We thought we had seen it all in 2018, when agronomist and whistleblower Louis Robert highlighted the interference of pro-pesticide lobbyists in public research work.
Order of agronomists
His revelations made it possible to realize that it was in fact only the visible tip of the iceberg. Conflicts of interest abound in our agri-food system, particularly within the Ordre des agronomes du Québec (OAQ).
Indeed, the majority of agronomists who advise farmers are also employees of companies that sell agrochemical products.[1]. Many earn commissions, bonuses or bonuses based on their sales.
It’s like your family doctor being paid based on the amount of medication he prescribes to you. Or, worse, that he sold them directly to you!
The more medicine you took, the more money he would make.
Well, that’s how it is for many agronomists affiliated with agrochemical companies.
Despite the alert launched six years ago, the situation does not seem to have improved. On the contrary.
Incredible but true
We learned this week that an agrochemical lobbyist has just been hired as general director of the Ordre des agronomes du Québec.
Until last week, Benoît Pharand was CEO of Réseau Végétal Québec, an agrochemical lobbying body that brings together the industry’s main producers and sellers, including Bayer (Monsanto), Syngenta, Corteva and Synagri.
[1] Illegal incentives paid to agronomists to sell more pesticides
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1160836/pesticides-agronomes-primes-boni-commissions-vente-quebec-illegal-ordre-code-deontologie And: Order of agronomists: https://oaq.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018-09-27_EnqueteRemunerationAgronomes.pdf
Their goal: to sell as many pesticides and chemical fertilizers as possible. In Canada, this is a market worth more than $10 billion.
One of their strategies is to sow doubt about the negative impacts of their products on the health of populations, soils and biodiversity.
However, these are impacts repeatedly demonstrated by rigorous scientific studies which should push governments to initiate a real shift towards agroecology.
But that doesn’t please the industry!
The agrochemical lobby uses the same influence strategies as those of tobacco and fossil fuels: infiltrate wherever they can to assert their interests, even if they harm health and the environment.
Toxic influence
The new director of the Order of Agronomists, Benoît Pharand, notably intervened against Bill 41, which aimed to modernize the 50-year-old Agronomists Act.
One of the objectives of this bill, now abandoned, was to prohibit agronomists from being both advisors and sellers of agrochemical products.
However, such a standard should go without saying if agronomists respected their Code of Ethics. In particular article 28: “The agronomist must at all times safeguard his professional independence and avoid any situation where he would be in a conflict of interest.”
Do you think that the Order of Agronomists will self-regulate, considering that the majority of its members benefit from non-compliance with their Code of Ethics?
Certainly not with an agrochemical lobbyist as general manager!
Looking forward to the supervision of this professional order so that the public is finally protected.