Consider Songbirds When Purchasing

Imported Fruits and Veggies

The populations of about a third of the 100 or so species of neo-tropical migratory songbirds that breed in North America have plummeted by more than 30 percent over the past 40 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Breeding Bird Survey. And sadly, the imported fruits and vegetables many of us buy at this time of year, like strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, bananas and red peppers are partly to blame for the declines.

In Latin American countries, crops are sprayed eight times more heavily than in the U.S., with a cocktail of dangerous chemical substances. Monocrotophos, methamidophos, and carbofuran, although banned in the US and rated as Class I toxins by the World Health Organization, are pesticides widely used in Central and South America.  A major impetus behind this increase is the growing demand by people in the United States for fresh produce year-round. Unfortunately, it comes at the expense of migratory songbirds, which are highly susceptible to the toxic effects of the chemicals used on their wintering grounds in Central and South America.

Finding fresh produce grown in the United States can be a challenge during the winter months. However, if the preservation of songbirds and the reduction of carbon emissions from food transport are not compelling  enough to buy local and organic, consider your health and the poisonous pesticides that coat our imported produce.

Works Cited-www.nwf.org (National Wildlife Federation)