8 Forces Driving More
journals. Despite its glaring errors, the study was accepted by more
than half, including two of the largest in the industry.)The final leg in the platform for science is turning respect for science
into the tactical rejection of scientific findings. While working at IICA,
I received a call from my regional plant-health specialist in Central
America. A virus causing citrus leprosis disease had been detected in
a previously uninfected country. Transmitted by spider mites, the virus
causes infected trees to drop their fruit prematurely and yields to decline
significantly. More than ten types of citrus are susceptible, including
mandarins, oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits.
Because the virus had just emerged, a window for action existed. A
meeting with the minister was arranged and two scientists were flown
in from Brazil, where the disease is endemic. The experts shared Brazil’s
experience trying to hold the virus in check. They pointed out that as
much as half the cost of a box of citrus went toward acaricides to control
the mite populations. Based on extensive evidence and fieldwork, they
emphasized how critical it was to act fast and quarantine all orchards
within the infected areas.
After the scientists left, the minister discussed the major impediments
with my regional plant-health specialist. The infected areas included
orchards owned by people with political influence. The imposition of
quarantines would put the minister’s job in jeopardy. He decided to play
to the interests of a few—including his own—and do nothing. Citrus
leprosis is now endemic throughout the country.
The United States has its own less-than-commendable record. Start-
ing in 96 , FDA began permitting the wide use of antibiotics in animal
feeds, leading to a sixfold increase in ten years. The National Academy
of Sciences, the World Health Organization, the Government Account-
ability Office, an FDA task force, and an FDA national advisory com-
mittee all advised against the use of antibiotics in feed. Great Britain
had already banned their previously planned usage. Yet the concerns
of vested interests and the potential upending of FDA’s budget by poli-
ticians overrode the science-based evidence. Today, 8 percent of all
antibiotics consumed in the United States are destined for animals and
agriculture. At least partly as a result, antibiotic resistance has become
one of the most imminent threats to human health.