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MIS/DISINFORMATION ABOUT PESTICIDES

Dr. Pablo Breuer

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DISCLAIMER

The views presented are my own, and do not represent those of my employer.

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AGENDA

INTRODUCTION

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2024

  • Why discuss Mis/Disinformation?
  • Define Mis/Disinformation
  • Why is agriculture a target?
  • Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
  • Food security and nation-state conflict
  • Food residues and regulation
  • Occam's Razor

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WEF GLOBAL RISK SEVERITY BY STAKEHOLDER

INTRODUCTION

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Image source: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf/

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  • Disinformation
    • Information that is created, altered, or deliberately manipulated WITH THE INTENT to deceive.  The manipulation could be content or CONTEXT.

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  • Misinformation
    • Unintentional mistakes of people who have internalized disinformation or misinterpreted real information and propagate it not realizing that what they are propagating is false. 

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Understanding Disinformation

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Understanding Disinformation

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WHY IS AGRICULTURE A PRIME TARGET FOR MIS/DISINFORMATION?

  • Emotional
    • Everyone eats / Everyone is an expert
    • Emotional attachments
    • Cultural and religious beliefs
    • Nationalistic

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  • Complex
    • Production
    • Logistical chains
    • Proximity to food origin
    • Illegitimate barrier to trade

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  • Highly Regulated
    • National and international regulation
    • Labeling
    • Environmental issues

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INTRODUCTION

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Image source: https://hher24.com/a-big-helping-of-how-to-keep-family-dinners-interesting/

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BASELINE FOR AGRICULTURE DISCUSSION

  • Agriculture is at the base of Maslow’s hierarchy

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  • Presidentially designated national critical infrastructure

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  • Food security will be a primary area of international competition/conflict

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  • Critically reliant on technology

INTRODUCTION

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Self-actualization

Esteem

Love and belonging

Safety Needs

Physiological needs

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FOOD SECURITY IS GROUND ZERO FOR NATION-STATE CONFLICT

GEOPOLITICS

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2024

Human needs

  • Nothing drives conflict more than unmet human needs (Maslow’s hierarchy)
  • Food is culturally sensitive and emotionally driven
  • Food production and science are complex allowing for easy manipulation of narratives

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Research and Development is expensive, lengthy, and highly regulated

  • R&D is critical for addressing food security
  • R&D data is an easy target for disinformation due to its complex nature
  • Transparency requirements make it easy for actors to selectively pick data to change content or context

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Challenges to food security

  • To address climate change and growing world population, new tools will be required
  • Assume disinformation narratives to target new tools

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OCCAM’S RAZOR

  • All things being equal, the simplest explanation is usually correct

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  • General populace is more likely to believe a simple and incorrect explanation that fits their bias than a complicated, scientific, and correct explanation

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ACTIONABLE ITEMS

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2023

Pesticides

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FOOD RESIDUE

GEOPOLITICS

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2024

National Health Concerns

  • Families exposed to negative food residue messaging eat less produce
  • Watch lists of food and vegetables increases fear, uncertainty, and doubt and reduces consumption

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Complexity

  • Matrix of chemicals used in agriculture
  • Terms like organic are confusing to customers and lead to false beliefs
  • Most detected pesticides pose negligible risk and accepted levels are at least 100x less than the level required for adverse effects
  • Scary chemical names and no easy method to see testing results

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Proximity

  • Misunderstanding increased with overseas trade
  • Nationally, many are distanced from their food source

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PRODUCT PAGE

GEOPOLITICS

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2023

What’s on a product page

  • Overview of use
  • Resources with usage information
  • Material Data Safety Sheet (MSDS)
    • Have you read one? They’re TERRIFYING!
    • Easy to pick out language to fit a negative narrative
  • Where is the link to the EPA study saying it’s safe to use?

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MSDS ARE TERRIFYING! PREMARKET APPROVAL REQUIRES PUBLICATION

GEOPOLITICS

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2023

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FOOD RESIDUE – SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY

GEOPOLITICS

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2023

What is a consumer to do?

  • One part of the UN (codex alimentarius) says there’s a safe limit, the other says it’s a carcinogen
  • If a vendor or body lists both documents, it’s confusing
  • If a vendor or body lists only one document, they’re “hiding the truth”
  • This is where conspiracies and disinformation thrive
  • Experts may know why these studies differ, but no one else will. They will only accept the study that matches their pre-existing biases.

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QUESTIONS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD ASK

  • How can we better anticipate false narratives and pre-bunk?

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  • Who in our organization is tasked with monitoring for, evaluating, and responding to disinformation?

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  • Who is the trusted authoritative source for this type information?

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  • What narratives are not addressed in our communications plan?

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  • How do we ensure that populations targeted by disinformation see authoritative sources?

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ACTIONABLE ITEMS

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2023

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THANK YOU

Pablo Breuer, Ph.D.

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Pablo.Breuer@disarm.foundation

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www.disarm.foundation​

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