Green Tobacco Sickness - Sustainable Agriculture - Altria

The sustainability of our agriculture supply chain is critical to our businesses. Altria Group’s operating companies seek to build business relationships that promote actions consistent with our Mission and Values.

Altria's tobacco operating companies purchase tobacco from growers, tobacco merchants and other suppliers. Additionally, our wine business grows and harvests grapes on its vineyards in Washington, California and Oregon and also purchases wine grapes from growers. While tobacco and grapes are critical to our businesses, in some cases, they are one of many crops managed by the grower or supplier.

 

Tobacco Good Agriculture Practices

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GREEN TOBACCO SICKNESS

Our tobacco companies have taken steps to better educate and inform growers about Green Tobacco Sickness.

In 1993, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) issued a warning that tobacco harvesters may be prone to a condition called Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS), a condition caused by skin contact with wet tobacco leaves during harvesting. NIOSH's warning included information about symptoms and how to prevent GTS. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control also has issued information about GTS to tobacco harvesters.

Philip Morris USA and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company work with tobacco growers to provide them with information and guidance on good agricultural practices. Their Tobacco Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) program communications have helped educate contracted growers about growing and harvesting tobacco safely, in compliance with all laws and regulations, and in a way that reduces the environmental impact of tobacco production. With respect to GTS, PM USA and USSTC have taken further steps to better educate and inform domestic growers by:

  • working with universities to develop training and information regarding GTS;
  • distributing GTS materials to tobacco growers;
  • updating the GAP handbook — which is distributed annually to all contracted domestic growers — including specific protocols on GTS;
  • communicating about GTS protocols through grower newsletters, surveys, brochures and meetings with individual growers and grower councils;
  • requiring in our tobacco companies' contracts that growers implement specific GTS protocols included in our GAP handbook; and
  • implementing procedures to assess their adherence to these protocols.


For tobacco produced by growers overseas, PM USA and John Middleton work with tobacco merchants to promote and maintain good agricultural practices among growers, including management, stewardship, crop quality and integrity, and where applicable, GTS protocols.

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