On Jul 6, 2016, at 10:03 AM, Ronald Spears <[log in to unmask]> wrote:GMO wheat causing gluten problems?----- Original Message -----
From: renata sack <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wed, 06 Jul 2016 10:50:08 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: New study finds genetically engineered alfalfa has gone wild, exposing failure of “coexistence” policyThank you Donna.I will read the book.Its so awful that so many organic producers and supporters now lobby against GMO labeling!What to do in this quagmire of rottenness?Renata SackOn Jul 6, 2016, at 9:24 AM, Donna Buell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Hi Tom,* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Yes, a book for all Iowans to read (Altered Genes, Twisted Truth). U.S. food safety laws require testing of all new foods before approval for the consumer market. However, the biotech industry has managed to “grandfather” genetically engineered foods, claiming they are “substantially similar” to existing foods and therefore “generally regarded as safe” …Do you believe that a plant that produces a pesticide is substantially similar to a plant that does not produce a pesticide…???Acute impacts to digestive systems, yes we see anecdotal evidence, but no testing is required. Chronic impacts — no testing. And the effect on the greater plant ecology of such genetic manipulations? Untested.A very enlightening analogy is made in the book between the computer programming industry and the genetic engineering industry (i.e., the behavior of Monsanto et al). Computer programming is tested constantly, bugs are identified as quickly as possible and solutions are devised and implemented. Anybody with a computer knows how often “automatic updates” occur these days. But to the contrary, the genetic engineering industry shuns such rigor in product testing and improvement — when it’s pretty clear that biology / ecology is a far more complex environment than the simple direct logic of computer code.Gross negligence. At best.DonnaOn Jul 6, 2016, at 8:39 AM, l <[log in to unmask]> wrote:In his superb book Altered Genes, Twisted Truth Steven Druker points out that, under existing law, GMO foods should never have been approved by the FDA.
Tom Mathews-----Original Message-----* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *From: Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>To: CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM <[log in to unmask]>Sent: Mon, Jan 18, 2016 10:05 amSubject: New study finds genetically engineered alfalfa has gone wild, exposing failure of “coexistence” policy
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/4207/new-study-finds-genetically-engineered-alfalfa-has-gone-wild-exposing-failure-of-coexistence-policy#New study finds genetically engineered alfalfa has gone wild, exposingfailure of “coexistence” policyBy Bill FreeseCenter for Food SafetyJanuary 13, 2016(edited)A recent study by USDA scientists shows that GE alfalfa has gone wild,in a big way, in alfalfa-growing parts of the West. This feral GEalfalfa may help explain a number of transgenic contamination episodesover the past few years that have cost American alfalfa growers andexporters millions of dollars in lost revenue. And it also exposes thefailure of USDA’s “coexistence” policy for GE and traditional crops.The USDA has long maintained that GE crops can co-exist with traditionaland organic agriculture. According to this “co-existence” narrative, ifneighboring GE and traditional farmers just sort things out amongthemselves and follow “best management practices,” transgenes will beconfined to GE crops and the fields where they are planted.The latest evidence refuting USDA’s co-existence fairytale comes from arecently published study by a team of USDA scientists.In 2013, a Washington State farmer’s alfalfa was rejected by a brokerafter testing revealed transgenic contamination. In 2014, Chinarejected numerous U.S. alfalfa shipments that tested positive for theRoundup Ready gene. Alfalfa exports to China, a major market that haszero tolerance for GE alfalfa, fell dramatically. U.S. hay prices fell,and at least three U.S. alfalfa exporters suffered many millions ofdollars in losses.What’s needed now is not more studies to tell us in finer detail what wealready know, but regulatory action. Yet the USDA – which isembarrassingly subservient to the biotechnology industry – has failed tovoluntarily enact a single restriction on GE crop growers. This forcestraditional farmers to bear the entire burden of preventing transgeniccontamination.Because of federal inaction, citizens have taken action to protect theirtraditional agriculture at the county level. Center for Food Safety(CFS) has provided critical assistance to these efforts. For instance,in 2014 voters in Jackson County, Oregon, passed an ordinanceprohibiting cultivation of GE crops in their county. CFS helped thecounty and its farmers fend off a lawsuit seeking to invalidate theOrdinance brought by two GE alfalfa growers with financial backing fromthe biotechnology industry.Similar “GE-free zones” have been created with CFS assistance in atleast seven other counties in California, Washington, Hawaii and asecond county in Oregon. CFS is also proud to support a new ordinanceintroduced in November of last year in Costilla County, Colorado, thatwould establish a GMO-Free Zone to protect locally bred heirloom maizefrom transgenic contamination.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -To get off the CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM list, send any message to:CONS-SPST-BIOTECH-FORUM-signoff-[log in to unmask]
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To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to [log in to unmask], or visit Listserv online. Listserv users can sign in online to manage subscriptions, personalize delivery options, and view message archives. To create an account or reset your password, click here. Listserv policies may apply.