Whats in your garden? -Scotts Miracle-Gro fined $12.5 Million for Violating Federal Pesticide Laws

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced today in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides. Scotts pleaded guilty in February 2012 to illegally applying insecticides to its wild bird food products that are toxic to birds, falsifying pesticide registration documents, distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels, and distributing unregistered pesticides. This is the largest criminal penalty under FIFRA to date.

Full Article

I know the snip only says $4 million but the full article contains the rest of the details.

It makes you question whether you can trust anything you buy on the shelf. Putting bird toxins in bird food, "distributing pesticides with misleading and unapproved labels", falsifying documents, etc. This was the stuff they pleaded guilty to, probably to prevent any probing that would have revealed even greater infractions.

Think twice before you buy any residential use pesticide, these guys are almost entirely self regulated and as the world's leader in the manufacture and distribution of residential use pesticides Scotts has not set a good example.

reply to post by UdonNiedtuno


Which is exactly why my garden is organic. I make my own plant feed and compost. I use comfrey and nettles and also keep chickens, who's pooh (poop) is great for the plants once it’s dried out.

I probably lose more plants to creatures than chem gardeners... but then i don’t have carcinogenic carrots

Peace

ETA: S+F

ok.... let me be the one to say it..... this is EVIL raising it's ugly head......
did they really actually for sure add poison on purpose......if so.........

edit.....ifso, the paradigm has done changed on us....quick-like



edit.....did you guys know I was a long time guerilla "Miracle Grow" patron!!

And monsanto can feed you pesticide laden soy products, of which the fed looks the other way..
Like the comedian says "Its all just a Joke,, one big Joke"

Someone correct me if I am wrong but I believe this is a Monsanto affiliated company? What the hell good is 4 million going to do? Why did they leave these people still in business? They should be in jail and never allowed to make any product again that has anything to do with the environment. 4 million is a drop in the bucket to them they will just write it off as the cost of doing a billions dollars worth of business.

Originally posted by hawkiye
Someone correct me if I am wrong but I believe this is a Monsanto affiliated company? What the hell good is 4 million going to do? Why did they leave these people still in business? They should be in jail and never allowed to make any product again that has anything to do with the environment. 4 million is a drop in the bucket to them they will just write it off as the cost of doing a billions dollars worth of business.

If I could double star you I would. This puny fine also sends a message to the rest of the industry it`s ok.
What a joke!
brice

reply to post by hawkiye

Someone correct me if I am wrong but I believe this is a Monsanto affiliated company? What the hell good is 4 million going to do? Why did they leave these people still in business? They should be in jail and never allowed to make any product again that has anything to do with the environment. 4 million is a drop in the bucket to them they will just write it off as the cost of doing a billions dollars worth of business.

Because they all play on the same golf course.

Mr Monsanto takes a swing with his 9 iron "So what we gonna do about this mess?"
Mr Government responds "Good shot! Hmmm... not sure, we need to appease the people who are angry, what do you suggest?"
Mr Monsanto steps aside so that mr Government can take a shot and says "How about a $4 million fine. Sounds like a lot to the average peasant, but we can easily swallow that"
Mr Government responds "$4 million it is then. Now watch this drive"

Scotts Miracle Gro is Monsanto's exclusive agent for the marketing and distribution of consumer Roundup.

i'd conclude this is just a show, as Monsanto is likely handing the 12.5 right back under the table after the show.

why the show? to have its ally "take one for the team" and in so doing, distract the public and critics from GMO corn being sold in Walmart and causing organ damage/failure, and the like, which dozens of countries have been banning.... but not America.

My lawn and all my gardens have never seen any such fertilizer or pesticides
I am always concerned about the toxicity of these products.
Insects are a natural and necessary part of a healthy landscape.
I have beautiful butterflys hummingbird moths bees birds and humming birds toads along with many other critters
thriving around me in the summer.
I can't even imagine harming one of them.

For fertilizer I use
fish emulsion that you can purchase or make your own
worm casings or chicken manure.
For pesky bugs I use a spray of deer out which sticks to the plants believe it or not
it works for bugs too....
no chemicals or poisons
I also make a spray from the generic yellow colored knock off of lysterine, yellow joy dish detergent, and chewing tobacco, combine the lysterine and a cup of joy and 3 cups of water and add the block type of tobacco let it soak for a day or so then
strain it and add to a spray bottle spray on any flower or veggie, but do not harvest your veggies for a day or so after you use it and remember to wash them well.
I purchase containers of lady bugs and release them in my garden that should be done
at dusk and a 1/4 of the package a day over 4 days if you just have a aphid problem.
The biggest and most difficult problem I have are aphids and Japanese beatles on my roses that concoction works great on both
but if your going to use the lady bugs remember that they don't like that spray either.
For slugs that always get my hostas diatomaceous earth works well.
All of the above will have to be applied often and reapplied after rain.
Good luck!

This is crazy, I've taken a few classes on chemical use (insecticide/herbicides) for commerical work, and let me tell you something... after sitting through those classes, and learning about chemical pollution and how to prevent it yadda yadda yadda. The fines that can be imposed upon you for violating the laws towards chemicals are insanely high.

So to see somebody such as Scotts doing these things, and being charged with an actual crime makes me happy, it makes me happy to know that big corporations don't always get away with screwing others over all the time.

Love my Scott's lawn service. The lawn, bushes, and trees have never looked better. And I still have butterflies, humming birds, etc...I sure hope they don't raise my rates to cover this fine!