Monsanto Kicked Out of Greece and Latvia
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Christina Sarich, writing in Infowars, reports that first Scotland and Germany booted GMOs from their countries, citing fear of GMO crops contaminating their food supplies and concern over putting their food and beverage industries in jeopardy. Now, Greece and Latvia are telling Monsanto exactly what they can do with their genetically modified crops. The tide is turning. A tipping point just became evident through the actions of two additional European countries who have had enough of the Biotech strong arm.
The geographical opt-outs specifically target Monsanto’s MON810 GM Maize, which countries may choose to grow or refuse in the next several months. This is currently the only genetically modified crop allowed to be grown within the EU at present – but only when countries give specific permission.
As Sustainable Pulse explains, “while the European Commission is responsible for approvals, requests to be excluded also have to be submitted to the company making the application; i.e. Monsanto for MON810.”
If additional member states deny Monsanto, we can be assured that the biotech company will try to find other ways to force their GM crops on the world (e.g. the Trans Pacific Trade partnership) but as we collectively say NO, upholding bans, and demanding labeling, we will rid this planet of the plague that is genetically modified food.
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GMO POTATOES BEING SOLD AS ‘WHITE RUSSETS’
The first generation of genetically modified potatoes, created by J.R. Simplot Company, are being marketed as “White Russets.” Doug Cole, the company’s director of marketing and communications, said about 400 acres worth sold out last summer in grocery stores in 10 states in the Midwest and Southeast. The company plans to market about 2,000 acres of potatoes next summer.
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GLYPHOSATE PRODUCTS BEING BANNED
No doubt Monsanto is feeling the heat after the World Health Organization declared glyphosate to be “probably carcinogenic.” Since then, not only have Bermuda and Sri Lanka banned the import and use of glyphosate within their borders, but a huge German superstore stopped stocking glyphosate-containing products on their shelves.
And now, two Swiss supermarkets have also stopped carrying glyphosate-containing products.
As reported by Sustainable Pulse, Coop and Migros recently each announced they will no longer sell products that contain glyphosate and will be exploring non-toxic weed killing alternatives.
This is a huge victory for activists against Monsanto, and a clear sign that consumer efforts are working their magic. No doubt countless more countries and businesses will follow suit in the near future.
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MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO
Fraudulent. And Illegal.
You’ve heard it over and over again from Monsanto’s public relations machine: GMOs have been thoroughly tested and proven safe.
You know it isn’t true. But unfortunately, many people—and many U.S. lawmakers—have heard only Big Biotech’s side of the story. And they’ve heard it so often it’s ingrained in their minds.
It’s up to us to counter Monsanto’s message. In the media. In meetings with Congress members. In phone calls and emails to Congress members.
Thankfully, Steven M. Druker, executive director of the Alliance for Bio-Integrity and author of “Altered Genes, Twisted Truth, How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public,” has made it easier for you to become a messenger of the truth.
Druker has taken key points from his 528-page book and created a short 30-point argument for why the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s decision to allow GMO foods, untested and unlabeled, into the marketplace was fraudulent and illegal. Druker says:
“In reality, FDA decision-makers disregarded the input of the agency’s own scientists, covered up their warnings about the risks, lied about the facts and have failed to conduct any genuine scientific reviews at all (a fact even acknowledged by FDA officials). Without such frauds, GE foods could never have come to market; and they could not remain there if the frauds became widely known. Moreover, the FDA’s policy on GE foods violates federal food safety law, and these novel products are on the market illegally.”
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JUDGE OVERTURNS MEXICO’S GMO CORN BAN
A judge has just overturned Mexico’s ban on the planting of GMO corn.
Mexico is the country where corn — or maize — was first developed from wild teosinte grain more than 8,000 years ago. And since 2013, Monsanto and other biotech giants have been banned from bringing their brand of pesticide-soaked, genetically engineered corn farming to Mexico.
But after dozens of appeals filed by an army of industry lawyers, a judge overturned the ban. It opens the door for Monsanto’s corporate takeover of Mexico’s corn seed supply.
As the country where corn originated, Mexico has an amazing array of native corn varieties and biodiversity. Generations of small farmers have relied on corn for their livelihood. Nothing is more fundamental to Mexican culture than corn. But all of that is threatened by Monsanto’s efforts to monopolize food production in Mexico, as it has in so many other countries. We’ve seen it happen before — Monsanto seeds were introduced to India’s cotton farms. Now they dominate 95% of India’s seeds in the cotton industry.
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CAN YOU TRUST THE FOX TO PROPERLY GUARD THE HENOUSE?
Perdue Farms Inc. agreed to acquire Natural Food Holdings and its Niman Ranch brand, a pork supplier for Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc., as part of its goal to expand into organic and antibiotic-free meat.
Closely held Perdue, the third-largest U.S. chicken producer, said in a statement Tuesday it’s buying the business from private-equity firm LNK Partners. Perdue didn’t disclose terms for the deal, which is expected to be completed soon.
Chairman Jim Perdue, whose grandfather founded the Salisbury, Maryland-based company in 1920, has targeted premium-quality meats that appeal to health-conscious consumers. He bought Coleman Natural Foods in 2011, selling organic chicken cuts and cooked sausages under that brand. It’s now the largest U.S. producer of organic chicken.
Niman Ranch will give Perdue pork, beef, lamb, cage-free eggs and a variety of smoked and cured meats sourced from animals raised to “high welfare standards” and without any antibiotics, according to the statement. Niman includes more than 700 independent family farmers and ranchers across the U.S.
“This represents the next chapter in our growth through premium proteins and trusted brands,” Perdue said.
Perdue intends to increase the number of family farmers in the Niman network and expand distribution into more U.S. cities, President Randy Day said in the statement.
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