Proof that Monsanto’s Roundup Ready creates weed resistance – Puts the responsibility back on the farmer

By April Reeves

Monsanto is always trying to convince North Americans that Roundup Ready is safe and won’t create resistance, but in Australia, farmers sign on the dotted line to keep vigil over their use of the chemical.

“However, the ministry flagged the importance of farmers following procedures to avoid any threat of weedkiller resistance being spread to surrounding plants.

“Effective stewardship of Roundup Ready varieties is important in minimizing the risk of developing glyphosate-tolerant weeds,” a report of the crop trials said.

Monsanto imposes smallprint on buyers of its GM seed range that they inform neighboring farmers, permit official inspections and undertake “weed walks” after glyphosate sprays to see if resistance is spreading.”

Is this not a direct admission to a problem? Those of us who protest these chemicals already know of Roundup’s hazards, yet our governments go on blindly approving it.

Now Monsanto is putting the responsibility onto the farmer. “It’s your problem if something goes wrong” seems to be the statement here.

Why would any farmer WANT to take this on? Does this now open up the farmer to potential law suits from anyone?

Please continue to eat Organic as much and whenever you can.

GMO seed watch: You won’t know you’re planting GM seeds

Here is a GMO  variety heads up, courtesy of Maureen Bostock (a BC expat now based in  Ontario)

It seems Seedway Company out of Pennsylvania is selling BT Sweet Corn in  the U.S. & southwestern Ontario.

The  varieties are marked by the “Attribute” label and are produced by  Syngenta.  BC 0801, WH 0812, BC 0832, BC 0808, BC 0805, BSS 0977 and  BSS 0982 are some of the sweet corn variety names.

Maureen mentioned  that as far as she knows growers are required to sign a user’s agreement for this sweet corn – so most organic producers can easily avoid purchasing  these varieties; but GE varieties of crookneck summer squash are also  listed, and apparently growers are not required to sign a user’s agreement  for them.

Rochelle Eisen
BC’s Organic Extension  Agent
250 499.2413 (phone)
250.502.0323  (cell)
ONLINE  archives of COABC’s Fall Webinar Series <http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/infonews/events.php>  are available
http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/infonews/events.php#seminar

Appeal to farmers and consumers – Act now to stop GM alfalfa

Send your comments to the US Department of Agriculture by February 16,
2010.

Its not yet legal for Monsanto to sell its GM alfalfa seeds in Canada
but a US injunction on planting in that country could soon be
overturned. If GM alfalfa is planted in the US, it will quickly
contaminate our food system as well as Canadian alfalfa crops. It will
also lead to the legalization of GM alfalfa in Canada (Canada approved
Monsanto’s GM Roundup Ready alfalfa in 2005 but it still needs variety
registration as a last step before commercialization here).

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was court-ordered to conduct
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on alfalfa and GM alfalfa
plantings were halted until this EIS was satisfactorily completed.
This draft EIS is now out for comment until February 16. Farmers and
their organizations in Canada are encouraged to send comments about
the expected impact of GM alfalfa contamination. Consumers are also
asked to express their concern.

Our strong action could stop GM alfalfa and result in an unprecedented
ruling about the real contamination risks of GM.

Please take one of these three actions.

1. Send comments from the web: Our partner in the US, The Center of
Food Safety, has launched an action where consumers and farmers can
send comments from their website http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS

2. Coordinate with us to write your substantial comments – Please also
send us your comments and cc them to the Minister of Agriculture and
Agriculture Critics from other Parties. Contact Lucy Sharratt, CBAN
Coordinator at 613 241 2267 ext.6 or coordinator@cban.ca

3. Sign your group to the “No to GMO Alfalfa” statement http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa

The “No to GMO Alfalfa” Campaign in Canada is coordinated by the
Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of the Saskatchewan Organic
Directorate and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network

For more information: http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa coordinator@cban.ca
613 241 2267 ext. 6

Tell the US Government That You Care About GE Contamination of Organic
Food!
In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically
engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa.  The federal courts sided with
CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of
the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous
analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS). USDA
released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009.  A 60-day comment period
is now open until February 16, 2010.  This is the first time the USDA
has done this type of analysis for any GE crop.  Therefore, the final
decision will have broad implications for all GE crops.

CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not
taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, organic dairies, or
consumers seriously.  USDA’s preliminary determination is to once
again deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for
farmers or the environment. Instead USDA has completely dismissed the
fact that contamination will threaten export and domestic markets and
organic meat and dairy products.  And, incredibly, USDA is claiming
that there is no evidence that consumers care about such GE
contamination of organic!

USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of
organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the
transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat
product, despite the fact that more than 75% of consumers believe that
they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy
organic.

USDA claims that Monsanto’s seed contracts require measures sufficient
to prevent genetic contamination, and that there is no evidence to the
contrary. But in the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found
that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several
Western states with these same business-as-usual practices in place!

USDA predicts that the approval of GE alfalfa would damage family
farms and organic markets, yet doesn’t even consider any limitations
or protections against this scenario.  Small, family farmers are the
backbone and future of American agriculture and must be protected.
Organic agriculture provides many benefits to society: healthy foods
for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and
rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of
the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is
imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic
production systems from GE contamination and subsequent environmental,
consumer, and economic losses.

Tell USDA That You DO Care About GE Contamination of Organic Crops and
Food! http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS

This alert was published by the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of
the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate and the Canadian Biotechnology
Action Network. January 2010.

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
431 Gilmour Street, Second Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext.6
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator@cban.ca
www.cban.ca

Interesting viewpoints on the future of food security

The following 2 posts were in the Western Producer. It’s interesting how Big Biotech’s are on this crusade to ‘feed the world’. I have commented many times both here and in speaking that they have no such intention. Poor people can’t buy food. Period. Finally, someone else shares my thoughts, only this time with a twist:

By Barry Wilson, Ottawa bureau
November 19, 2009

The marvel of 21st century science is that it seems to have almost no limit other than stilted imaginations.

The physical mysteries of life are revealed through genome mapping.

A rocket is crashed into the moon and water is discovered.

The laboratory has become nature-in-a-hurry, making discoveries that would have been science fiction a generation ago.

Now, if those brainiacs could just create a way to embed calories into empty rhetoric, the world’s billion hungry people would find their bellies growing from nutrition.

Was 2009 the year that the world turned against GMO?

Lucy Sharratt – CBAN Coordinator <coordinator@cban.ca>

Welcome to a new year of action! 2010 will certainly be a critical
year on GM crops and foods here in Canada. GM flax contamination, GM
alfalfa, SmartStax corn, new health critiques, Monsanto’s increased
seed control, GM sugarbeet, and GM wheat are all active issues and
campaigns right now. And the industry has stepped up its PR to sell GM
as the solution to the crises of our time. Please consider your
support to CBAN and our campaigns this year. Stay tuned for new
announcements from CBAN and our Members across Canada. Thank you for
your support and action.

Was 2009 the year that the world turned against GM?

The Ecologist, UK
Claire Robinson & Jonathan Matthews
http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/other_comments/395845/was_2009_the_year_the_world_turned_against_gm.html
11.01.2010

Claire Robinson and Jonathan Matthews are co-editors of GMWatch

Despite promising the world in 2009, biotech corporations have
increasingly raised the hackles of scientists and citizens worldwide

2009 was a year in which the biotech industry, Gates and their US
Administration allies did everything in their power to drive the world
down the GM road, but it was also a year marked by remarkable global
resistance.

It was a year too in which the truth emerged more clearly than ever
about not just the severe limitations and risks of GM crops, but the
viability of the many positive alternatives to GMOs alternatives from
which the profit-driven GM-fixation diverts much needed attention and
resources.

Fabulous Food site – Yale Open Classes!

By April Reeves

This course encompasses the study of eating as it affects the health and well-being of every human. Topics include taste preferences, food aversions, the regulation of hunger and satiety, food as comfort and friendship, eating as social ritual, and social norms of blame for food problems. The politics of food discusses issues such as sustainable agriculture, organic farming, genetically modified foods, nutrition policy, and the influence of food and agriculture industries. Also examined are problems such as malnutrition, eating disorders, and the global obesity epidemic; the impact of food advertising aimed at children; poverty and food; and how each individual’s eating is affected by the modern environment. view class sessions >>

This is a brilliant series for anyone in any aspect of the food industry, especially the marketing videos. Each video is easy to load and all videos will have you thinking….

A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health

By April Reeves

Found an interesting study from The International Journal of Biological Sciences on their findings of how GM foods affect us:

We present for the first time a comparative analysis of blood and organ system data from trials with rats fed three main commercialized genetically modified (GM) maize (NK 603, MON 810, MON 863), which are present in food and feed in the world. NK 603 has been modified to be tolerant to the broad spectrum herbicide Roundup and thus contains residues of this formulation. MON 810 and MON 863 are engineered to synthesize two different Bt toxins used as insecticides. Approximately 60 different biochemical parameters were classified per organ and measured in serum and urine after 5 and 14 weeks of feeding. GM maize-fed rats were compared first to their respective isogenic or parental non-GM equivalent control groups. This was followed by comparison to six reference groups, which had consumed various other non-GM maize varieties. We applied nonparametric methods, including multiple pairwise comparisons with a False Discovery Rate approach. Principal Component Analysis allowed the investigation of scattering of different factors (sex, weeks of feeding, diet, dose and group).

Our analysis clearly reveals for the 3 GMOs new side effects linked with GM maize consumption, which were sex- and often dose-dependent. Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn. In addition, unintended direct or indirect metabolic consequences of the genetic modification cannot be excluded.

Monsanto Signs Multi-Year Sponsorship of Canadian Curling Association

According to this press release from the Canadian Curling Association,
their corporate sponsor “Monsanto remains focused on enabling both
small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land
while conserving more of our world’s natural resources such as water
and energy.”

If anyone would like to correct the Canadian Curling
Association, you can write  to Greg Stremlaw, Chief Executive Officer,
Canadian Curling Association 613-834-2076, ext 117
gstremlaw@curling.ca 1660 Vimont Court Cumberland, Ontario K4A 4J4

(Please, please email this man – April)

Monsanto Canada Signs New Multi-Year Presenting Sponsorship
http://www.seasonofchampions.ca/2010worlds/news497.asp

OTTAWA, June 16, 2009…The Canadian Curling Association (CCA) today
announced that Monsanto Canada has extended its involvement as the
presenting sponsor of several premier curling championships in Canada
through 2013.

This new multi-year agreement makes Monsanto the presenting sponsor of
the 2010 Ford world women’s curling championship, March 20-28 in Swift
Current, Saskatchewan, the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Tim Hortons Brier
(Canadian men’s curling championship) and the next three Continental
Cups (the Ryder Cup-like competition featuring Team North America
versus Team World) during those seasons, at sites and dates to be
announced.

Monsanto’s control over seeds and the seed market

Monsanto’s control over seeds and the seed market: Investigation (Lucy Sharratt – CBAN Coordinator)

Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:34:11 -0500

Also see that there is a new report: “The Seed Price Premium: The
Magnitude and Impact of the Biotech and Organic Seed Price Premium” www.organic-center.org

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/1310ap_us_seed_giant.html
Monsanto seed business role revealed
By Christopher Leonard, Associated Press
December 14 2009
EDITED

Confidential contracts detailing Monsanto Co.’s business practices
reveal how the world’s biggest seed developer is squeezing
competitors, controlling smaller seed companies and protecting its
dominance over the multi-billion-dollar market for genetically altered
crops, an Associated Press investigation has found.

With Monsanto’s patented genes being inserted into roughly 95 percent
of all soybeans and 80 percent of all corn grown in the U.S., the
company also is using its wide reach to control the ability of new
biotech firms to get wide distribution for their products, according
to a review of several Monsanto licensing agreements and dozens of
interviews with seed industry participants, agriculture and legal
experts.

Three Major GMO’s Approved for Food and Feed Found Unsafe

Int J Biol Sci 2009; 5(7), 706-726

Caen, 14 December 2009: In what is being described as the first ever and most comprehensive study of three major GMOs  about  assessing  the  effects on mammalian health, researchers  from CRIIGEN and Universities of Caen  and Rouen have highlighted a number of new sex  and often dose dependent side effects  linked  with  their  consumption.  Their  study  of  the  90-day  feeding  trials  data  of  insecticide producing Mon 810, Mon 863 and Roundup herbicide absorbing NK 603 varieties of GM maize clearly underlines adverse impacts on kidneys and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, as well as different levels of damages  to heart,  adrenal  glands,  spleen  and haematopoietic system. Ironically,  the  confidential  raw data  of  Monsanto  about  feeding  trials  on  rats  that  these researchers  have  analyzed  allowed  the international authorization of these three commercialized GMOs in
different parts of the world.

GE-contaminated flax seed raises concerns for Canadian organic sector

September 11, 2009

SACKVILLE, NB — The Organic Trade Association (OTA) in Canada has called the recent discovery of contaminated flax seed in Europe “unacceptable,” and said biotechnology companies must take responsibility for damages caused by their lack of appropriate containment protocols.

The European Commission′s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has discovered an illegal genetically engineered (GE) trait in German food products, which originated from Canada. Although no organic products have been implicated at this time, the discovery of this unauthorized GE trait in food products is a major concern for the Canadian organic sector, and for consumers around the world. The GE flax in question, called `Triffid,′ was designed specifically to withstand applications of synthetic chemical pesticides.

“It′s time for biotech companies to be good parents and take responsibility for their children. The owners of GE crops need to assume the liability for loss of market access due to their technologies appearing in countries or products in which they are not wanted. As GE products are not permitted under organic standards, the organic sector in Canada is extremely concerned by the prospect of losing access to its essential markets in Europe, Asia and around the world,” said Matthew Holmes, managing director of OTA in Canada.

Canadian Flax Not Shipping to EU, Key Port to Close

Canada Flax Not Shipping to EU, Key Port to Close
Reuters, UK, Rod Nickel
http://ca.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idCATRE5B84JP20091209
09.12.2009

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – Canada has not shipped any of its new
flax crop to its top market, the European Union, because of concerns
about genetically modified (GMO) material, the Flax Council of Canada
said on Wednesday.

And the window of opportunity is closing as the crops most important
port nears closure for the winter.

The European Union, which traditionally buys 70 percent of Canadas
flax, first detected GMO material in a Canadian flax shipment in July.
There is no GMO flax approved in the EU, where consumers are wary of
long-term GMO effects (smart people I say – April).

What is The Copenhagen Climate Conference Really About?

It’s unusual for me to add a non-GMO/GE issue to the blog, but this is one that caught my attention. While I am all for carbon reduction and offsetting climate change, something didn’t ‘smell’ right when I began to read about Copenhagen’s Climate Conference.

If you feel the same, check out this video by Annie Leonard. Annie is one of those people who really digs for her information, and like me, gets on the phone and talks to people until the REAL story comes forward. If it was all a blurr for you before, this video will spell it out in black and white.

So what does this have to do with GE? Well, our food, to put it bluntly. And darn, we humans need to eat, so by not being educated on this subject would be rather ironic, don’t you think? I truly believe in my lifetime, I will see one of the most influential shifts in humankind since Jesus. Of course it will be good, but sometimes, in order for us to fully understand what it is we want (clean air, healthy food, green planet) we will have to catch a glimpse of what we don’t want – much like not really understanding what white is until you see black.

Please comment all you want about this matter. It’s important that we realize we won’t solve the crisis with the same methods we used to collapse this country. We must change the way we think.

This goes hand-in-hand with our food production.

Resistant weeds increase Pesticide use on GE crops

New Report Reveals Dramatic Rise in Pesticide Use on Genetically Engineered (GE) Crops Due to the Spread of Resistant Weeds

http://www.organic-center.org
GE crops increase herbicide use by 383 million pounds from 1996 to
2008, with 46 percent of the total increase occurring in 2007 and 2008

Genetically engineered (GE) corn, soybeans and cotton have increased use of weed-killing herbicides by 383 million pounds in the U.S. from 1996 to 2008, according to a new report titled “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First 13 Years (PDF)” announced today by The Organic Center (TOC), the Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the
Center for Food Safety (CFS). In addition, GE corn and cotton have reduced insecticide use by 64 million pounds, resulting in an overall increase of 318 million pounds of pesticides over the first 13 years of commercial use.

Terminator seed – What’s Canada’s true position?

Alert! Correct the Minister on Terminator!

By Lucy Sharratt, CBAN

Nov 18 2009

Contact Gerry Ritz today about Terminator

Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz: Incorrect and alarming statements about Terminator in Canada

Our Minister of Agriculture has made incorrect statements on Terminator technology to Chinese officials – he stated that Canadian canola is Terminator! But this is absolutely wrong as Terminator has never been field tested or commercialized anywhere in the world.

On November 5th, the Manitoba Cooperator reported that the Minister said he told Chinese officials that they need not fear Chinese farmers growing Canadian canola because the seeds will not grow: “I assured
them that with the varieties we have now, it’s not going to work  because they all have Terminator seeds in them…”

Apparently Canada’s Minister of Agriculture does not know what Terminator technology is, does not know that there is an international moratorium on Terminator, and has not paid attention to the thousands of letters and postcards opposing Terminator sent by Canadians over the past 4 years.

The Minister’s statement leads us to ask: Why is the Minister not correctly informed about this highly controversial GM technology? What is the Government’s true position on Terminator? Would the
Conservative Government support the use of Terminator seeds if the technology was available?

We need to demand that the Minister correct his statements to Chinese officials and state the Government’s opposition to Terminator.

TAKE ACTION:

Could Monsanto implode?

A look at how GE Corporate Policy can backfire from protectionism, and the chaos it creates in communities.

by April Reeves

I’m not one to believe everything on the web so I usually pick up a phone and do my own research. However (news stories being true at this moment) it seems as though Monsanto may be in a GM pickle.

When you create any patent, you are now in constant vigil to protect the patent from theft, plagiarism, and misuse. Put that patent on one of the most vital industries known to mankind – food – and it’s a recipe for disaster. Damage control is a ‘corporate division’ in itself for the big biotechs, and that’s got to help drive up the cost of seeds.

Monsanto bans farmers from using Roundup Ready

Monsanto Bans Fined Farmers from Future Roundup Ready Use

Country Guide, Canada
21.10.2009

Four southern Ontario farmers fined a total of over $90,000 for unlicensed use of Roundup Ready soybeans are the first to be banned from future use of Monsanto’s patented genetics under its violator exclusion policy.

“One of the more significant outcomes of the case against these four growers is that it marks the first time Monsanto has implemented its violator exclusion policy,” the Winnipeg-based Canadian wing of the U.S. seed and ag chem firm said in a release Monday.

“Under this policy, violators who do not reach a settlement with Monsanto and whose violation results in Monsanto having to go to court, lose all access to current and future Monsanto technologies.”

The four growers fines vary between $66 per acre and $185 per acre, the company said, for amounts owing to Monsanto between $9,228 and $62,748.

Monsanto steps up its actions against Farmers

Monsanto’s “Seed Piracy” newsletter at http://www.monsanto.ca Wed, 21
Oct 2009: “Eastern Canada Seed Piracy Update: Recent Litigation in  Ontario”. Monsanto is stepping up its actions against farmers and  continues to advertise its toll-free line to inform on farmers who may  be saving seed.

Monsanto Wins Legal Battle, May Lose War

Winnipeg Free Press, Canada
Laura Rance

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/monsanto-wins-legal-battle-may-lose-war-70094902.html

14.11.2009

One of the first lessons toddlers learn in the sandbox is when you want to play with someone else’s toys, you play by their rules.

It’s a lesson a few farmers in Ontario are learning the hard way after being found guilty of infringing on Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready technology.

Not only have the courts decided they must repay any profits derived  from growing Roundup Ready soybeans without a licence from Monsanto,  they must also pay a significant portion of the company’s costs for  taking them to court — amounts ranging from $9,000 to $63,000 per  individual.

As well, these four farmers are among the first to be confronted with  Monsanto’s new Violator Exclusion Policy. They will be denied all  access to Monsanto’s current and future technologies — forever.

Genetically Engineered Flu?

Driftwood Newspaper
August, 2009

Genetically Engineered Flu

From Salt Spring Seeds Website: please visit

Dan Jason

I’ve have been following the Swine flu story since April and I am writing this because I am horrified by what I have been observing.

Many longtime customers of Salt Spring Seeds might know that I have been opposed to genetically modified foods and seeds since their introduction in the early 90s. The truth about GMO foods is now clear even though corporations like Monsanto continue to genetically alter our food: the only ones to benefit are the ones who make the altered food and the chemicals needed to grow it.

To me there is an obvious connection between genetically modified crops and swine flu. I have no doubt that this virus was in fact genetically engineered. The “authorities” say that the virus came from a mutation that somehow combined human, bird and pig genes.  I don’t believe that can just happen by itself any more than flounder genes can end up in tomatoes or Round-Up Ready genes can end up in soybeans or bacillus thuringiensis genes can end up in corn. No, this flu was created in the lab.

Additional Monsanto Triffid sites and information

Combat Monsanto Building a world free of Monsanto

GM Watch Illegal Triffid flax now in 16 countries

Colorado State U – Transgenic Crops   Interesting site and articles on all things GE

Parsley’s Notebook A very interesting read about Triffid and GE foods: “Of deep concern is a cavalier attitude representative of irresponsibility that pops up every once in awhile. If human beings are going to experiment with the building blocks of life, of food itself, it is a serious responsibility. Farmers must take it seriously.”

New Resilient GM Flax Contamination from Canada Soars to 28 Countries, Canadian farmers still have no answers. “Someone’s going to have to pay for testing our crops for contamination and any required clean-up. Who will be liable?”    “The Canadian government still refuses to consider market harm when they decide to approve GM crops. This obviously has to change immediately,” said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. “The entire regulatory system needs urgent reform or we will see even more widespread market chaos.”   “Farmers face the threat of unwanted contamination from GM crops, even when the crops are not supposed to be grown,” said Arnold Taylor an organic flax grower and Chair of the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate

 

 

Attack of the Triffids has flax farmers baffled

From the Globe And Mail National please visit

Genetically modified flax seeds have contaminated prairie fields, threatening a lucrative market overseas

Martin Mittelstaedt

(From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 6:38PM EDT Last updated on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 2:56AM EDT)

In the waning days of fall, prairie flaxseed farmers should be hopping onto their tractors and harvesting their crops of the trendy health food, but instead they’re in the midst of a major whodunit, with echoes of a long-forgotten movie thriller.

Somebody has contaminated Canada’s flax crop with trace amounts of a genetically modified variety, whimsically called Triffid after a 1960s horror flick that starred a villainous breed of plants replete with legs, intelligence and a venom-filled stinger.

To keep the Triffids at bay, Europe, which is hypersensitive to all things genetically modified, has slammed the doors on further imports of flaxseed from Canada, threatening a lucrative $320-million annual market for farmers. Already prices for flax have plunged by $2 to $3 a bushel from around $11 before reports of the contamination.

Farmers are mystified about why the Triffids are showing up now. The seeds, developed at the University of Saskatchewan in the 1990s, were never sold commercially in Canada and were all supposed to have been destroyed in 2001. But seeds derived from the university’s plant engineering program are being found all over Europe.

 

Please join us for these Events in Vancouver!

Proactive Planning For Pending Changes

Food Secure Vancouver Study – Phase 2
Please join us for a food policy forum. The forum is free and we have room for 150 participants. Last year the registration filled up in the first week – so register early!

When and Where:

Thursday, December 3, 2009
Langara College Cafeteria at 100 West 49th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
5:30 pm – 9:00 pm

To register, email your name and organization to rsvp@cshore.ca
For more information, call Barbara at (604) 215-9965

Co-sponsored by Langara College Continuing Studies

 

From Networking to Thinking Like a Network: Strategies for Growing Local Food Security Networks

Featuring
Barbara McMillan, Community Foundations of Canada

Addressing increasingly complex social, environmental, and economic problems with limited resources challenges us to work in more creative and strategic ways. One approach that can increase impact and sustainability is the intentional use of networks. This session will explore how voluntary sector organizations can increase their effectiveness by employing strategies such as network mapping and network listening. Group discussion, practical examples, and useful tools will help participants to move beyond “networking” towards “thinking like a network”.

Barbara McMillan is Community Foundations of Canada’s Director of Regional Strategies, as well as National Director of Youth in Philanthropy. She has worked in grant-making and social development for over 25 years and is currently focusing on organizational development, network management and effectiveness, and fostering strategies for collaboration.

Followed by an interactive panel discussion highlighting local experiences in developing & sustaining food security networks. A timely opportunity to learn and share for community volunteers, social service organizations, faith-based groups, public health workers, community developers, p olicy-makers, and all those interested in strengthening our community-based response to ensuring a healthy and sustainable food system for all.

When and Where:

Tuesday, December 8th, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Eye Care Centre Auditorium, #301 – 2550 Willow Street, Vancouver, BC

Event is free but space is limited.

Please RSVP to jmyrah@bc.cancer.ca by Nov. 30

Transportation information available upon RSVP
Wheelchair Accessible

Why so many people don’t buy into GE/GMO foods

By April Reeves

So what is it about GE/GMO foods that we are so against? Why can’t we just all calm down and allow these big corporations to go merrily along their way and plant the world? Perhaps the following insights might give you some understanding as to why consumers are moving away from Genetically Engineered foods.

Testing

I pick up the phone, I email, and I ask questions. I talk to Monsanto and the governments. Problem is, I can never get a black and white, yes or no answer.

If there are studies out there on the long-term effects (that show no harm) then why, WHY are we not privy to them? Surely a company with this wonderful data would be more than willing to share it with the world?

The Real Board Of Directors

The Construction of Biotechnology Policy in Canada – 1980 – 2002

By Devlin Kuyek

This is a long but great read where Devlin goes into detail about the Biotech industry and it’s roots in Canada.

“The voices of elected officials are excluded. The voices of self-serving non-elected officials set public policy.”

Real Board of Directors by Devlin Kuyek The Ram’s Horn – A monthly journal of food system analysis