A controversial bill in India would create a new regulatory body to serve as the ultimate authority on the introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in that country. The “Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill” would make a mockery of both consumer protection and farmers’ rights.
The bill stipulates that the regulatory body would be made up of five members based within the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — the same agency that funds GM crop research in the country.
Policy Mic reports:
“In 2010, mass protests across the country stalled the introduction of GM Brinjal (aubergine). The Environment Minister was compelled to take public opinion into account and a moratorium on GM foods crops was installed. In a blatantly undemocratic move, failing to take into account public protests, this bill now allows biotechnology companies to bulldoze the Environment Ministry as well as state governments.”
Two advisory committees creating management plans for cropland owned by Boulder County have voted to phase out the use of genetically modified crops on open space. The policy calls for the county to create a plan for transitioning away from genetically modified organisms in an economically viable way.
GM corn has been grown on some of the cropland owned by the county for a decade. Both the Food and Agriculture Policy Council and the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee voted 5-4 to phase out GMOs.
According to Daily Camera:
“Committee member John Nibarger … believes the transition plan would allow the county to help farmers change their practices without being economically hurt.”
Bt is a form of toxin which has been incorporated in genetically modified crops to act as ‘biopesticides’. Unfortunately, the pests soon develop resistance to it. Now, Bt resistance has not only been documented in the laboratory, but also in the wild. At least 8 populations of insects have developed resistance.
Current insect management systems have not been successful in controlling resistance. Bt crops actually have prolonged expression of the Bt transgene, which increases selection pressure on pests to adapt.
According to the Institute of Science in Society:
“Bt crops are fast becoming futile. They do not reduce pesticide use, as they are not always toxic enough to kill pests, and now resistant populations are emerging in numerous continents. Alternative organic, sustainable methods of farming provide a realistic alternative, independent of reliance on agrobiotech corporations”.
Not only has genetic engineering failed to increase the yield of any food crop, but it has greatly increased the use of chemicals and the growth of “superweeds”. A new report from 20 Indian, south-east Asian, African and Latin American food and conservation groups finds that GM crops have not lived up to their promises.
The report states that hunger has reached “epic proportions” since the introduction of GM technology; purported potential benefits such as drought resistance and salt tolerance have yet to materialize on any scale.
According to Reader Supported News:
“The study accuses Monsanto of gaining control of over 95% of the Indian cotton seed market and of massively pushing up prices. High levels of indebtedness among farmers is thought to be behind many of the 250,000 deaths by suicide of Indian farmers over the past 15 years. … GM crops are adding to food insecurity”.
Last fall, a small group of CEOs from companies like Whole Foods and Stonyfield pled their case to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack — genetically engineered crops and their capacity to contaminate organic crops, they said, were no longer a small-scale problem. But Vilsack soon became a champion of the concept of “coexistence”, trying to find common ground between organic and GMO growers. In late January of 2011, the administration greenlighted the unregulated planting of bioengineered alfalfa and two other bioengineered crops (sugar beets and a type of corn).
A study released last month by Food & Water Watch reports that in the decade between 1999 and 2009, some $547 million was spent on lobbying and campaign contributions to reduce regulation and prevent labeling of genetically engineered crops. The report also examines the potential risks of such foods, including increased allergies, superweeds, and unknown long-term health effects.
The Daily Beast reports:
“A Canadian study this year found that the blood of 93 percent of pregnant women sampled and 80 percent of their umbilical-cord blood contained a pesticide put into GMO corn by Monsanto … The Obama administration, says food author Michael Pollan, is ‘playing a complex game, trying to appeal to both camps.’ And, for now at least, leaving consumers guessing.”
Organic foods are required by U.S. federal law to be produced in ways that promote ecological sustainability, without common toxic and genetically engineered ingredients. But organic products are increasingly being forced to compete with products that are labeled as “natural.”
There are no restrictions on the term “natural”, and it often constitutes nothing more than meaningless marketing hype.
According to a report from the Cornucopia Institute:
“Unlike the organic label, no government agency, certification group or other independent entity fully defines the term ‘natural’ on processed food packages or ensures that the claim has merit … [There is a] vast differences between organic cereal and granola products and so-called natural products, which contain ingredients grown on conventional farms where the use of toxic pesticides and genetically engineered organisms is widespread.”
Toxin proteins are genetically engineered into your food. These toxins are designed to kill insects by perforating body cell walls. A recent study examined the mechanism by which they do so.
The Cry1Aa toxin of B. thuringiensis kills insect larvae, and is therefore genetically engineered into a number of transgenic crops, including those for human consumption. The toxin causes minerals necessary for the cell to live to break out and collapse the energy household of the cell.
According to Science Daily:
“While these toxins could be studied outside of cell membranes through existing techniques that provide images of the 3D structure, the toxins rapidly change their architecture once in contact with the membrane, where the traditional approaches cannot be applied. [Researchers] found a way of using fluorescent light to analyze the architecture and mechanism of the proteins in an artificial cell wall environment.”
A meta-analysis of 19 studies shows that rats and mice fed on GM soybean and maize developed kidney and liver toxicity. GM soybean and maize represents more than 80 percent of all commercially available GM food.
According to Signs of the Times, the report of the independent concluded:
“From the regulatory tests performed today, it is unacceptable to submit 500 million Europeans and several billions of consumers worldwide to the new pesticide GM-derived foods or feed, this being done without more controls (if any) than the only 3-month-long toxicological tests and using only one mammalian species, especially since there is growing evidence of concern.”
The nineteen feeding studies were performed by both industry and independent scientists. A meta-analysis allowa for a more objective appraisal of the evidence, and provides a more precise estimate of effects.
If you have ever used Wesson brand cooking oils, you may be able to join a class action suit against food corporation ConAgra’s deceptive marketing.
The Food and Drug Administration has not defined the term natural, so food marketers have been putting the label on whatever products they like. That practice, however, may soon be coming to an end. A lawsuit against ConAgra states that although Wesson oils bear an “100% natural” label, the products are actually made from genetically modified organisms.
According to Food Safety News:
“Four Wesson varieties are implicated in the case: Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, and Best Blend … But what makes this lawsuit especially intriguing is its potentially far-ranging impact. According to the Center for Food Safety: ‘upwards of 70 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves — from soda to soup, crackers to condiments — contain genetically-engineered ingredients.’ While it’s unclear how many of these products also claim to be natural, given all the greenwashing going on these days, it’s likely to number in the thousands.”
Just when you thought there couldn’t be one more plant or animal that scientists could “franken”-design, it turns out that they’ve genetically modified chickens to not spread the flu. According to the BBC, the new GM birds still get infected; they just can’t give it to each other. The concept is still in the lab, but it’s one that they hope can be expanded to protect any farm animal from any disease.
A common weed killer that has been the subject of controversy for years appears to be causing harmful changes in soil and is potentially hindering yields of genetically-modified crops that farmers are cultivating, according to a microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. The news was reported in Science American in early August.
“Repeated use of the chemical glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup herbicide, impacts the root structure of plants, and 15 years of research indicates that the chemical could be causing fungal root disease,” said microbiologist Bob Kremer.
Problems with the weed killer have become more noticeable as farmers increase their use of Roundup Ready crops such as corn and soybeans. One of the biggest problems currently is spreading weed resistance to Roundup, Kremer told Scientific American. Other research shows that yields from the genetically altered crops aren’t any better than regular crops, Kremer said.
Concerns about Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, are at an all-time high. But according to a new report by Earth Open Source, one of the biggest concerns may be something that you’re totally in the dark about. Birth defects are linked to exposure to weed killers like this, the authors say, and it’s time to take action before it’s too late:
“Scientific research published in 2010 showed that Roundup and the chemical on which it is based, glyphosate, cause birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at dilutions much lower than used in agricultural and garden spraying.”
They also cause endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer – but regulators are ignoring the evidence, Earth Open Source says.
Concerns about Monsanto’s herbicide, Roundup, are at an all-time high. But according to a new report by Earth Open Source, one of the biggest concerns may be something that you’re totally in the dark about. Birth defects are linked to exposure to weed killers like this, the authors say, and it’s time to take action before it’s too late:
“Scientific research published in 2010 showed that Roundup and the chemical on which it is based, glyphosate, cause birth defects in frogs and chicken embryos at dilutions much lower than used in agricultural and garden spraying.”
They also cause endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, reproductive and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, and cancer – but regulators are ignoring the evidence, Earth Open Source says.
In the winter of 2006, millions of bees vanished from their hives, leaving billions of dollars of crops at risk and potentially threatening our food supply. Ever since then, the silence of the honeybees has been increasing in deafening proportions. But why are they disappearing, and what can be done to stop it? In a series of reports and videos, PBS talks about the bee colony devastation, and its impact on the food supply and U.S. agriculture.
In another interesting development, Food Safety News is reporting that Asian Honey, banned in Europe, is showing up on U.S. grocery store shelves.
Organic foods and products are the fastest growing items in America’s grocery carts, with 30 million households now shopping organic. If you don’t know why more and more people say they prefer organic foods, the Organic Consumers Association has compiled this list of 10 reasons why so many people embrace it, and why you should join the crowd.
Farmers fed up with Monsanto and its genetically modified transgenic seeds have joined forces and sued the Wall Street giant – a defensive step they say they had to take before Monsanto sued them. According to Health Freedom Alliance, 83 family farmers, small and family-owned seed businesses, and agricultural organizations filed the lawsuit because Monsanto’s history of suing farmers who, through no fault of their own, had their fields contaminated by nearby Monsanto-planted fields.
“It is now virtually impossible for a U.S. farmer to grow crops of their own choosing (corn, soybeans, canola, etc.) and remain GMO-free because of the numerous biological and human means by which seeds can spread,” a representative for the farmers said.
Monsanto has sued farmers in the past. They’ve stated they wouldn’t sue anyone whose fields are “inadvertently” contaminated, but have refused to sign a simple covenant not to, HFA said.
With long-running corporate sponsorships like Disney’s Tomorrowland behind them, food giant Monsanto has managed to saturate the earth with five products that have changed both our health and the way we manage Earth’s resources. The sponsorships make this company look good – but the list that TakePart.com has assembled of Monsanto’s product achievements is dubious at best. TakePart.com’s run-down includes:
Saccharin – slapped with a warning label in the ’70s when it was found to cause cancer in lab rats
Polystyrene – a disaster that breaks off into tiny pieces and releases cancer-causing benzene
Agent Orange – first developed as a defoliant, this herbicide is responsible for 400,000 deaths and disfigurements and 500,000 babies born with birth defects
Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) – Why is the U.S. the only developed country that allows this cancer-causing hormone in milk?
Genetically Modified Seeds – With scare tactics and massive advertising campaigns, Monsanto has managed to corner the market on seeds – and possibly is sowing disaster in places that need food help most.
The Monsanto Corporation has said it will begin selling genetically modified sweet corn in the U.S. this year, the first product it has developed for the consumer market. The sweet corn seeds are engineered to tolerate applications of the company’s Roundup herbicide.
The seeds will be introduced to growers serving the U.S. fresh corn market starting in the autumn. Monsanto previously sold only engineered crops that are processed into sugars and oils, used as animal feed or made into fibers.
Bloomberg reports:
“The new seeds will initially target the 250,000-acre market for fresh corn in the eastern U.S. … Monsanto is in discussions with companies that would can or freeze the corn”.
A new study assessed the environmental impacts of large scale bioenergy crops. The researchers looked at daily pesticide concentration data for a study area consisting of four large watersheds located in Michigan.
The results were used to predict the possible long-term implications that large-scale bioenergy crop expansion may have on the bluegill, and on humans. The results suggested that traditional intensive row crops such as canola, corn and sorghum can negatively impact both aquatic life and safe drinking water availability.
According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:
“The continuous corn rotation, the most representative rotation for current agricultural practices for a starch-based ethanol economy, delivers the highest concentrations of glyphosate to the stream. In addition, continuous canola contributed to a concentration of … trifluralin, a highly toxic herbicide”.
In the mid-’90s, Monsanto introduced seeds genetically engineered to withstand its Roundup brand of herbicide. Today, these “Roundup Ready” crops are planted all across the U.S. — 94 percent of soybeans and more than 70 percent of corn and cotton contain the Roundup-resistant gene.
But when the land is dosed with a single herbicide for years on end, the ecosystems adapt. Roundup-defying “superweeds” are getting out of control. And the problem is only accelerating, because the resistant weeds are driving out their non-resistant counterparts.
According to Mother Jones:
“These weeds adapt faster and more vigorously than their weed cousins, choking fields and clogging irrigation ditches so badly water can’t pass through.”
In March, Hungary introduced a new regulation which states that seeds must to be checked for GMO before they are introduced to the market. However, some GMO seeds made it to the farmers without their being aware of it.
As a result, almost 1000 acres of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary. The deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said that the GMO maize has been ploughed under, and pollen has not spread from the maize.
Planetsave reports:
“Unlike several EU members,GMO seeds are banned in Hungary. The checks will continue despite the fact that seed traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.”
In the UK, scientists have created more than 150 human-animal hybrid embryos. The hybrids have been produced secretively by researchers looking into cures for various diseases.
A campaigner against the excesses of medical research said he was disgusted that scientists were ‘dabbling in the grotesque’.
According to the Daily Mail:
“… [T]he 2008 Human Fertilisation Embryology Act … legalised the creation of a variety of hybrids, including an animal egg fertilised by a human sperm; ‘cybrids’, in which a human nucleus is implanted into an animal cell; and ‘chimeras’, in which human cells are mixed with animal embryos.”
The goal of Millions Against Monsanto is to form 435 chapters, one for each Congressional District, with at least 2300 supporters in each chapter — that’s 1,000,000 people against Monsanto, in support of your right to know and choose what’s in your food.
At their website, you can learn how to help fight GM foods by signing a truth in labeling petition, joining your local chapter, gathering signatures, sending a letter to the editor, and more.
And you can also learn more about the actions and crimes of one of the most evil corporations on the planet.
Regulators from more than 100 countries have agreed on long overdue guidance on the labeling of genetically modified (GM) food.
In a striking reversal of its previous position, the U.S. delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Commission dropped its opposition to the GM labeling guidance document. This has allowed it to move forward and become an official Codex text.
According to Consumers Union:
“The new Codex agreement means that any country wishing to adopt GM food labeling will no longer face the threat of a legal challenge from the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is because national measures based on Codex guidance or standards cannot be challenged as a barrier to trade.”
Agribusiness company Monsanto saw a 77 percent jump in net income recently. The rise stemmed from strong sales in its seeds and genetic traits businesses.
Net income for the third quarter ending May 31, 2011 rose to $680 million, and sales were up 21 percent, to $3.59 billion.
The New York Times reports:
“The quarterly results were clouded partially by Monsanto’s announcement that it was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its customer incentive programs related to its glyphosate products for fiscal years 2009 and 2010.”
Bayer CropScience has agreed to pay up to $750 million to settle several lawsuits with U.S. farmers. The farmers claimed that a strain of the company’s unapproved genetically modified rice contaminated the food supply.
In 2006, Bayer disclosed that the experimental strain of genetically altered rice had been found in U.S. food supplies.
Yahoo Finance reports:
“The fear that the rice was unsafe, along with the notion that genetically altered rice was somehow impure, quashed sales in major markets including the European Union, which has tight restrictions on genetically modified crops. So, farmers from Arkansas, which produces about half of the nation’s rice, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, sued Bayer, saying the accident closed off critical export markets and caused the price of rice to drop.”