GE Tour Fundraising Dinner Event – Saturday, Nov 23

As you may know, GE Foods and Human Health: A Cross-Canada Speaker’s Tour has just begun and the events have been very well attended and have resulted in excellent discussions on GE/GMO foods & human health. We look forward to the rest of this tour with Dr. Thierry Vrain and Dr. Shiv Chopra as they continue to educate the public across Canada.

Nature’s Path is generously hosting a fundraising dinner in support of the tour this Saturday, November 23rd. If you’d like to attend, tickets may still be available.

New CBAN movie on the dangers of GE alfalfa

Take action now, watch the movie and click on the link below to email the Federal Minister of Agriculture

Great animated video on GM Alfalfa! 3-minute action-packed educational video on genetically modified alfalfa now posted!

Watch Now! <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlbtIEVF77Q&context=C383a5d6ADOEgsToPDskLqMXdLgQDBu5FNEPcMBWBW>Follow the bee as she finds out about Monsanto’s plans for genetically modified alfalfa. GM alfalfa is not yet legal in Canada but this could change soon. Alfalfa is an important crop for family farms and for the production of many organic foods. Together, we can still stop GM alfalfa!

Take Action to Stop GM Alfalfa!1. Share and post the video. Screen it at your community events.

2. Send your letter to the Minister of Agriculture instantly from http://www.cban.ca/alfalfaaction1

3. Find more information and action – get more involved at http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa

4. Donate today at http://www.cban.ca/donateThis video was produced by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network with support from:
The Big Carrot Natural Market Toronto www.thebigcarrot.ca
De Dell Seeds Incorporated www.dedellseeds.com
Green Being Farm www.greenbeingfarm.ca
Nature’s Path Foods www.naturespath.com
Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate www.oapf.saskorganic.com
The Organic Council of Ontario www.organiccouncil.ca
Smiley Guy Studios www.smileyguy.com

Alfalfa growers do not need or want genetically modified (GM) alfalfa and have been trying to stop it for at least five years. Organic food and farming in North America is under immediate threat from GM alfalfa. Conventional farmers will also lose their markets. The introduction of Monsanto’s GM herbicide tolerant (Roundup Ready) alfalfa would have serious negative impacts on many different types of farmers and farming systems. Because alfalfa is a perennial crop pollinated by bees, GM contamination is inevitable. GM alfalfa was actually approved in Canada in 2005 but still needs to go through one more step before it can be legally sold as seed in Canada. Protect family farms, join the campaign to stop GM alfalfa! For more information and action see http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa

BASF retreats from Europe as GM crops rejected

BASF retreats from Europe as GM crops rejected

Brussels, 16 January 2012 – BASF today announced it is abandoning its plans to develop and commercialise genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe .Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: “BASF admits that Europeans don’t want GM crops, and for good reason. It’s not just the worrying health concerns, GM crops go hand in glove with factory farming, pesticide use, pest resistance and disappointing long-term yields.

“Europeans are not alone in rejecting GM food. BASF’s retreat to the Americas follows a string of defeats for the industry over the last two years in China, India, the Philippines, Thailand and elsewhere. Over 90% of GM food crops are grown in just four countries in the Americas.”

In 2011, India rejected the authorisation of a GM aubergine, the only GM food for which an authorisation was sought, while in September 2011 China suspended the commercialisation of GM rice. The Philippines and Thailand have also rejected GM rice.

BASF is shelving its antibiotic resistant potato Amflora, one of only two GM crops authorised for cultivation in Europe. The crop was a commercial flop.

CBAN Tour Details for BC

Events Tour Notice – Public Forums in British Columbia: “Genetic Modification and the Future of Food”

September 18 – October 1, 2011. Kelowna, Nelson, Grand Forks, Keremeos, Princeton, Langley, Vancouver, Bella Coola, Richmond, Comox, Campbell River! See below for details.

Featuring Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, Ottawa

Genetically modified (GM) crops and foods are a threat to the environment and to the future of organic food and farming. What GM foods are on the market and what is coming? What actions can we take to stop GM apples, salmon and alfalfa? Join us to get the latest information and ask your questions!

List of Bee-happy non-GM flowers

April: This is a good chart for those that plant flowers for bees. These flowers are non-GM (so far). I also provide links to articles on GM flowers currently in the lab. Bees are a vital component to our survival: GM pollens could be partly to blame for CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder). Help the bees: plant for them as well as your nose!

Flower Chart for Bees

GM flowers for better scent: http://singularityhub.com/2010/02/24/genetically-modified-flowers-that-can-smell-like-anything-coming-soon/

Trends in plant science: http://www.finegardening.com/pages/g00094.asp

Conservative Party makes huge blunder in GMO email

Written by April Reeves, Director, GE Free BC

I was forwarded this email today from a colleague. It’s a response from Conservative MP Alice Wong regarding their stance on Bill C-474. This response clearly states how little the Conservative party thinks about our rights, freedom, and intelligence. Read on:

Dear Alice Wong, MP, Richmond, Conservative Party,

On April 28, 2010, you sent a response to a fellow named ‘Bruno Vernier’ regarding Bill C-474. I would like to remind you of this email, and I have a few comments about your response you should hear. Your email:

Dear Bruno,

You are absolutely correct that we are to represent the citizens of Richmond,

and that most of the e-mails we received asked us to vote for C-474. However,

our Parliamentary system isn’t totally based on referendum or constituency

majority wishes.  An MP isn’t just elected to a “puppet” of the electorate.

They are elected for their ability to lead as well as for their willingness to

follow consensus.  Yes, a good MP works hard at listening to his or her

consitutents and representing them well.  But by electing an MP, constituents

are also placing on them a mantle of authority, a “trust quotient” if you

will, to go to Ottawa and vote as they see best on issues of national

importance.  This may not always be the “popular” position and ultimately each

MP faces accountability for that at the election booth.  But they will also

run for reelection on their expertise and skill, not just on being a “puppet”

of constituents’ wishes. Parliamentary democracy has a lot of nuances to it

and there are some grey areas in how it plays itself out on the daily

political arena. The main objective of both sides was to support Canadian

farmers, and we listened to the large number of farmers who asked the

government to defeat this bill.

Voting against the C-474 was not an attempt to stifle debate over the issue.

Back in October 27, 2009, the Agriculture Committee passed a motion to study

genetically modified organisms, and the first hearing on the subject was held

on December 3. We agree that we should have a debate on the issue of GMOs in

committee; approving the substance of the bill in principle was not necessary

to facilitate that debate.

Although we have two differing opinions on the issue, I wish to thank you for

your civility and sharp grasp of the issues you advocate. We receive many

generic e-mails asking for support for different issues, but only a few take

the time to share their personal views and articulate them so well. Thank you

for dialoguing with us.

All the best,

Micah Au, Constituency Office of Alice Wong, MP for Richmond

– – –

Lets start at the beginning.

First off, you DO in fact work for the people who voted you in. It’s called Democracy, a term the Conservatives have forgotten about.

Monsanto Faces Rising Grassroots Opposition in South Africa

Posted April 15th, 2010 by Anonymous

By Nombulelo Siqwana-Ndulo (PhD)

Multinational seed and chemical companies looking to gain a new customer base in Africa are facing increasing resistance from both farmers and consumers. Nonetheless, they are making inroads by partnering with African institutions and governments that are eager to ‘modernize’ their agricultural sectors. South Africa is of particular importance in this regard. The country has gone against the grain of general distrust of GMOs in Africa to become a gateway for the distribution of GM food aid; the commercialization and export of GM seeds; and experimentation with GM crops not approved elsewhere.[i]

But here too, they face mounting opposition. In July 2009, for instance, the South African government rejected the commercial release application for GM potatoes after the Executive Council, a government licensing body, concluded that the toxicology studies were “inadequate, scientifically poorly designed and fundamentally flawed.” It was also reported that, in 2008/2009, 80% of Monsanto’s GM maize in South Africa failed to produce a crop, leading critics to call for urgent investigation and a ban on all GM foods.

In 2002, the South African government, in partnership with U.S.-based biotech firm Monsanto, launched the so-called Massive Food Production Program (MFPP) in the country’s Eastern Cape Province. The Eastern Cape is characterized by a dual economy in which the western half of the province (previously white South Africa under apartheid) is dominated by commercial agriculture while the eastern half consists of subsistence agriculture. After the advent of democracy in 1994, there was tremendous pressure to develop the rural economy here.

Study shows GMO crops ‘can cause liver and kidney damage’

Fresh fears were raised over GM crops yesterday after a study showed they can cause liver and kidney damage.

According to the research, animals fed on three strains of genetically modified maize created by the U.S. biotech firm Monsanto suffered signs of organ damage after just three months.

The findings only came to light after Monsanto was forced to publish its raw data on safety tests by anti-GM campaigners.

They add to the evidence that GM crops may damage health as well as be harmful to the environment.

The figures released by Monsanto were examined by French researcher Dr Gilles-Eric Seralini, from the University of Caen.

Yesterday he called for more studies to check for long-term organ damage.

‘What we’ve shown is clearly not proof of toxicity, but signs of toxicity,’ he told New Scientist magazine. ‘I’m sure there’s no acute toxicity but who’s to say there are no chronic effects?’

The experiments were carried out by Monsanto researchers on three strains of GM maize. Two of the varieties contained genes for the Bt protein which protects the plant against the corn borer pest, while a third was genetically modified to be resistant to the weedkiller glyphosate. All three strains are widely grown in America, while one is the only GM crop grown in Europe, mostly in Spain.

Monsanto only released the raw data after a legal challenge from Greenpeace, the Swedish Board of Agriculture and French anti- GM campaigners.

Dr Seralini concluded that rats which ate the GM maize had ‘ statistically significant’ signs of liver and kidney damage. Each strain was linked to unusual concentrations of hormones in the blood and urine of rats fed the maize for three months, compared to rats given a non-GM diet.

The higher hormone levels suggest that animals’ livers and kidneys are not working properly.

Female rats fed one of the strains also had higher blood sugar levels and raised levels of fatty substances caused triglycerides, Dr Seralini reported in the International Journal of Microbiology.

The analysis concluded: ‘These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown.’

Monsanto claimed the analysis of its data was ‘based on faulty analytical methods and reasoning, and does not call into question the safety findings for these products’.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244824/Fears-grow-study-shows-genetically-modified-crops-cause-liver-kidney-damage.html#ixzz0l6AR1iXO

The developing world embraces controversial technology

Feb 25th 2010 | NEW YORK | From The Economist print edition

A DECADE ago, after European activists whipped up lots of negative coverage about the perils of toying with nature, the future of genetically modified (GM) crops seemed uncertain. The technology was adopted by farmers in the rich world outside Europe, but poor countries seemed likely to be left behind. However, according to a report released on February 23rd by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), a non-profit outfit that monitors the use of GM crops, the sector is blossoming, especially in the developing world, where poor and unproductive farmers have the most to gain from such advances.

Read more at The Economist

PS: good comments from this article…

Farmers, Others Sue USDA Over Monsanto GMO Alfalfa

Date: 17-Feb-06
Country: USA
Author: Carey Gillam

Opening another front in the battle over genetically modified crops, the lawsuit contends that the US Department of Agriculture improperly is allowing Monsanto Co to sell an herbicide-resistant alfalfa seed while failing to analyse the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of that action.

“The USDA failed to do a full environmental review when they deregulated this genetically engineered alfalfa,” said Will Rastov, an attorney for Center for Food Safety, one of the plaintiffs. “They’re going to wreak untold dangers into the environment.”

Read More Here

Really great GMO statistics

Who grows Genetically Engineered Foods? Part 2: Kenda Swartz Pepper

By Kenda Swartz Pepper | Published: February 5, 2010

The U.S. accounts for about two-thirds of all the GM crops planted throughout the universe, which as far as I know is just the earth but may include other planets given the surreptitiousness of this industry.  Since the mid 1990’s the U.S. has increasingly planted more GM crops than any other planet or country.  As of 2008 the US was growing about 62.5 million hectares or approximately 154 million acres of GM crops. Keeping in mind that one hectare equals 2.471 acres.

According to the ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications), as of 2008 there were 25 countries planting ‘biotech’ crops.  Since the onset of GM crops, the total accumulated acreage as of 2008 was 2 billion.  What may be of great interest is that the 1^st billion accumulated acreage occurred during the first ten years of commercial GM crops whereas the second billion occurred in only the last three years.  That is some rapid growth.

The identified 25 countries growing GM crops in 2008 are listed on a table as shown in a briefing by ISAAA entitled Highlights of the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops.  I encourage you to check it out.