Jungles face US 'toxic rain' The Guardian (London) By Jeremy Lennard 20 April 1998 CSN Home | Environment

BOGOTA -- The warning is clear: "Caution - Do not apply near desirable trees or other woody species. Exposure of even a small part of a plant root system may cause severe plant injury or death." So reads the labelling on the herbicide Spike 20P, or Tebuthiuron.

But against the advice of Greenpeace, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, and even the manufacturers, Dow Agrosciences, United States officials in Bogota say Tebuthiuron is their choice to bolster the aerial destruction of coca leaf cultivation deep in Colombia's southern rainforests.

While the debate focuses on Tebuthiuron, which has been successfully used around the world to clear vegetation on roadsides and railway cuttings, many claim that the US it is wasting its time and money trying to reduce cocaine production by eradicating coca crops.

Last year one US operative described the fumigation efforts as "pissing in the wind", and US statistics support his view. About 20,000 acres of coca leaf have been fumigated since 1994, but cultivation has steadily risen each year.

The most common criticism is that US measures will not work in the face of fierce demand. The US embassy in Bogota claims that Washington's anti -narcotics effort is focused on domestic demand, but studies suggest that 65 per cent of the expenditure is aimed at the supply side abroad.

Nevertheless, Luis Eduardo Parra, Colombia's environmental assessor for coca eradication, says fumigation must be part of a broader attack. "The majority of ether and acetone needed to produce good quality cocaine is imported from the US and Europe," he says.

A report by the National University in Bogota claims that coca fumigation is counterproductive. Growers move deeper into the jungle and plant more to absorb the risk of losses. Prices are pushed up, adding incentives to traffickers, while, without an economically viable crop replacement scheme, small growers are put out of business, contributing to widespread poverty and swelling the guerrillas' ranks.

US officials say that coca eradication is going well under the circumstances, although they are hampered by harassment from leftwing rebels and problems associated with Glifosate - their current herbicide.

Glifosate is a liquid which cannot be applied in rainy or windy conditions. Pilots are obliged to fly low and slowly, making them vulnerable to guerrilla sniper fire. The advantage of Tebuthiuron, a granular chemical, is that it can be applied in all weathers from a higher altitude.

The US embassy in Bogota quotes studies by Charles Helling, a scientist in the US ministry of agriculture, which conclude that Tebuthiuron can be used in the rainforest without risk to humans or the environment.

But Dow Agrosciences, which warns that treatment should be well away from surrounding vegetation and that the chemical can easily contaminate ground water, does not want its product tried in Colombia.

"It is our desire that Tebuthiuron not be used for coca eradication," a spokesman for the company said. "It could be very risky where the terrain has slopes, rainfall is significant, desirable plants are nearby, and application is made under less than ideal conditions."

A decision on using Tebuthiuron is expected from Colombia's National Drugs Council within a week.

Mr Parra is in favour of its use. "Dow's reluctance to allow Tebuthiuron to be used in Colombia is a result of their experiences in Vietnam, not fears over the chemical itself. The US government stranded the company with the legal fallout from the use of Agent Orange, and they are nervous of a new partnership."

US officials deny they are being drawn into another jungle war, but the Pentagon acknowledged this week that it has more than 200 military and civilian personnel in Colombia.

* Colombia's leading human rights lawyer, Eduardo Umana Mendoza, was shot dead in Bogota at the weekend by three people claiming to be journalists. © 1998 Guardian Newspapers Limited