell me that the buy back program was working well in Baringo where farmers were up in arms because they can no longer  purchase their favourite ‘mole killer’.

Listen to this interview  and send us your thoughts.

Tags: , Baringo, carbofuran, FMC, furadan, JUANCO, Kenya, moles, Pesticides

One response so far

Category: Masai Mara, Pesticides, carbofuran | Date: Jun 02 2009 | By: paula

This article has just been published on Voice Of America and aired on radio here

Lion poisoned by Furadan - WildlifeDirect

In Kenya, parliament is being asked to ban a pesticide that’s been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of animals, including many lions. Kenyan MP John Matutho is introducing legislation to prohibit the use of Furadan – a cheap but lethal chemical originally manufactured by the US based FMC Corporation.

The conservation group Wildlife Direct supports the ban, which would replace a buy-back program for Furadan. It says local herdsmen are using it to poison lions and other carnivores threatening their livestock.

In Nairobi, WildlifeDirect executive director Dr. Paula Kahumbu says, “This is a pesticide that has recently been banned in the United States. It’s also banned in Europe because it’s been found to be unsafe to be used even if we follow the label instructions.… It’s one of the most dangerous pesticides actually available at the moment.”

It’s readily obtainable over the counter in Africa. “It’s very, very cheap. In fact, it’s probably the cheapest pesticide available,” she says.

Deadly to wildlife

In the early 1990s, it was discovered that water birds were dying large numbers after Furadanwas used in some irrigation systems.

“So that’s when people realized it was just devastating wildlife. And later on, the local communities realized it was powerful against almost any animal. In fact, birds are very sensitive, but so are cats,” she says.

Lions fall prey to Furadan

“We know over 60 lions that have been killed in the last two years and that’s probably the tip of the iceberg. And Kenya today has fewer than 2,100 lions remaining. We used to have over 30,000,” says Kahumbu.

Is the buyback plan working? The head of WildlifeDirect says, “The Furadan withdrawal and buyback is working in the sense that FMC is effectively withdrawing it from the shelves. The problem is the patents that FMC had have expired and Furadan, or carbofuran, is being produced now by Chinese, Indian and Pakistani companies.”

The conservation group fears that means unless a ban is imposed, the pesticide will easily find its way back to Kenya.

The chemical attacks the nervous system and only small amounts can kill an animal. It can also be fatal to humans if ingested.

“It takes only a quarter of a teaspoon to kill people, “says Kahumbu. She says lower concentrations can cause neurological problems, such as paralysis and breathing problems.

“This has been documented in other countries. It hasn’t been documented in Kenya. And I suspect it’s purely because there’s absolutely no monitoring system in place,” she says.

Enforcing a ban

“It’ll be easy to enforce in that if anybody is found using it there would automatically be very stringent responses. People would be arrested. They probably would be fined or maybe even go to jail,” she says.

Once a ban is imposed, she says, an education campaign can begin warning of the health dangers of Furadan and the risks of punishment for using it.

Tags: carbofuran, FMC, JUANCO, Kenya, Pesticides, poison, VOA, Voice of America, Wildlife

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