How “Extreme Levels” of Roundup in Food Became the Industry Norm | Cornucopia Institute

How “Extreme Levels” of Roundup in Food Became the Industry Norm

March 31st, 2014

Independent Science News

by Thomas Bøhn and Marek Cuhra

Soybeans

Credit: USDA NRCS

Food and feed quality are crucial to human and animal health. Quality can be defined as sufficiency of appropriate minerals, vitamins and fats, etc. but it also includes the absence of toxins, whether man-made or from other sources. Surprisingly, almost no data exist in the scientific literature on herbicide residues in herbicide tolerant genetically modified (GM) plants, even after nearly 20 years on the market.

In research recently published by our laboratory (Bøhn et al. 2014) we collected soybean samples grown under three typical agricultural conditions: organic, GM, and conventional (but non-GM). The GM soybeans were resistant to the herbicide Roundup, whose active ingredient is glyphosate.

We tested these samples for nutrients and other compounds as well as relevant pesticides, including glyphosate and its principal breakdown product, Aminomethylphosponic acid (AMPA). All of the individual samples of GM-soy contained residues of both glyphosate and AMPA, on average 9.0 mg/kg. This amount is greater than is typical for many vitamins. In contrast, no sample from the conventional or the organic soybeans showed residues of these chemicals (Fig. 1).

This demonstrates that Roundup Ready GM-soybeans sprayed during the growing season take up and accumulate glyphosate and AMPA. Further, what has been considered a working hypothesis for herbicide tolerant crops, i.e. that, as resistant weeds have spread:

“there is a theoretical possibility that also the level of residues of the herbicide and its metabolites may have increased” (Kleter et al. 2011)

is now shown to be actually happening.

via How “Extreme Levels” of Roundup in Food Became the Industry Norm | Cornucopia Institute.

Alfalfa / GE Crops and Foods (Not on the Market) / Topics / Resources / Take Action – Canadian Biotechnology Action Network – CBAN

Breaking News, March 28, 2014: GM Alfalfa Release Delayed! Your actions are working. Thanks to all your protest, we have kept GM alfalfa off the market this spring! The company Forage Genetics International (FGI) will not release genetically modified (GM) alfalfa this spring, thanks to farmer and consumer opposition. Your continued protest, culminating in last year’s national Day of Action to Stop GM Alfalfa, has delayed the release of GM alfalfa in Canada. Thank you for taking effective action with CBAN!

via Alfalfa / GE Crops and Foods (Not on the Market) / Topics / Resources / Take Action – Canadian Biotechnology Action Network – CBAN.

Company right to not release GM alfalfa this spring, says NFU | National Farmers Union

Company right to not release GM alfalfa this spring, says NFU

(March 28, 2014, North Bay, ON)- The National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased to learn that Forage Genetics International (FGI) has decided not to begin selling herbicide-tolerant genetically modified (GM) alfalfa this spring. The company’s decision to delay the introduction of GM alfalfa into Canada was confirmed in the March 27 edition of The Western Producer and is consistent with recent statements made by seed companies in Quebec and Ontario. In 2013, without public input or notification, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) granted registration to several varieties of GM Roundup Ready alfalfa, which means FGI and their distributors could legally sell the herbicide-tolerant GM alfalfa across Canada.

 

Ontario grass-fed beef farmer and NFU member, Dave Lewington said, “By deciding not to sell GM alfalfa in Canada for spring planting, FGI is, at some level, admitting that the concerns of farmers across Canada are serious. It is unfortunate that our own government has failed to acknowledge the severe economic impact that the commercial release of GM alfalfa would have on Canadian farmers.”

 

via Company right to not release GM alfalfa this spring, says NFU | National Farmers Union.

Genetically Modified at 20 – YouTube

Published on 26 Mar 2014

As the 20th anniversary of GMOs in Canada approaches, what have we learned in two decades? Are we any closer to scientifically proving whether GMOs are safe or harmful to our health? The Agenda examines why this issue still remains such a polarizing force.

via Genetically Modified at 20 – YouTube.

Mayans Win Huge Battle to Ban GMO Soy Crops : Natural Society

Mayans of the Campeche Region have just won a two-year legal battle to get rid of Monsanto and their GMO soybeans (suicide beans). Following the ban of GM maize in Mexico, this ancient and agriculturally savvy culture has won a major battle against biotech monopolies around the globe.

The Second District Court ruled in favor of three Mayan communities from the Hopelchén township who dared to take on the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock , Rural Development, Fisheries and Food ( Sagarpa) and the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources ( SEMARNAT).

This means that Saragapa now must make a concerted effort to be sure that no GM soybeans are planted throughout Pachen and Cancabchen communities in Hopelchén. Just two years ago, the same agency allowed Monsanto’s RoundUp Ready GMO soybeans to be planted in the region – infecting more than 253,000 hectares with suicide seeds that cause human infertility and poison the environment.

via Mayans Win Huge Battle to Ban GMO Soy Crops : Natural Society.

March Against Monsanto Comox Valley

Although I organized the last two March Against Monsanto’s in the Comox Valley, I am not able to do the next one in May.

I am hoping that someone will come forward and continue this important March. I am happy to work anyone who wants to do it and share what has worked and what hasn’t.

It would be great to see this tradition continue. Please email me and I can tell you what you might need to know. cvnogmo@gmail.com

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com

 

March Against Monsanto Comox Valley

Although I organized the last two March Against Monsanto’s in the Comox Valley, I am not able to do the next one in May.

I am hoping that someone will come forward and continue this important March. I am happy to work anyone who wants to do it and share what has worked and what hasn’t.

It would be great to see this tradition continue. Please email me and I can tell you what you might need to know. cvnogmo@gmail.com

http://www.march-against-monsanto.com

Vandana Shiva explains clearly why GMOs are a death knell to biodiversity and farming – YouTube

Vandana Shiva explains clearly why GMOs are a death knell to biodiversity and farming – YouTube.

Why Does Everyone Hate Monsanto? – Modern Farmer

Over the past decade, Monsanto has become a pop cultural bogeyman, the face of corporate evil. The company and its genetically modified organism (GMO) seeds have been the subject of muckraking documentaries (“Forks Over Knives” and “GMO OMG“), global protests, and assaults by everybody from environmental activists to “The Colbert Report.” Facebook and other social media are awash in memes (here’s a blog devoted to the topic) and hashtags like #monsantoevil. And it seems everyone, from your plumber to your mother, has an opinion about the company. This past year, when Monsanto bought a weather data company called the Climate Corporation for about $1 billion, David Friedberg, the company’s CEO, found himself bending over backwards justifying his decision to sell.  (As if the money wasn’t enough reason!) Friedberg told the New Yorker that even his father disapproved: “His first reaction was, ‘Monsanto? The most evil company in the world? I thought you were trying to make the world a BETTER place?’” (Friedberg also felt compelled to write a letter to his entire staff, laying out his rationale for Monsanto’s aptness as a new owner.) In short, you don’t need to have a degree in marketing and communications to see that Monsanto has a PR problem.

via Why Does Everyone Hate Monsanto? – Modern Farmer.

Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France | Collective-Evolution

Monsanto has been the topic of a lot of news lately, especially with the multi-country march that took place against Monsanto a short time ago. What can be seen as another big victory for public health, a French court found Monsanto guilty for poisoning a French Farmer. Paul Francois is a humble farmer who began experiencing neurological problems such as memory loss and headaches after being exposed to Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller back in 2004. The decision reached 2012 for this case sets a powerful precedent that can continue to help raise awareness and dismantel the ignorance that exists around Monsanto and their products, including GMO foods.

In previous cases against the pesticide giant, farmers were unable to prove and properly link pesticide exposure to the side effects they were having. This is not the case for Francois’s,  as an expert opinion was able to determine the sum of the damages incurred and verify the link the Lasso pesticide and his illnesses.

After the case ruling, Reuters attempted to contact Monsanto’s lawyers but they decline to comment.

via Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in France | Collective-Evolution.