News regarding the dangers of GMOs and biotech, and the advantages of organic sustainable agriculture.
How Monsanto outfoxed the Obama administration
By Lina Khan
Salon.com
Excerpts:
Last November, the U.S. Department of Justice quietly closed a three-year antitrust investigation into Monsanto, the biotech giant whose genetic traits are embedded in over 90 percent of America’s soybean crop and more than 80 percent of corn. Despite a splash of press coverage when the investigation was initially announced, its termination […]
Senator Tester Offers Amendment to Remove GMO Rider
Sen. Jon Tester, on his Montana Organic Family farm. Sen. Jon Tester’s office/Flickr
UPDATE 3/21: “Bad news. Monsanto Rider is in the Senate passed continuing resolution (CR) and will likely remain in the final version passed by the House later today. Good news. The rider will only be in effect for the next 6 months […]
30 Years of genetically engineered plants – Consequences of commercial growing in the US
Cultivation figures for genetically engineered crops in the United States (source: www.isaaa.org)
Health Impact News
A German group supplied a critical review of the commercial genetically modified agricultural program at the beginning of 2013. Most Europeans have been very cautious and skeptical of genetically modified crops from the U.S., and there is very limited production of […]
Stop the Monsanto Protection Act today!
Update 3/14/2013 from Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance:
Greetings!
As we alerted you yesterday, Monsanto and Agribusiness companies have managed to insert two dangerous provisions into the Continuing Resolution (“CR”) that is about to be voted on by the U.S. Senate.
The first provision is the “Monsanto rider” that destroys the few protections that currently exist against the planting of […]
Brooksville Becomes Ninth Maine Town to Pass Food Sovereignty Law
Brian Shilhavy, Editor
Health Impact News
Back in 2011 we reported the story of how one small Maine town passed a “Food Sovereignty” ordinance to allow the sale of locally produced food without interference of state or federal regulators. The town was Sedgwick, Maine, and you can read the story here: “Food Sovereignty” law passed in small Maine town to […]
Is Rocket Fuel Making Truly Organic Farming Impossible?
By: Sayer Ji
GreenMedInfo.com
Perchlorate and the Post-Organic Era
Perchlorate is an environmental pollutant primarily associated with releases by defense contractors, military operations and aerospace programs, as it is a key ingredient in rocket fuel. It is now found in virtually all humans tested, and it is continually making its way up the food chain through ground […]
Organic Standards in Danger Unless You Make Your Voice Heard
by Alliance for Natural Health
It’s like they’re saying, “Ssh! If we keep quiet enough, nobody will complain!” Let’s not let them get away with it. Action Alert!
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will hold its spring board meeting in April. As you probably know, NOSB is the governing board created by Congress that reviews […]
U.S. State Department Wants to Pressure the EU to Accept our GMO Products
by Alliance for Natural Health Europe
Food crisis needed for Europe to accept GM: US government adviser
It will take a food security crisis to make European consumers recognise the need for genetically modified (GM) food, warns a senior US government adviser.
Jack Bobo, senior biotechnology adviser to the US State Department, told a Chartered Institute of […]
Are You Consuming Drugs in Your Meat and Poultry?
By Martha Rosenberg
Epoch Times
Excerpts:
Animal Pharma is a huge revenue engine that sells drugs by the ton, often with no prescription or veterinarian’s approval necessary, and it provides a never-ending supply of compliant patients. Unlike “people” Pharma, Animal Pharma requires little advertising or marketing against competing drugs, schmoozing of doctors, and sales calls, and it […]
India’s Rice Revolution: India’s Poorest State Grows World Record Amounts of Rice – with no GM, no Herbicide
In a village in India’s poorest state, Bihar, farmers are growing world record amounts of rice – with no GM, and no herbicide. Is this one solution to world food shortages?
by John Vidal in Bihar, India
The Guardian
Excerpts:
Sumant Kumar was overjoyed when he harvested his rice last year. There had been good rains in his […]
GMO fail: Monsanto foiled by feds, Supreme Court, and science
By Tom Laskawy
Grist.org
Excerpts:
It’s been a good week if you enjoy a little GMO schadenfreude. The FDA has reportedly bowed to public pressure to extend the comment period on its approval of genetically engineered salmon, and Illinois, Maryland, and Iowa are the latest states to buck GMOs by introducing labeling bills into state legislature.
Even the […]
New Report Exposes Devastating Impact of Monsanto Practices on U.S. Farmers
by Center for Food Safety
Center for Food Safety and Save Our Seeds Investigate Role of Seed Patents in Consolidating Corporate Control of Global Food Supply
Today, one week before the Supreme Court hears arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto Co., the Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Save our Seeds (SOS) – two legal and policy organizations […]
Dow’s Controversial New GMO Corn Delayed Amid Protests
By Carey Gillam
Reuters
Excerpts:
A controversial new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences, a unit of Dow Chemical, will be delayed at least another year as the company awaits regulatory approval amid opposition from farmers, consumers and public health officials.
Dow wants to roll out Enlist corn, and then soybeans and cotton to be used in combination […]
Seeds of Discontent: A Texas Organic Cotton Farmer Takes On Monsanto
by Eva Hershaw
TexasObserver.org and ReportingTexas.com
This story was produced as part of a joint venture with Reporting Texas, an online publication at the University of Texas-Austin’s School of Journalism.
Through the windows of LaRhea Pepper’s pickup, turnrows of blooming Texas cotton stretched to the horizon under an impeccably blue sky. We barreled down a dirt road toward her brother-in-law […]
How GMO Seeds Lead to Suicides in India and Threaten Native Heirloom Seeds
Two Options: The story of an environmental activist (Dr. Vandana Shiava) and a farmer (Bija Devi) and their fight to preserve heirloom seeds in India amidst great opposition.
In this brief video Dr. Vandana Shiava explains how the policies of Monsanto have led to farmer suicides (they lose their farms after believing they will get […]
Food Freedom: Cottage Food Laws Taking Shape at the State Level Across the Country
by Baylen Linnekin
reason.com
Excerpts:
State laws permitting cottage foods are quickly catching up with the demand for looser regulations. Nearly three-dozen states now have cottage food laws in place. And advocates in other states—including Minnesota and Alabama—are pushing to add their states to the growing list.
While cottage food laws benefit home cooks and their customers, another […]
The Meat Industry Now Consumes Four-Fifths of All Antibiotics
By Tom Philpott
motherjones.com
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a set of voluntary “guidelines” designed to nudge the meat industry to curb its antibiotics habit. Ever since, the agency has been mulling whether and how to implement the new program. Meanwhile, the meat industry has been merrily gorging away on antibiotics—and churning out […]
Nearly Half of All US Farms Now Have Superweeds
By Tom Philpott
motherjones.com
Last year’s drought took a big bite out of the two most prodigious US crops, corn and soy. But it apparently didn’t slow down the spread of weeds that have developed resistance to Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup (glyphosate), used on crops engineered by Monsanto to resist it. More than 70 percent of all […]
US farmers may stop planting GMs after poor global yields
by Robyn Vinter
Farmers Weekly
Some US farmers are considering returning to conventional seed after increased pest resistance and crop failures meant GM crops saw smaller yields globally than their non-GM counterparts.
Farmers in the USA pay about an extra $100 per acre for GM seed, and many are questioning whether they will continue to see benefits from using […]
Viral Gene in Genetically Engineered Foods Could Promote Disease
By Dr. Mercola
I’ve previously warned of the potential dangers of genetically engineered (GE) foods for many years now, pointing out that such crops might have wholly unforeseen consequences.
In recent years, such suspicions have increasingly proven correct, and now researchers have released yet another bombshell.
Genetic manipulation of crops, and more recently food animals, is a dangerous […]