California to mandate labeling for GMO salmon

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) The miserable failure of both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stand up for the interests of the people and require proper labeling of AquaBounty's genetically-modified (GM) salmon, which is set to be approved soon, has led California legislators to take matters into their own hands. According to Red, Green & Blue, the California Assembly Health Committee recently approved a measure requiring the "Frankenfish" to be clearly labeled so consumers are aware of what they are purchasing.

AB 88, which was introduced by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, came in response to outcry by consumers, fishing and environmental groups, and even various Indian tribes, who expressed deep concern over the FDA's flagrant disregard for public health in its approval. AB 88 explicitly states that any GM fish or fish product sold without proper labeling will be considered misbranded, and appropriate legal action will ensue

Many NaturalNews readers will remember the details of the AquaBounty saga in which the USDA ignored the known health and contamination risks associated with the GM fish, but decided to approve it anyway -- even though there was no credible evidence that doing so would be safe for people or for the environment (http://www.naturalnews.com/029770_s...).

"Knowing whether our salmon is genetically engineered (GE) is important for a host of reasons, including risks to our native salmon species, and allowing consumers to make dietary choices consistent with concerns they may have for the environment, food safety, and religiously or ethically based dietary restrictions," said Assemblyman Huffman concerning the need for the bill.

The vast majority of Americans have indicated that they want to know whether or not the foods they purchase are GM or not. In fact, a recent MSNBC poll revealed that roughly 90 percent of respondents believe GM labeling is an ethical issue, and that individuals have a right to full disclosure (http://www.nongmoproject.org/2011/0...).

Sources for this story include:

http://redgreenandblue.org/2011/05/...

Suzanne

Take this for what it is worth. I have a bird feeder on my front porch. The birds pick through the seeds and leave ALL the corn. A year ago I visited my mother in law and she ask me to let her chickens out. It was about 9AM, and she thought they might be getting hungry. They had water but no food. I noticed that outside the chicken house she had shelled out a pile of corn. I thought, "how nice" they wouldn'd have far to go to eat. Guess what. They walked right over the corn and didn't even look at it. Three guesses. "Roundup ready" was on the seed corn sack.

This is very serious stuff, so serious that I am wondering why this isn't being picked up by the news media such as CNN, etc.?

"I am wondering why this isn't being picked up by the news media such as CNN, etc.? >

Money. Monsanto has more money than CNN..etc... They also have lots of people in government offices. There has been those who tried but are now selling papers on the corner..etc...

Could you do an experiment? Take corn you know is round-up ready, but not treated and place it out. Also, take some corn which you know is not round-up ready (organic or whatever it takes) and place it out. Place both out with no other seeds. Then see which is frequented the most and which disappears the quickest.

It is most important that none of the seed be treated as I have seen birds distinguish seed meant to poison them.

Monsanto trying to take over world seed supply, nation by nation

by Kaitlyn Moore

(NaturalNews) He who controls the seed controls the food supply; and he who controls the food supply controls the world. There is no question that Monsanto is on a mission to monopolize the conventional seed market. In fact, they are steadfastly working towards the goal of creating a world where 100% of all commercial seeds are genetically modified and patented- basically a world where natural seeds are extinct.(http://www.naturalnews.com/029325_M...)

Unfortunately for the global community Monsanto is accomplishing their purpose. They currently own 90% of the world's patents for GMO seed including cotton, soybeans, corn, sugar beets and canola. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme...)

Yep, the creators of chemicals that will go down in history for their toxicity and horrific side effects, is attempting to take over the world's seed supply. Ask yourself- do you really want companies such as BASF, Bayer, DuPont, Syngenta, and Dow involved with your food? Sadly, to a large extent they already are. These Monsanto chemical and GMO cronies all share genetically engineered traits and create the patented herbicides and pesticides that GMO crops require to thrive.

Monsanto is infamous for taking advantage of small farmers, and with the advent of MoU's they are doing so with governmental license. Countries like India, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand have all executed MoU's with Monsanto. MoU's or memorandum's of understanding permit Monsanto to use publicly owned lands to create so called demonstration farms (GMO breeding camps) which in turn -at least in the case of Rajasthan - are subsidized by the government.

Monsanto literally takes farmer seeds, creates genetically engineered copycat versions, and then retains all intellectual property rights. Dr. Vandana Shiva, Executive Director of the Navdanya Trust, an Indian organization committed to organic biodiversity, states that "the MoU's will in effect, facilitate bio-piracy of Rajasthan's rich biodiversity of draught -resilient crops .... by failing to have any clauses that respect the Biodiversity Act and the Farmers' Rights Act, the MoU's promote bio-piracy and legalize the great seed robbery." (http://www.deccanchronicle.com/edit...).

It is common knowledge that GMO seeds are much worse than conventional ones. As with all of their agreements, Monsanto shields itself from any liability- so when the Monsanto's promises of higher yields with less work ring hollow, when farmers crops fail, or when mass suicides are committed because of crop failure and spirit crushing debt- Monsanto presses on with no worries. (http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/03/0...)

Farmers that sign up for Monsanto's seeds of destruction find themselves hooked. Year after year, no matter what prices are being charged, they are dependent on GMO seeds for new crops because GMO seeds - the bastardized versions they are - don't regenerate. (http://www.naturalnews.com/031742_G...)

Monsanto has no qualms about robbing farmers that don't play poker with them. As a mater of fact; it makes a business of it. Conventional and organic farmers in both Canada and the U.S., who have the misfortune of having lands that border GMO farms, often end up with trace contamination in their crops, making them (if organic), unsuitable for sale. Monsanto actually uses this situation against farmers and files patent infringement claims that they often win.

The result farm owners are left with exorbitant legal bills and fines often forcing them to shut down: clearing away Monsanto competition. In a savvy move for survival, a preemptive suit on behalf of almost 300,000 plaintiffs seeking legal safe harbor, has been filed in New York. (http://www.naturalnews.com/031922_M...)

Monsanto's product has changed from poison to food, but it has held true to its history of violating the rights and health of people around the globe. Monsanto is a 100% committed to the sale of their seeds of destruction no matter what it takes: bullying, infiltration of high government offices with company friendly individuals, or intimidation. The organic movement has taken up the standard against Monsanto's machinations in court as well as through grassroots education and activist efforts. The organic revolution is Monsanto's Achilles heel, and its goal is a world without Monsanto.

1. http://www.icis.com/Articles/2002/0...

2. http://gmo-journal.com/index.php/20...

3. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...


Suzanne

I always thought it'd be good to grow a crop next to a GMO crop and then you'd get the gene (if that was your goal) and say it wasn't your fault. Looks like that wouldn't work. So, couldn't Monsanto be taken to court for bio-trespass?

No. You woldn't get the chance to sue them. They would sue you for using THEIR seeds. I have a video I got from "Seeds of Deception" telling how a farmer in Canada was taken to court because his field of canola was contaminated by their GMO canola. He lost. They claimed that he was using their patented seed.

NPR violates FCC rules, promotes interests of its sponsorship donor Monsanto

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Many NaturalNews readers may be shocked to learn that, for years, biotechnology giant Monsanto sponsored the popular show Marketplace that airs on National Public Radio (NPR). According to a recent report by the Bohemian, the show had received funding from Monsanto for several years, and the views presented on the show have (surprise!) mirrored those of the biotech behemoth, despite the fact that US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules prohibit sponsors from being directly promoted on the network.

The report explains that a recent episode of Marketplace featured the one-sided views of Pedro Sanchez from Columbia University, which just so happens to be the exact same views held by Monsanto. Genetically-modified (GM) crops, increased pesticide and fertilizer use, and expansion of large agribusiness techniques were all presented as the scientific solution to the world's hunger crisis, even though many other recent reports and studies show that this strategy is ultimately a failure (http://www.naturalnews.com/032775_o...).

Outraged by this blatant bias, many listeners called out the network for this abuse of public radio. When questioned about Monsanto's ties to the program and to the network, American Public Media (APM) spokesman Bill Gray told the Bohemian that Monsanto stopped sponsoring Marketplace back in April of 2010. But this cease-funding appears to have done little to sway the show's preference for industrial agriculture, which has been made clearly evident.

In 2009, environmental expert Heidi Siegelbaum wrote a concerning post on the Marketplace website about Monsanto's infiltration of NPR with its corporate agenda. The network had already been in violation of FCC rules by routinely airing sponsorship ads for Monsanto that touted its technology as promoting "sustainable agriculture" and "crop yield[s]," while also "conserv[ing] natural resources."

FCC rules state that NPR sponsors' products and services cannot be promoted on the network. However, for years NPR gave undue credence to Monsanto by repeating its unsubstantiated talking points and marketing claims in its voice-over blips about sponsors.

Sources for this story include:

http://www.bohemian.com/bohemian/06...

Suzanne

Welcome to the world of Monsanto

by Suzanne Meier

(NaturalNews) Monsanto is close to single-handedly controlling seeds around the world, and hence, global food sources. A good mix of lobbying, influential members in the administration and successful spin doctoring appear to be the key to world take over. But don't worry; they say it is for our best and it will even save the planet!

Over the past decades, food has been replaced with rocket fuel, without objection by the FDA and with limited consumer awareness. One of the most unwanted intruders on the list of foods is genetically modified food.

According to Monsanto, however, its genetically modified crops not only represent the cure for world hunger, but also help diminish the problem of climate change. Because GM crops do not need to be tilled or require plowing, Monsanto claims it can lock carbon dioxide in the soil and therefore should get carbon credits! Listening to Monsanto, one could be mistaken to believe GMs are what the world has been waiting for.

But how did Monsanto get this far?

The official eight million US dollars spent on lobbying in 2010 are part of the success story, but their more effective strategy is being the fox in the chicken coop. The Obama administration is littered with Monsanto missionaries. Former Monsanto vice president Michael Taylor is a senior consultant to the US Food and Drug Administration. Islam Siddiqui, vice president of CropLife (Monsanto-funded lobbying group), is a negotiator for the US Trade Representative on agriculture. Roger Beachy, a former director of a Monsanto-funded plant science center, is the director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. These and many more GM lovers switch jobs back and forth between the government and Monsanto.

The dangers of meddling with nature, altering the planet, using enormous amounts of herbicides for crops, and causing negative health effects on humans and animals are simply not discussed. Instead, the powerful food elite have zero concerns about playing god. In the world of GMs, they get to be just that - blending daisies with pigs, fish with horses, oak trees with sheep or what not. This process is called biolistics (injecting cells with genetic information). What will happen if this gene gun (biolistic) technology will keep spreading until the planet suffocates? We are not far off. Monsanto has infiltrated North and South America, Asia directly, and numerous countries indirectly (cross-pollination).

The mad theory to have Monsanto run our entire food supply is almost reality.

There are millions of ethical and health questions that remain unanswered as Monsanto is continuing to gun species and plants. Humanity and science alike simply have no concept on what type of fire-spitting dragon they have at their hands. The lunatic takeover of nature will equal a death of the world we know today - all in the name of corporate profit. And not only may we see a tomato with a fish head, no, but the disappearance of the naturally occurring species will also most likely continue at record speeds, such as the vanishing of bees that may be related to GMs. Also, the ground may be incapable of growing natural products, as soil contamination may occur with more than 1600 microorganisms potentially wiped out by GM proliferation.

Monsanto may have the code to transform the planet in the coming decades, if we let them. There is a massive outrage against GMOs in the world today, but is it enough to stop the powers in charge?

The Monsanto marketing spin on GM use is remarkable, so are the profits. Imagine, no farmer allowed to plant natural seeds, but rather bioengineered Monsanto seeds? Welcome to the world according to Monsanto.

http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/cl...
http://www.angrymermaid.org/monsanto
http://www.raw-wisdom.com/50harmful.

Suzanne