Monsanto Forced to Withdraw Unsubstantiated Advertising Claims On Benefits of GM Crops

Gauteng — The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of South Africa has today ordered Monsanto to withdraw its advertisement on Radio 702 with immediate effect, wherein Monsanto claims the benefits of GM crops.

According to ASA, Monsanto’s claims were found to be unsubstantiated.

The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) lodged a complaint to the ASA following an advertisement on Radio 702 by Monsanto wherein Monsanto claims that GM crops

• “enable us to produce more food sustainably whilst using fewer resources;
• provide a healthier environment by saving on pesticides;
• decrease greenhouse gas emissions and increase crop yields substantially.”

The ACB was supported in its complaint by Ms Judith Taylor from Earthlife Africa.

Monsanto was given an opportunity by ASA to respond to the ACB’s complaint but was according to the ASA, only able to provide the ASA with links to documents on its website but was unable to provide, as it is required to in terms of South African law governing advertising, inputs from an independent and credible expert confirming the various studies that Monsanto relied upon showing the ostensible benefits of GM crops.

“We are elated with this decision. Monsanto has already been warned by the ASA as far back as 2007, that it needs to substantiate its claims from an independent and credible expert in the matter of GM Food/MWells/ 8739 (18 June 2007) regarding its claims of the so called benefits of GM crops.

Read the full story here:  http://allafrica.com/stories/201403201740.html

Avian Influenza Update

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – update
The previous report of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus detection in live poultry exported from mainland China to Hong Kong SAR shows the potential for the virus to spread through movement of live poultry,

• at this time there is no indication that international spread of avian influenza A(H7N9) has occurred.

However as the virus infection does not cause signs of disease in poultry, continued surveillance is needed.

Speaking of international spread of this, I read the following on the WHO website also. I know it doesn’t mean there is an international outbreak, but it does hit closer to home than China. :

On Jan. 9, 2014 the first case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus was reported in Canada and was the first confirmed human case in the Americas Region.

• WHO was informed by Canada of a laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus in a previously healthy adult, who was first symptomatic on 27 December 2013 and died 3 January 2014.
• The person visited Beijing, China, from 6 to 27 December 2013 and returned to Canada on 27 December 2013. The individual was symptomatic during travel with malaise and feeling feverish. The person travelled with one other individual who is well.
• Laboratory test was conducted at the Alberta Provincial Lab and confirmed by Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory.
• The person had no known exposure to poultry or other animals, nor to ill individuals.
• Close contacts, including household contacts and health care workers, are under observation and have received antiviral post-exposure prophylaxis.
• All contacts have been asymptomatic to date.
• Follow-up of the airline passengers is also ongoing.

Source: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_01_09_h5n1/en/

(Okay, back to the original story):

Avian influenza A(H7N9) is a subtype of influenza viruses that have been detected in birds in the past.

• This particular A(H7N9) virus had not previously been seen in either animals or people until it was found in March 2013 in China.
• However, since then, infections in both humans and birds have been observed.
• The disease is of concern because most patients have become severely ill.

Most of the cases of human infection with this avian H7N9 virus have reported recent exposure to live poultry or potentially contaminated environments, especially markets where live birds have been sold.

• This virus does not appear to transmit easily from person to person
• sustained human-to-human transmission has not been reported.

Here is a link to see the Avian Influenza situation updates or archives: http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/avian_influenza/archive/en/

• (Cases of human infection with H5N1 will only be reported on Disease Outbreak News for events that are unusual or associated with potential increased risks.)

Disease outbreak news

MARCH 20, 2014 – 
On March 19,  2014,
the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of an additional three laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus

Details of the cases reported are as follows:

• A 71 year-old woman from Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province. She became ill on 5 March, was admitted to a hospital on 15 March and is currently in a severe condition. The patient had a history of exposure to poultry.
• A 73 year-old man from Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, He became ill on 10 March, was admitted to a hospital on 17 March and is currently in a critical condition. The patient had a history of exposure to poultry.
• A 75 year-old woman from Chenzhou City, Hunan she became ill on 10 March, is currently hospitalised and in a stable condition.

Sporadic human cases

The overall risk assessment has not changed (see WHO Risk Assessment under ‘Related links’).

Should human cases from affected areas travel internationally, their infection may be detected in another country during or after arrival.
If this were to occur,

• community level spread is unlikely as the virus does not have the ability to transmit easily among humans. 
• Until the virus adapts itself for efficient human-to-human transmission, the risk of ongoing international spread of H7N9 virus by travellers* is low.

* Just for your information: (travellers, when spelled with two l’s generally means a person who travels habitually)

WHO advises that travellers to countries with known outbreaks of avian influenza should avoid:

• poultry farms,
• contact with animals in live bird markets,
• entering areas where poultry may be slaughtered,
• contact with any surfaces that appear to be contaminated with feces from poultry or other animals.

Travellers should also

• wash their hands often with soap and water,
• follow good food safety and good food hygiene practices.

WHO does not advise special screening at points of entry with regard to this event, nor does it currently recommend any travel or trade restrictions.

As always,

• a diagnosis of infection with an avian influenza virus should be considered in individuals who develop severe acute respiratory symptoms while travelling or soon after returning from an area where avian influenza is a concern.

WHO encourages countries to:

• carefully review any unusual patterns, in order to ensure reporting of human infections under the IHR (2005),
• continue national health preparedness actions.

Read the full story here:  http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_03_20_h7n9bis/en/

Sending out thoughts and prayers for a solution to come of this.

 

Save The Bees, Our Lives Depend On It.

Pic source:http://www.secretsofthefed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Save-the-Bees.jpg

Story via Greenpeace
Since the late 1990s, beekeepers around the world have observed the mysterious and sudden disappearance of bees, and report unusually high rates of decline in honeybee colonies.
Bees make more than honey – they are key to food production because they pollinate crops.
But currently, more and more bees are dying. The bee decline affects mankind too. Our lives depend on theirs.

The role of Bee

A third of all our food depends on their pollination. A world without pollinators would be devastating for food production. Who would pollinate all the crops? Hand-pollination is extremely labour-intensive, slow and expensive.
The economic value of bees’ pollination work has been estimated around € 265 billion annually, worldwide. To look at it from a purely economic point of view, it pays to protect the bees!

Greenpeace identified several bee-killers that need to be banned as a priority: This list includes imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, fipronil, chlorpyriphos, cypermethrin and deltamethrin.

A major threat to bees comes from the toxic chemical pesticides used in agriculture and several of them are reall bee-killers, especially the ones from the group called the “neonicotinoids”.
Neonicotinoids can cause acute and chronic poisoning with deadly consequences for individual bees and entire colonies.
Partial bans of neonicotinoids were already in place in Italy, France, Germany and Slovenia, with no significant negative impacts on agricultural production, but some positive effects on the health of the bees.

But this is not enough.

In addition to bee-killing pesticides, bees are weakened by climate change, parasites and the increasingly monotonous landscapes created by intensive agriculture that lead to a loss of biodiversity, availability of food and undisturbed habitats for wild bees and other pollinators.

The Solutions
A crucial first step toward saving the bees and agriculture is banning the use of bee-killing chemical pesticides.
Building hedgerows and creating wildflower areas, along with networked habitats, help the bees too – but banning bee-killer pesticides is crucial.
Luckily, ecological farming (farming without chemical pesticides and instead with high biodiversity) is increasingly in demand by consumers and is becoming widespread in many countries, including most of Europe.
Chemical pest control is replaced with other practices, such as beneficial insects or the planting of pest-repelling plants in the fields and in pest-attractive areas surrounding them.
Large-scale monocultures are converted into mixed farming systems with high biodiversity and high resilience against pest pressure.
Crop rotation is another tool for bee-friendly farming.
Nature parks and gardens with native plants can also benefit the bees.
Remember, our lives depend on theirs.
Join Greenpeace and save the bees and agriculture.  Sign the petition and read the full story here: http://sos-bees.org//

Source: Greenpeace

Pringles Now Owned By Kellogg’s

via GMO Free Usa

Sign the petition and tell Kellogg’s that America wants you to make ALL Kellogg’s products GMO-free, like you do in Europe and countries that require GMOs to be labeled. We want accountability by third party verification. Kellogg’s: Remove GMOs!  

The companies that create GMOs (Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta & others) are the same companies that created DDT and Agent Orange, now banned, and which cause serious generational disease and birth defects.
To explain the next paragraph:
Roundup Ready means the GMOs are sprayed with Roundup (glyphosate), a toxic weed killer, which is absorbed by the plant. Glyphosate was also patented by Monsanto as an antibiotic in 2011.
We sent a box of Froot Loops to a lab for genetic testing and found the corn and soy are 100% Roundup Ready GMO. Sugar is also a Roundup Ready GMO.
Not only is the corn in Froot Loops sprayed with Roundup, but it is a pesticide in its own right, registered with and regulated by the EPA.
Every cell of the plant produces pesticides called Bt toxins, which cause damage to red blood cells and bone marrow.
When rootworms bite into it, their stomachs rupture and they die. How disturbing is it that Kellogg’s is feeding children pesticides & antibiotics, without their parents’ knowledge or consent?

You have the power to create change! Please sign the petition, they need less than 4000 signatures of the 35000 required. Our future depends on it.

Source: GMO Free USA
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/191/501/748/kelloggs-remove-gmos-from-your-products/

Picture Source:http://powerfulmothers.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/world1.jpg

 

Historic Court Ruling Bans Bayer’s GM Maize in Brazil

Victory again!!!

In an historic ruling on Thursday Brazil’s Federal Appeals Court has unanimously decided to cancel the release for cultivation of Bayer’s Liberty Link GM Maize.
The ruling is another legal disaster for the biotech industry as it follows the decision taken earlier this week by a court in the Campeche region of Mexico to ban GM Soybean cultivation, to protect the traditions of the Mayan people, namely beekeeping. The Brazilian Court annulled the decision by Brazil’s Biosecurity Commission (CTNBio),
who had allowed the release for cultivation of Liberty Link GM Maize. The civil action against CTNBio was started by Land Rights, the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense – IDEC and the National Association of Small Farmers.
The decision is reported to have created new legal paradigm and may force Brazilian authorities to reconsider all other commercial releases of GMOs in Brazil.
Never before has a Judge stated that there is a need for studies on the negative impacts of GMOs in all major biomes in the country.
Federal Judge Candido Silva Alfredo Leal Junior, read excerpts from his decision for about an hour and a half.
In addition to his comments on biomes, the Judge ordered CTNBio to develop standards to enable the general public to have access to documents in the file processed by the Commission, allowing for their qualified involvement in the process of trade liberalization. Lawyer Fernando Prioste stated that the Court decision today is an important element that will support the people’s struggle for a model of agriculture based on agro-ecology, which guarantees rights for farmers and healthy food without pesticides for the population.
Read the whole story here: http://sustainablepulse.com/2014/03/14/historic-court-ruling-stops-cultivation-bayers-gm-maize-brazil/#.UyMiCvldUuB

Article Source: Sustainable Pulse
Picture Source: http://www.deepintolove.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/thank_you_god1.jpg

Center for Food Safety Sues USDA Over Missing Documents

March 13, 2014 (WASHINGTON, DC)—Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a lawsuit late yesterday demanding the release of federal documents which may uncover undue political pressure over USDA’s decision to approve genetically engineered alfalfa. The lawsuit seeks 1179 documents from USDA’s Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), which may explain why the agency abruptly reversed its position and granted unrestricted approval for Monsanto to sell Roundup Ready Alfalfa.

“USDA determined Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa posed significant environmental and economics harms and initially proposed placing restrictions on it. Yet the agency went ahead and granted full unrestricted approval one month later. Did the White House intervene? Did Monsanto pressure the agency? The fact is we don’t know, and unless the court orders USDA to hand over these documents we may never know,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety.

“APHIS’s sudden change of heart on the approval of Roundup Ready alfalfa has led to the contamination of organic and conventional alfalfa to the detriment of U.S. farmers, and threatens the health of our environment and the survival of sensitive species,” said Sylvia Wu, attorney for Center for Food Safety. “The public deserves an explanation from the agency. APHIS cannot be allowed to disregard the public’s right to access governmental records guaranteed by the Freedom of Information Act.”

Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the United States behind corn, soybeans and wheat. The third largest crop in terms of value, alfalfa is grown in every U.S. state and is the key feedstock for the dairy industry.

Roundup Ready alfalfa is genetically engineered to withstand the repeated applications of the herbicide ingredient glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide roundup. USDA data show that 90% of all the alfalfa planted by farmers in the U.S. was previously grown without the use of any herbicides.  Due to the planting of GE alfalfa USDA estimates that up to 23 million more pounds of toxic herbicides will be released into the environment each year.

Read the whole story here:http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/2973/ge-crops-why-did-usda-ignore-environmental-and-economic-harms

Source: Center For Food Safety, @GMOFreeUsa on Twitter

Mayans Win Legal Battle to Ban GM Soya in Mexico’s Campeche Region

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

In a landmark ruling, the Court granted in favor of the Pac -chen and Cancabchen communities in Hopelchén and determined that the effects of the ruling it applied to all municipalities affected by the permit for GM soybean cultivation in Campeche. Sagarpa now has an obligation to ensure that no GM Soybeans are planted in the state.

The Mayan communities stated that the planting of GM Soybeans affected the traditional historical practices of the people (beekeeping) and that there was a violation of their right to a healthy environment through the overuse of herbicides and deforestation that GMOs encourage.

Read the whole story here: http://sustainablepulse.com/2014/03/13/mayans-win-legal-battle-ban-gm-soya-cutivation-mexicos-campeche-region/#.UyKaS_ldUuA

(Posted on Mar 13 2014 – 2:00pm by Sustainable Pulse)

Sources: Sustainable Pulse, @GMOFreeUsa on Twitter