Thread: Urgent Action Alert - 2 GMO Amendments in the voluminous 2012 Farm Bill

Urgent Action Alert on TWO GMO Amendments!

July 10, 2012 There’s still time to stop these potentially catastrophic pro-GMO riders before they become law—IF we act now!

This morning we learned of a dangerous set of policy riders which the biotech industry was able to get inserted into (and buried within) the House Agriculture Committee’s discussion draft of the voluminous 2012 Farm Bill. These riders represent significant changes to the Plant Protection Act (PPA), which will create serious risks to farmers, the environment, and public health by forcing the rushed commercialization of genetically engineered crops. They would also eliminate all meaningful review of the effect GMO crops may have on our environment or our health.

This is a new set of riders unrelated to the rider we warned you about in prior weeks. That amendment—in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill—is still alive and also needs to be opposed. More information on that below.

The new riders, the ones we just became aware of in the farm bill, would outlaw any review of GE crop impacts based on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), or any other environmental law. And no agency other than USDA would be allowed to provide analysis.

Note that under this new proposal, even if the unexpected happened and the pro-GMO USDA did report issues, the information still wouldn’t affect the approval decision! So clearly it doesn’t matter what environmental analysis anyone comes up with. It won’t have any effect on the approval of genetically engineered crops.

These riders also establish unworkable deadlines and backdoor approvals—if the crops aren’t reviewed and approved within an absurdly short time, they would default to immediate approval and commercialization. This, together with the diminished environmental analysis, simply makes a mockery of USDA’s GMO crop reviews. It is one of the most blatant examples of crony capitalism at work that we have seen.
The bill is scheduled to be debated in committee on Wednesday morning, so we have only a very narrow window in which to act! Please write to the House Ag Committee chairman and ranking member, as well as your congressional representative, and tell them you want these riders removed from the Farm Bill. Please Take Action NOW!

Two weeks ago we reported on a pro-GMO amendment in a different funding bill, the House Agriculture Appropriations Bill. This amendment would strip federal courts of the authority to halt the sale or planting of illegal, potentially hazardous genetically engineered (GE) crops—even if a court has told them to stop—while USDA is still assessing potential hazards.
The provision specifically mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture shall, upon request by a farm operator or producer, immediately grant a temporary permit authorizing the GMO crops to be planted or cultivated, even if a court has called a halt until an Environmental Impact Statement is completed. They’re calling it the Farmer Assurance Provision (Section 733). But far from safeguarding farmers, the only parties whose interests are “assured” by this rider are those of GE crop developers, in particular Monsanto, the company we believe is almost certainly behind it.

Congressman Peter DeFazio, D-OR, is preparing his own amendment to strike the pro-GMO language from the bill. We need to get an avalanche of messages to Capitol Hill supporting the DeFazio amendment and explaining just how lawless the pro-GMO rider is.

The Ag Appropriations bill with this anti-GMO amendment attached will likely be heard on the floor of the House of Representatives by the middle of next week. This means there is still time for us to stop this lawless amendment.
If this language is allowed to stand, it would completely undermine the judicial review process, and would encourage the unchecked deregulation of GE crops despite terrible environmental and health effects.

Please send your messages to Congress TODAY in support the DeFazio Amendment, which would strike the pro-GMO language from the bill! Please Take Action Now!

Did you take action on both pro-GMO amendments? If not, please do so. Either one will gut what remains of the GMO approval process.

Urgent Action Alert on TWO GMO Amendments! | The Alliance for Natural Health USA

...And we feed this to our kids...

Arsenic in Our Chicken? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/op...cken.html?_r=1

Researchers Find Dangerous Chemicals In Chicken Feathers: Researchers Find Dangerous Chemicals In Chicken Feathers - Staying Healthy News Story - WRTV Indianapolis
...
The use of hormones in meat is nothing new. As far back as the 1930s, research shows that estrogen affected the growth rates in both cattle and poultry. By the 1950s, a synthetic (man made) estrogen, DES, was being used to increase cattle size. However, DES was found to cause cancer and is no longer used to "fatten" up cattle and chickens.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) current approves of five different types of hormones used in food production. Of these, testosterone and progesterone are produced naturally by the animals and zeranol and trenbolone acetate are synthetically made. These hormones are approved for use only in cattle and sheep. Poultry, such as chickens and turkeys, and pigs do not gain much weight when given these hormones, so they are not given them. Most of these hormones are given to the animal by inserting a pellet under the skin of the ear. The pellet releases the hormone and the ears of the animals are thrown away during slaughtered.

The concern of scientist and consumers both is that traces of the hormones and chemicals will remain in the meat and pose a potential hazard to humans who consume it. Have you noticed that girls today seem to be reaching puberty at a younger age? It is suspected that this may be due to the steroids found in today's meat. Harmful Chemicals In The Meat You Eat?

The Chicken Animal Exploitation Photo Gallery: The Chicken - All Creatures Animal Exploitation Photo Gallery

Hidden Camera Controversy on Iowa's Chicken Farms: Hidden Camera Controversy on Iowa's Chicken Farms - Video - TIME.com

See more

In a public health alert, 99% of all turkeys grown in the United States are enhanced to have more breast meat, and the chemicals used could be dangerous.

The poultry industry mixes Roxarsone, a form of arsenic, with their standard feed to control stomach bugs and promote bigger animals. Most are fed grain and supplements like antibiotics, rather than the grubs, bugs and grasses in their natural d...iet.

Industrial turkeys are often injected with saline solution and vegetable oils in an attempt to help improve the taste and texture of the meat.

The environmental protection agency says arsenic is 17% more likely to cause cancer than they previously thought. But the FDA is the one to set standards for chemicals in meat.

The poultry and egg institute says "the benefits of continued use of Roxarsone far outweigh the concerns expressed by the media and special interest groups."

Apart from Roxarsone, some turkeys contain Nonylphenol, a toxic chemical which can interfere with human DNA and effect sperm production in animals. Also, quantities of a chemical which can cause liver, kidney and testicular damage. Dangerous Chemicals in Turkeys - ABC 17 News
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The 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating: Ground Turkey

The dirt: Potentially one of the foulest of the fowl. A USDA survey showed that the odds are better than one in four that your ground gobbler contains Listeria, Campylobacter, Clostridium, or some combination of the three. What's more, in a separate study by the FDA and the University of Maryland, 24 percent of the ground turkey sampled came back positive for Salmonella. And some of that Salmonella was resistant to antibiotics.

At the supermarket: Hunt for organic turkey. Most commercial turkey processors pump up their birds with antibiotics, a practice that may have encouraged the rise of resistant bacteria. Organic outfits, on the other hand, say no to drugs. When you reach the checkout, insist that the turkey be slipped into its own plastic bag and then placed in a meat-only shopping bag. This rule applies to beef and chicken, too: Otherwise, meat drippings might contaminate other groceries.

At home: "Change your mind-set about poultry. Start by thinking of it as being contaminated," says Schaffner. Immediately retire to the dishwasher any platter that has come in contact with raw ground turkey. (Use the hottest setting.) Serve cooked turkey burgers (180°F) on a clean plate. And wipe up any spillage with a paper towel instead of a sponge. "The sponge is the most dangerous item in the house because of the organisms potentially living in it," says Tierno. The 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating: Ground Turkey
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly tests the health of the nation’s food supply and this latest survey has detected a significant amount of fecal matter on most of the turkey meat in the country. The CDC estimates that 9 out of 10 turkeys sitting on the dinner table this Thursday will be covered in fecal bacteria. A gross and dangerous prospect. Ingesting fecal matter can contribute to food poisoning and even urinary tract infections.

The CDC is also warning that supermarket turkeys can often contain drug-resistant MRSA, the superbug that has killed more people than AIDS. Most Turkey Meat Contains Feces. - The Informed Vegan
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Also, consider the fact when you eat turkey, you only eat the female turkey, as the female naturally grows larger than the male, due to hormones. Female turkeys are constantly shot up with synthetic hormones (chemical estrogen called estridiol) and thus, become so large in size that the male turkeys cannot naturally copulate with them. Therefore, female turkeys are artificially inseminated for procreational purposes. Think about this! You are what you eat! Health Risks of Eating Turkey

See more
— with Екатерина Сперанская.

WikiLeaks exposes corruption as France bans Monsanto’s GMO maize:

Coming soon after France bans GMO maize, WikiLeaks cables expose details of 'military-style trade wars' against countries who reject Monsanto GMOs.
France banned the Monsanto MON 810 "Yieldgard" maize due to environmental and health concerns. And now the European Union is stepping in to re-secure Monsanto's presence in that country..., against the will of the nation itself.

Read more: Op-Ed: WikiLeaks exposes corruption as France bans Monsanto
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US House biotech proposal would bypass courts:

* Provision would muzzle judges, says biotech critic

* Court cases on GMO crops can run for years

* USDA proposes deregulation of GMO sugar beets

WASHINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) - A provision in a U.S. House bill would allow farmers to grow genetically modified crops while court battles are under way to decide if the plants are safe, said a biotech skeptic on Tuesday, calling the idea an unprecedented muzzle on federal judges. US House biotech proposal would bypass courts-critic | Agricultural Commodities | Reuters
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The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has warned that the public should avoid genetically modified (GM) foods, stating, "There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation."

A large number of studies and incidents have implicated GM foods in a wide variety of health problems, including accelerated aging, immune dysfunction, insulin disorders, organ damage and reproductive disruption.

For example, female rats fed a diet of GM soy experienced a drastically higher infant death rate, and their surviving infants were smaller and less fertile than the offspring of rats fed on a non-GM soy diet. Male rats fed the GM soy had their testicles change from pink to blue, and the GM soy was also observed to damage the DNA of sperm and embryos. Fertility problems such as abortion, infertility, premature delivery, prolapsed uteri, infant death, and even delivery of unformed infants (bags of water) have been observed in farm animals fed GM cottonseed and corn.

Animals consuming crops that have been genetically modified to produce the pesticide Bt (approved for human consumption in the United States) have died by the thousands, while animals grazing on a non-GM version of the same crops remained unharmed. Upon autopsies, researchers have found black patches in the animals' livers and intestines, internal bleeding and other signs of Bt poisoning. Farm workers in India have begun developing allergic reactions upon handling Bt corn, similar to the effects experienced by people exposed to Bt spraying.

In addition to these risks, GM soy and corn contain significantly higher concentrations of allergens than unmodified varieties. Evidence also suggests that the genetic abnormalities of GM foods may transfer to bacteria in the human gut, thereby exposing people to their detrimental effects long after a food has been consumed.

Yet in spite of all this evidence and the prevalence of GM crops in the U.S. food supply not a single clinical trial of any GM crop has ever been published.

"The experiments simply haven't been done and we now have become the guinea pigs," said Canadian geneticist David Suzuki. "Anyone that says, 'Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,' I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying."

Learn more: Doctors Warn About Dangers of Genetically Modified Food