News regarding the dangers of GMOs and biotech, and the advantages of organic sustainable agriculture.
Big Dairy Continues War Against Farmers and Raw Milk
Increasing numbers of Americans are seeking out unpasteurized, or raw, dairy products — both for the health benefits and the flavor. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meanwhile, has released a report that's clearly an attempt to squelch the growing enthusiasm for obtaining farm-fresh foods like raw milk and cheese. The war against raw milk has been one of the most successful, fear-based campaigns ever created to monopolize an industry. As long as farmers are prevented from selling to consumers directly, processors can and do price fix the market, ultimately leading to the intentional destruction of small, family dairy farms and consolidation of CAFO dairy farms using taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Belgium Bans Glyphosate Herbicide Use
A wave of glyphosate bans are being introduced by member states in Europe while the issue of the chemical’s reauthorization at EU level drags on. Among the most dramatic developments has been the announcement by Belgium’s federal minister of agriculture, Willy Borsus, that he wants to ban the sale and use of herbicides by non-professionals. He voiced particular concern over glyphosate. "Considering the risk-benefit balance, there is no justification for the use of herbicides for individuals," Borsus said. He said there were safer alternatives, such as heat treatment, mechanical weeding, or bio-pesticides. Borsus also called for a new investigation into alleged “Monsanto manoeuvres and attempts to influence experts” with the aim of keeping glyphosate on the market.
New Bill Would Allow Farmers To Sue Monsanto If GMO Crops Invade Their Property
A bill introduced into the Oregon legislature would allow non-GMO farmers to sue biotech patent holders over trespass by their GMO crops if their crops were to spread on to their farms. HB 2739 survived a legal hurdle in April, when the bill was referred to the House Rules Committee, which isn’t subject to an April 18 legislative deadline that recently killed other proposals. The move could effectively allow HB 2739 to stay alive through the end of the 2017 legislative session, scheduled to end in late June.
Frankencitrus Coming to a Store Near You?
A new ruling is expected to pave the way for genetically modified citrus to enter your local stores—but a loophole allows the food industry to keep you in the dark about the nature of the fruit you’re purchasing. The trees are treated with a genetically modified virus that makes them resistant to citrus greening disease, which has caused major problems for citrus growers in Florida. But according to the government’s definition, neither the trees nor the fruit will be considered genetically modified (an assertion that is patently absurd), so once again consumers will be in the dark about what kind of food they’ll be eating.
Honest Scientists who Question GMOs are Attacked and Silenced
Numerous new medicines and medical devices have been marketed with claims that declare them to be “safe and effective” – which is a compelling marketing slogan, though devoid of scientific proof. Such claims are facilitated by collusion between the pharmaceutical industry and authoritative government agencies, aided by leading scientists (“key opinion leaders” known within industry as KOLs) and renowned scientific institutions. Internal FDA documents confirm that genetic engineered/modified food products (widely known as GMOs), entered the U.S. food supply without having been subjected to scientifically rigorous safety tests as is mandated by law. GMOs entered the market through the perversion of science, the corruption of government by politically appointed bureaucrats whose allegiance was with industry. (Read AHRP Post How Monsanto Rigged the System through politics and propaganda) In 2003, a congressional committee report, documented political interference and manipulation of scientific research at federal agencies charged with developing science-based public health policies.
GMO Crops, Bee-Killing Insecticides to Be Banned on Boulder County-Owned Land
Boulder County, Colorado will completely phase out genetically modified (GMO) corn and sugar beets, and neonicotinoid insecticides on county-owned land. According to the Daily Camera, commissioners voted 2-1 last week to approve the latest version of a transition plan that bans the cultivation of GMO corn by the end of 2019 and GMO sugar beets by the end of 2021. Neonicotinoids, which have been widely blamed for the declines of bees and other pollinators, will also be phased out within five years on county properties.
85% of All Food in U.S. Now Contaminated: Toxic Pesticides Also Found in Drinking Water
Modern agricultural practices have led to ever-increasing amounts of chemicals being used on our food, and whether we're talking about pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, most have deleterious effects on health. According to the latest report on pesticide residues in food by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a mere 15 percent of all the food samples tested in 2015 were free from pesticide residues. In 2014, over 41 percent of samples had no detectable pesticide residues on them. That just goes to show how quickly our food is being poisoned. At that trajectory, we may eventually find out none of the non-organic food sold in 2016 or 2017 was pesticide-free. Recent news has highlighted a number of problems associated with this out-of-control use of agricultural chemicals, starting with atrazine.
Wisconsin Egg Farmers Shipping Eggs Again – For Now
Regulators in Wisconsin have reportedly lifted the "cease and desist" order from a warning sent to Amish Wisconsin egg farmers in March. The 7-year operation where farmers shipped their eggs directly to consumers from their farm was temporarily shut down by an order from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture from a complaint that allegedly originated from regulators in California. After an outcry from customers and supporters who contacted the governor of Wisconsin and other officials, regulators reportedly told the farmers that they could continue shipping their eggs while they worked with them to bring them into compliance with the alleged violations. The farmers are happy to be able to sell their inventory of eggs again because they would have had to shut down their operation at the end of this week due to the cost of feeding and maintaining their flocks while not being able to sell their eggs. They are not sure yet if any new regulations or requirements placed on them will become a burden too costly to allow their operation to continue, so it is uncertain at this time if their 7-year direct-to-consumer egg operation will continue to operate into the foreseeable future. For now, customers can order the eggs from the Healthy Traditions' website. Meanwhile, there is more evidence that the State of California was behind this action, as they recently sent a "cease and desist" order to Tropical Traditions regarding the sale and shipping of eggs.
The War Against Small Family Farms in the U.S.
Both the USDA and FDA seem to focus on protecting factory farming and all the industries that contribute to BigAg and Big Dairy from competition by smaller healthier operations. They do this by enforcing regulations meant for factory farms and CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), which by their very vastness and economics need to be regulated since they are breeding grounds for disease. This holds true for foods that most urban shoppers take for granted, eggs and milk. Using the cover of "protecting human health," these agencies force operations to protect against foodborne pathogens that often don’t work or are not necessary with good farming practices. We, consumers, get less nutrition from those milk and egg products but Big Ag thrives. One way to continue "business as usual" is to prevent the rising demand for healthier milk and eggs that encourage small dairies and egg producers to have any market presence. We should have the right to choose and support better farming.
Glyphosate and Cancer: New Report Shows Industry “Buying Science”
Monsanto and other glyphosate manufacturers appear to have distorted scientific evidence on the public health impacts of glyphosate in order to keep the controversial substance on the market, according to a new report released today by GLOBAL 2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria) with the support of Avaaz, BUND, Campact, CEO, GMWatch, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe, PAN Germany, and Umweltinstitut München. Between 2012 and 2016, the companies sponsored a series of review articles published in scientific journals, all of which conclude that glyphosate and its commercial formulations are not harmful to health. The new report, “Buying Science”, shows that these industry-sponsored reviews of glyphosate’s carcinogenicity and genotoxicity (ability to damage DNA) contain fundamental scientific flaws, spanning from apparently calculated omissions and the introduction of irrelevant data to the violation of OECD guidance for the evaluation of rodent cancer studies. The reviews also consistently assign greater weight to unpublished industry studies than to studies that were peer-reviewed and published in scientific journals.
Wisconsin Shuts Down Soy-free Egg Market: Denies Consumers Choice to Purchase Healthy Eggs
People with allergies to soy protein now have one less source for purchasing soy-free eggs. Two small-scale farmers in Wisconsin have been informed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture that they must stop selling their soy-free and GMO-tested eggs to consumers until they meet state government regulations for shipping eggs that they allege the farmers are violating. They have been shipping their eggs directly to the homes of customers throughout the United States since the beginning of 2010. In letters dated, March 13, 2017, the State of Wisconsin sent two farmers who are part of the Wisconsin Pasturelands Cooperative a Cease and Desist order regarding their eggs. The two farmers were informed that they were selling eggs and shipping them to consumers without proper refrigeration during shipping. They were specifically instructed that until this situation is corrected, “you shall not hold, process, package or sell the eggs for human consumption from your home or any other location.” The farmer cooperative run by Amish in rural Wisconsin since 2010 has been working together with an Internet business, Tropical Traditions (now Healthy Traditions), to market their eggs from cage-free chickens fed a specially developed feed that contains no soy, no corn, and ingredients that are tested to be free from GMOs and the herbicide glyphosate. They are believed to be one of the first ones in the U.S. to offer eggs from chickens on a soy-free diet. The eggs were marketed under the Grass-fed Traditions brand, which is now part of the Healthy Traditions product line offering alternatives to commodity food. Healthy Traditions tests their products for the presence of GMOs and the herbicide glyphosate. While the State of Wisconsin is claiming that the farmers are violating regulations for the refrigerated transportation of eggs, there is no indication that these regulations apply to consumers transporting their own eggs, whether they are transporting the eggs themselves directly from the farm, or paying someone else to ship them on their behalf.
Federal Court Unseals Documents Revealing Glyphosate Herbicide Fraud – Forces Mainstream Media to Cover Story
Health Impact News reported on the alleged fraud of sealed documents that the U.S. EPA had in their possession that showed glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, was harmful and linked to cancer back in 2015. According to Dr. Anthony Samsel, the author of several published studies showing the toxicity of glyphosate, these documents were sealed as "trade secrets." He was able to obtain copies of the documents and discussed his findings in an interview back in 2015. Samsel states that these problems with glyphosate causing cancer and other health problems were known to the EPA back in the 1970s. Unfortunately, this news was completely ignored by the mainstream media. Earlier this month (March 2017) however, Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco federal court, who is presiding over litigation brought by people who claim to have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a result of exposure to glyphosate, ordered many sealed files on glyphosate to be unsealed in pending litigation against Monsanto. This was big news, and the mainstream media was forced to cover it.
Why Doesn’t the U.S. Government Want You to Drink Raw Unprocessed Milk?
The misinformation campaign continues. The Montana and Idaho legislatures are currently considering bills that would loosen restrictions on the sale of raw milk. The Montana bill has already been approved by the state’s House of Representatives and is now being considered by its Senate. Apparently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) think consumers aren’t qualified to make this decision for themselves. In response to the Montana bill, the CDC issued the following warning: "Raw milk can contain harmful germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can make you very sick or possibly kill you. If you’re thinking about drinking raw milk because you believe it has health benefits, consider other options." This is nothing new; it’s been the position of government health officials for years. The FDA in particular has taken an aggressive stance against purveyors of raw milk. The vendetta against raw milk is completely unjustified. As our friends at the Weston A. Price Foundation point out in their campaign for “real milk,” raw milk has a proven safety record and has shown to be superior to pasteurized milk in protecting against infection, diarrhea, rickets, tooth decay, and tuberculosis. Children drinking raw milk also have better growth rates than those drinking pasteurized milk.
The 2017 Dirty Dozen: Strawberries, Spinach Top EWG’s List of Pesticides in Produce
Strawberries remain at the top of the Dirty Dozen™ list of the EWG Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™, with spinach jumping to second place in the annual ranking of conventionally grown produce with the most pesticide residues. EWG's analysis of tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that nearly 70 percent of samples of 48 types of conventional produce were contaminated with residues of one or more pesticides. USDA researchers found a total of 178 different pesticides and pesticide breakdown products on the thousands of produce samples they analyzed. The pesticide residues remained on fruits and vegetables even after they were washed and, in some cases, peeled.
Study: Reducing Herbicide Glyphosate in Diet Reduces Autism Symptoms
A few years ago, Dr. Stephanie Senneff of MIT made a prediction that by 2025, half of American children will be born with autism, or at least different individual aspects of the autism disorder spectrum. Yes, she mentioned the toxins in vaccines that are forced into infants, but also included another toxin, glyphosate. Dr. Seneff and her partner Dr. Anthony Samsel claim there is a harmful synergism of glyphosate from foods with the toxic ingredients of vaccines that are accelerating the rise of autism spectrum disorders, whether diagnosed as learning or language deficits, hyperactivity, seizures, or the classic complete withdrawal from all social stimulus. In a recently published study, three triplets, two boys considered autistic and a third female with seizure issues and learning disorders, were tested for glyphosate initially and again after a period of organic food only as their diets. The results were interestingly expected. As their glyphosate levels dropped their autistic conditions diminished accordingly.
GMO Wheat Trials to Begin In Europe
Due to the popularity of gluten-free food items, and the rise of digestive disorders related to wheat allergies, much of the public believes that our modern wheat supplies are grown from genetically modified seeds. But this is not the case. There are currently no approved genetically modified varieties of wheat in the market place. That may soon be changing in Europe, however, as the Rothamsted Research group working in collaboration with researchers from the University of Essex and Lancaster University has reportedly received approval in the U.K. to begin trials of genetically modified wheat.
Scotts-Monsanto GMO Grass Threatens National Forests, Rivers, Ranchers, and Farmers
Over a decade ago, Scotts partnered with Monsanto to market a GM bentgrass resistant to glyphosate (Roundup). It was planted next to the Malheur National Forest in test plots ostensibly controlled by Oregon State University. Unbeknownst to most people, it was also planted all over the US—in California, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and seventeen other states. It was supposed to be confined and controlled, but it very quickly escaped and spread out of the test plots in Oregon into Idaho, and crossbred with natural grasses to create new breeds that were also resistant to glyphosate. It clogged up irrigation ditches, threatening food crops and contaminating pasture-raised cattle with GMOs. In addition to the immediate threats to farmers and ranchers, grass seed—which is among Oregon’s top five commodities—is now under threat. Initially, Scotts-Monsanto tried to stop the spread and clean up the contamination. But it was unable to do so because the original bentgrass (and now the other grasses it cross-pollinated with) are glyphosate-resistant. More toxic herbicides have been brought in to try to keep irrigation ditches clear, and to stop the grasses from clogging and eventually killing waterways important to wildlife and humans.
What Does Roundup Do to Your Liver?
If you started your day with a bowl of oatmeal, Cheerios or even organic cage-free eggs, there's a good chance you consumed a small amount of glyphosate residue along with it. Likewise, if you've recently snacked on popular brands of crackers, tortilla chips and pita chips, or consumed beer or wine. As the results of increasing numbers of independent tests come in, it's becoming increasingly clear that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, is showing up virtually everywhere — in our food, water and even in baby food and women's breastmilk. It's not altogether surprising — glyphosate is the most heavily-used agricultural chemical in history — but it is incredibly concerning. The health risks of glyphosate, though downplayed by the chemical's makers, are accumulating daily. A recently published study shows even small amounts of glyphosate in the diet can cause liver damage.
Industrial Farming Threatens Food Security in the US
Agriculture has undergone massive changes over the past several decades. Many of them were heralded as progress that would save us from hunger and despair. Yet today, we're faced with a new set of problems, birthed from the very innovations and interventions that were meant to provide us with safety and prosperity. For decades, food production has been all about efficiency and lowering cost. We now see what this approach has brought us — skyrocketing disease statistics and a faltering ecosystem. Fortunately, we already know what needs to be done. It's just a matter of implementing the answers on a wider scale. We need farmers to shift over to regenerative practices that stops depleting our soil and fresh water supplies. Frustratingly, farmers are often held back from making much needed changes by government subsidy programs that favor monocropping and crop insurance rules that dissuade regenerative farming practices.
Factory Meat Causing Serious Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect at least 2 million Americans every year. At least 23,000 die as a result. The growing threat of antibiotic-resistant disease is one of the biggest health threats facing the globe, yet, unlike some other pressing health threats, it has a clear and well-known cause: overuse of antibiotics. “The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, explaining “simply using antibiotics creates resistance.” The drugs are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in human medicine, and up to 50 percent of the time they’re prescribed when not needed or using incorrect dosing or duration, according to the CDC. This is problematic, but it pales in comparison to the use of antibiotics in food animals, which is driving rates of antibiotic resistance sky high.