News regarding the dangers of GMOs and biotech, and the advantages of organic sustainable agriculture.
GMO Labeling Bill Passes Vermont House
Friday May 10, 2013 the Vermont House of Representatives passed H.112 , this year’s GMO labeling law, by a vote of 99-42! This is the furthest any such legislation has made it through the legislative process in the US.
New Study Links GMO Food To Leukemia
A new study published in the Journal of Hematology & Thromboembolic Diseases indicates that the biopesticides engineered into GM crops known as Bacillus Thuringensis (Bt) or Cry-toxins, may also contribute to blood abnormalities from anemia to hematological malignancies (blood cancers) such as leukemia.
Former Pro-GMO Scientist Speaks Out On The Real Dangers of Genetically Engineered Food
I retired 10 years ago after a long career as a research scientist for Agriculture Canada. When I was on the payroll, I was the designated scientist of my institute to address public groups and reassure them that genetically engineered crops and foods were safe. There is, however, a growing body of scientific research - done mostly in Europe, Russia, and other countries - showing that diets containing engineered corn or soya cause serious health problems in laboratory mice and rats.
US EPA Hikes Glyphosate Limits in Food and Feed – Again
In obedience to a demand from Monsanto, the US EPA is proposing to hike the allowed residue limits -- yet again -- of the herbicide glyphosate in various food and feed crops.
New EU Plant Law Kills Off Seed Supply For Home Gardeners, Restricts Farmers’ Crops
On Monday May 6th a draconian new law was put before the European Commission, which creates new powers to classify and regulate all plant life anywhere in Europe. The "Plant Reproductive Material Law" will regulate all plants. It contains immediate restrictions on reproduction of vegetables and woodland trees, while creating powers to restrict all other plants of any other species at a later date. Under the new law, it will immediately be illegal to grow, reproduce or trade any vegetable seed or tree that has not been tested, approved and accepted by a new "EU Plant Variety Agency". Moreover, an annual fee must also be paid to the Agency if that particular variety is to be used by anyone.
Biotech Exec Talks About “Unsustainable” Politics, but How About Unsustainable Food??
U.S. GMO food labeling drive has biotech industry biting back - New efforts to force labeling of foods made with genetically modified crops, including a bill introduced by U.S. lawmakers Wednesday, have struck a nerve with biotech crop developers who say they are rushing to roll out a broad strategy to combat consumer concerns about their products.
Judge Rules Against Maine Food Sovereignty Ordinance in First Test Case
Maine’s food sovereignty movement took a hit when a state judge ruled earlier this week that farmer Dan Brown must have a license to sell raw milk, despite his town’s ordinance exempting local farmers from state food regulations. The State of Maine has spent considerable time prosecuting a farmer with only 2 cows for over 2 years for selling raw milk without a license, even though nobody ever complained or suffered from his milk. This ruling puts Farmer Dan out of business.
Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides
There is great concern across Europe about the collapse of bee populations. Neonicotinoid chemicals in pesticides are believed to harm bees and the European Commission says they should be restricted to crops not attractive to bees and other pollinators. There have been a number of studies showing that the chemicals, made by Bayer and Syngenta, do have negative impacts on bees.
Trial of Raw Milk Farmer in Wisconsin Seen as Pivotal Case for Food Rights
Now that a Wisconsin judge has rejected raw milk farmer Vernon Hershberger's religious freedom arguments to justify having a witness testify on his behalf, his trial looks likely to go forward as scheduled beginning May 20. The reason the case is so important politically is that it isn’t just about whether Hershberger has the right to distribute food privately, it is about whether all of us have this right on either end of the equation--to distribute food privately or to contract with producers to obtain food privately.
GMO Labeling Bill Introduced in Congress
The bill has some teeth. The question is whether it has legs. The Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act was introduced last Wednesday in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Glyphosate: World’s Top Weed Killer May Kill You Too According to New Study
Glyphosate is assumed to be safe for humans. As a result, it’s become the world’s best-selling herbicide. However, a groundbreaking study documents that it may actually be fueling the plague of chronic & immune diseases, including cancer and autism. This study documents the underlying systemic damage produced by glyphosate, then discusses how that damage leads to specific diseases.
At Chicken Plants, Chemicals Blamed for Health Ailments are Poised to Proliferate
When Jose Navarro landed a job as a federal poultry inspector in 2006, he moved his wife and newborn son to a rural town in Upstate New York near the processing plant, believing it was a steppingstone to a better life. Five years later, Navarro was dead. The 37-year-old’s lungs had bled out. Under new proposed rules, which could be finalized as soon as this summer, the number of chemical treatments used on the birds is also likely to increase further, according to agency documents and USDA inspectors.
Permaculture Can Help Farmers Produce More Food
Small-scale farmers produce food for 70% of the global population. Yet, they are some of the world's poorest and most food insecure people. Alternatives to conventional farming should be embraced to improve subsistence farmers' yields and to ensure adequate food production for the growing global population. The stark reality, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, is that the world needs to produce more food with fewer resources.
Canadian Government Destroys Heritage Sheep Herd and Wants to Send Farmer to Prison
A single sheep sold in 2007 died on a farm more than 1,500 miles away. It tested positive for a disease called scrapie. Scrapie is a prion disease in the same category as “mad cow” disease. However, unlike mad cow, scrapie is not transmissible to humans. Its impact on sheep farms is financial: infected sheep tend to lose wool, produce fewer lambs, and die young. The CFIA conducted live biopsies on Montana’s flock during 2011. All were negative for disease. None showed any symptoms of illness. But the CFIA said the live tests were only 88% accurate. They would need to kill the sheep and dissect their brains to know for sure whether they were ill, they said. So in the end, that's what they did, and now they are prosecuting Montana as well.
Your Tax Dollars May Buy 400,000 Tons of Sugar to Keep Prices Artificially High
The US is the world’s largest sugar producer. The US Department of Agriculture makes loans every year to processors of domestically grown sugarcane and sugar beets. Over 50% of the sugar is from GMO sugar beets. Last October, sugar processors borrowed $862 million from the USDA. The loans did little to keep sugar prices high, however: they have fallen 18% since October. Sugar processors are afraid they’ll have to default on their loans, which could result in $80 million in losses to the USDA’s price support program. USDA is considering helping them out once again—this time by buying 400,000 tons of sugar, just so they can pay back their loan!
How will GMO Salmon Impact Human Health?
Right now President Obama and bureaucrats at the Food and Drug Administration are preparing to unleash genetically engineered salmon on the market. After years of controversial regulatory review, this past week the Obama administration cleared a final hurdle for AquaBounty’s GMO salmon to be approved at any moment. The deadline for the comment period for GMO salmon is ending this Friday, April 26th, 2013. We need your help to get as many comments as possible, please make a comment and pass this on! Every voice counts!
Colony Collapse Disorder Is a Fraud: Pesticides Cause Bee Die-Offs
The term, Colony Collapse Disorder, is fraudulent, designed to direct attention from the known cause. Agribusiness, the poison manufacturers making death-producing pesticides, is the other face of Big Pharma.
Nursing Mother Handcuffed and Dragged Off to Jail for Grazing Animals in Wrong Place
Their family dinner was interrupted when some 15 law enforcement officers from Weld County showed up to handcuff and arrest Renee for an offense that had allegedly occurred several months earlier: “grazing animals in the municipal right of way.”
USDA Considering Allowing Antibiotics in Organic Tree Fruit Production
There is no debate that low level, chronic dietary exposure to antibiotics is deleterious to human health. This is especially important in light of the disproportionate intake of apples and apple products by children.
The Hidden Health Hazards of Antibiotics in Meat
David A. Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1990 to 1997, warns that antibiotic-resistant pathogens in livestock are on the rise as a result of the fact that, in the US, antibiotics are routinely fed to livestock not only to fight infection, but to promote unhealthy (though profitable) weight gain.