March Against Monsanto Global Video

March Against Monsanto

On May 24, 2014 a protest was held in over 400 countries with an estimated 2 million people attending worldwide . In Union Square Park in New York City, the action was hosted by performance activist Reverend Billy, with speeches by radio host Gary Null, comedian Lee Camp, Balu Awhukua,among others, and music by the Stop Shopping Choir.

People marched down Broadway to unite with others around the world against GMO conglomerate Monsanto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_vE0Ln8IkY

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
March Against Monsanto
https://www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonstanto

On May 24, 2014 the Global ‘March Against Monsanto’ Took Place in Over 50 Countries

INTERNATIONAL (May 27, 2014) - On May 24, hundreds of thousands of activists from around the world joined in the third global March Against Monsanto, calling for the permanent boycott of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and harmful agro-chemicals. Marchers advocated food transparency, an end to corporate food corruption, and a transition to local, organic and sustainable agriculture. The marches took place on six continents in over 50 countries, with events in over 420 cities. In the US, marches were held in 47 states. A comprehensive list of marches can be accessed at www.march-against-monsanto.com.

Tami Monroe Canal, founder of March Against Monsanto (MAM), was inspired to start the movement to protect her two daughters. “Monsanto’s predatory business and corporate agricultural practices threatens their generation’s health, fertility and longevity. MAM supports a sustainable food production system. We must act now to stop GMOs and harmful pesticides.”

Activists celebrated the recent victories in Vermont, where GMOs will now be required to be labeled, counties in South Oregon and the Big Island of Hawaii where cultivation of GMOs is now banned, and numerous other cities, states, and countries that are moving toward food transparency. GMOs have now been at least partially banned by Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Madeira, New Zealand, Peru, South America, Russia, France, Switzerland and Costa Rico, and are currently labelled in 62 countries.

Ann Arbor, Michigan organizer Kryssi Jones, the sole MAM organizer to be arrested last May, said, "Ann Arbor had about 1300 attendees and despite being denied a permit, our march was extremely successful with zero police incidents"

Organizer from the march in Stockholm, Sweden, Gela Amini, said, "Well over 1500 Stockholm attendees gathered outside of the Swedish Royal Palace to march against Monsanto. The march lasted over an hour and concluded with everything from a trampoline for the children, organic face painting, organic fruit, purified water, goodie bags, etc. (all free, of course). A variety of speakers took the stage discussing what their local organic farmers needed, the direct link between food and health, and the decline in bee population. The event ended successfully with an organic seed swap."

Marcha Contra Monsanto Mexico organized over 20 marches in Mexico and were very happy with their turnout. Marchers in Mexico are concerned about GM Maize genetically polluting non-GMO, indigenous corn crops, and the many pesticides farmers are exposed to in farming and agricultural areas.

In St. Louis, where Monsanto is headquartered, organizers of the March Against Monsanto said, "We were 350 people strong with protesters making the journey from Florida, Texas, Indiana, Alaska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Kentucky, Nevada, Illinois, Kansas, Arizona, New Jersey, Georgie, Oregon, and Washington.

At the end of the march, at least 6 different police jurisdictions pulled out of the Monsanto World Headquarters property. Monsanto’s private security force vehicles clustered at one of their entrances. In addition, there was a St. Louis County Tactical Operations vehicle, two abatement tanks and a police helicopter flew overhead the entire time, which was 3 hours. Approximately 50-80 officers were in attendance. How much tax dollars went into policing our non-violent, family friendly protest?"

Josh Castro, organizer for Quito, Ecuador’s march observes, “Ecuador is such a beautiful place, with the richest biodiversity in the world. We will not allow this Garden of Eden to be compromised by the destructive practices of multinational corporations like Monsanto. Biotechnology is not the solution to world hunger. Agroecology is. Monsanto's harmful practices are causing soil infertility, mono-cropping, loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction, and contributing to beehive collapse. GMO crops cross pollinate with traditional crops, risking peasant farmers' livelihood."

In Cape Town, South Africa, "Cape Town permitting officials denied the permit to the March Against Monsanto, but activists were invited to march under the permit of striking platinum workers to relay a joint message, which they did."

In California, Los Angeles organizer Alissa Kokkins said, "This year, March Against Monsanto Los Angeles hosted an urban garden fest and unpermitted march through Hollywood where we did outreach, guerrilla gardening, and stopped at various Monsanto hot spots (McDonald's, Hollywood High School, Ralph's, Starbucks, the Walk of Fame and an Army Recruiting center)."

Participants of the global March Against Monsanto had many different reasons for why they joined the protests. GMOs are not adequately monitored to ensure public safety. Long term, independent, peer reviewed studies were not conducted before GMOs were introduced for human or animal consumption. In the USA, the revolving door between Monsanto employees, government positions, and regulatory authorities has led to key Monsanto figures occupying positions of power at the FDA and EPA. Monsanto has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to obstruct all labeling attempts; they also suppress any research containing results not in their favor. The scientifically established health risks include, but are not limited to: organ damage, sterility, infant mortality, birth defects, auto-immune conditions, allergies and increased cancer risks.

Kelly L. Derricks started March Against Monsanto's Agent Orange awareness program that educates supporters on the deadly chemical weapon that Monsanto was the largest manufacturer of during the Vietnam War era.Kelly is the president and co-founder of the non-profit, Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance (COVVHA). The organization fights internationally for the children exposed to Agent Orange through generational exposure that is killing tens of thousands with no recognition from the United States Government.  She is quoted saying, "If we fail to realize that March Against Monsanto is not about GMOs alone, then we have already lost the battle."

In India, more than 250,000 farmers have committed suicide after Monsanto's Bt cotton seeds did not perform as promised.  Farmers, left in desperate poverty, are opting to free their families of debt by drinking Monsanto pesticide, thereby ending their lives. Many farmers in other countries are also stripped of their livelihood as a result of false promises, seed patenting and meticulous legal action on the part of Monsanto and other big-ag interests. In many parts of Africa, farmers and their communities are left to choose between starving or eating GMOs.

An “Open Letter from World Scientists to All Governments Concerning Genetically Modified Organisms,” (http://www.i-sis.org.uk/list.php), signed by 828 scientists from 84 countries, detailed concern regarding GMOs coupled with a call for immediate 5 year suspension of GMO crops in order to conduct “a comprehensive public enquiry of agriculture and food security for all.”

Supporting links:

Study: Chemicals in Monsanto's Roundup Causing Chronic Kidney Disease
http://bit.ly/1l3YtVP
Study: Non-GMO Crop Yields Increasing Faster that GMO Yields
http://bit.ly/1iqpoWc
The World according to Monsanto
http://tinyurl.com/mxvd3tx
Total Disinformation Awareness: Monsanto Suppresses Research On GMO Crops
http://bit.ly/1351Fal
Anniversary of a Whistle blowing Hero
http://huff.to/9NJ0lp
GMO Scandal: The Long Term Effects of Genetically Modified Food on Humans
http://bit.ly/11RB8wL

Data Pool of MAM:
http://on.fb.me/17bX7QP
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For media inquiries:
Send messages to the official March Against Monsanto Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonstanto) or contact a local organizer through our events spreadsheet (http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/p/blog-page_5.html):

Special #MAM Radio Show Tonight 8pm PST/11pm EST

Tune-in to a special episode of The Anti-Media radio show tonight dedicated to the March Against Monsanto and food freedom. Tonight's show will feature Chris Hardy, an organic farmer who helped get GMOs banned in Jackson County Oregon, Carrie Luna, a community gardener and advocate of the Food is Free movement, and finally Tami Canal, founder of the March Against Monsanto movement. The show will be streaming live at 8pm PST/11pm EST only on www.ucy.tv/tamr.

Standing Up To Goliath: March Against Monsanto

Published with permission of Justin Gammill from Earth911.com

So if you are keeping score, at this point it’s Justin: 1, Monsanto: 0.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article where I not only compared the mega-corporation to Nazis, but I also called them evil geniuses who: “took a break from counting their money to poison you.” For anyone who just thought: “Gee, that’s harsh,” you might want to strap in for what is going to be a fun-filled super-slam festival of epic proportions …

Now in my first article I talked specifically about the GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) situation that Monsanto is perpetrating against humanity and the planet. Long story short, back in the 80s Monsanto started developing seeds that were genetically modified to be resistant to things like pesticides and herbicides as a way to, according to their multi-million advertising campaign: “End World Hunger.” So basically, they claimed that unless you get over your aversion to eating something cooked up in a lab and sprayed with some of the most toxic stuff known to man, kids in Third World countries will die.

So if ending hunger is at the heart of their intentions, they must give the seeds away for free right? Nope. In fact, they went a couple of steps further. First they made the plants sterile, so that farmers have to buy them again the next year, instead of planting natural seed from the previously harvested crops. Then they found a way to make the plants basically “grow themselves to death.” According to Emma Must from the World Development Movement, “by peddling suicide seeds, the biotechnology multinationals will lock the world’s poorest farmers into a new form of genetic serfdom.” Another fun little side effect of GMOs is a cool trick called “drift”, where the run-off from their herbicide-resistant seeds makes its way to a natural crop and kills it. Like in 2012, herbicide sprayed in the San Joaquin Valley of California drifted and damaged cotton fields as far as 100 miles away.

That’s part of the reason why on May 24th, I will be joining the March Against Monsanto.

MAM is “a global call to action aimed at informing the public, calling into question long-term health risks of genetically modified foods and demanding that GMO products be labeled so that consumers can make informed decisions.”  The movement is aimed at:

-Protecting our food supply, local farms and environment
-Promoting organic solutions
-Exposing cronyism between big business and the government

The fight against GMOs is going global, and if you want to find out what you can do to get involved, please check out the March Against Monsanto website. Now the last time I talked about Monsanto and GMOs, an employee from Monsanto showed up to comment on my claims, and made a 3-4 hour attempt at discrediting what I had to say. So, to be fair, So, to be fair, I’ll quote One of March Against Monsanto's International Directors about the whole situation:

"If we continue to think that the fight against Monsanto is only about GMOs, we have already lost."

-Kelly L. Derricks, president and co-founder of the Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, and March against Monsanto’s Agent Orange Education Director

Guess what? She’s got a point. When it comes to harming humans, Monsanto has been at it for over 100 years …

Let’s fire up the Monsanto Poison Train and head back down the track to 1901 when they created Saccharin. Originally it was sold as an artificial sweetener for the Coca-Cola company and the canned food industry. So what’s the big deal with Saccharin? It’s made from coal tar. The FDA questioned the effects of Saccharin since 1907 and the FDA’s very first director said "He thought he was eating sugar, when in point of fact he was eating a coal tar product totally devoid of food value and extremely injurious to health." Remember, that was 107 years ago. In the 70s any product with Saccharin was required to have a warning label, but with deep, deep pockets, 30 or so years later, Monsanto managed to get the requirement for the label removed. Apparently, letting people know that your product was made from coal tar and caused cancer in lab rats was bad for sales.

Next stop on board the Monsanto Poison Train is the 1940s, where having apparently gotten bored with the coal-tar additive business, Monsanto switched to the oil-based plastics game. Thanks to their efforts, we now have polystyrene, or as it is lovingly known: Styrofoam. Harming people wasn’t bad enough; they had to give us a good old-fashioned environmental disaster made from non-renewable resources that is basically indestructible. Thanks, guys!

Moving forward on the Poison Train, we come to a nice combination of devastating environmental impact and human health decline. The 1960s and the war in Vietnam brought us Agent Orange, which was at one time called “perhaps the most toxic molecule ever synthesized by man,” by Yale biologist Arthur Galston. The U.S. military used and estimated 18 -20 million gallons of Agent Orange over 9 years in an attempt to kill the dense jungle that apparently made fighting a political war a little too much to handle. Even after admitting that they were aware of the lethality of the toxic cocktail which included the deadly dioxin, Dr. James R. Clary, a former government scientist with the Chemical Weapons Branch said," … because the material was to be used on the ‘enemy,’ none of us were overly concerned." Considering that 4.8 million people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disfigurements, and 500,000 babies born with birth defects, not to mention the American soldiers that were exposed, which is still to this day, an unknown number, a little concern would have gone a long way.

Take GMOs out of the equation, and there is still a legacy of destruction and greed on a scale that rivals a James Bond super-villain. A legacy that spans a century. Again, I encourage you to check out the March Against Monsanto and COVVHA websites and get involved in your community’s events. It’s time that people realize that these companies almost never have your interests at heart, or the planet’s for that matter. Your wallet however is always at the forefront of their intentions. It’s time that, through education and activism, we take it back out of their hands.

Justin: 2
Monsanto: 0
The World:?

Are you Ready to March on Saturday?

The global March Against Monsanto will take place this coming Saturday, May 24th! If you haven't RSVP'd to your local event yet, you can find a location near you on this event list.


If there isn't a march in your area, you can still start one! Here's how: http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/2014/02/directions-to-organize-march-against.html

Whether you are physically marching or not, please join our social media hashtag storm that will be coinciding with the march on Saturday. The details and hashtags will be released through the event page and our Facebook page. You can RSVP to the event here.

Please invite your friends lists to your local events and to the social media storm. Here's an easy plugin for Firefox users to automatically invite all of their Facebook friends: http://mzl.la/1eIy3Ct

To view March Against Monsanto's press release, go here. Please forward this press release to any and all of your press contacts.

Hope to see everyone out there! Here are our links to stay up to date and get involved:

Website www.March-Against-Monsanto.com
Global event list: www.march-against-monsanto.com/p/blog-page_5.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarchAgainstM
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarchAgainstMonstanto

How Farmers Markets Can Teach Your Kids the Values of Local Food and Community Building

The Farmers Market is a great place to bring your kids for so many reasons! The Farmers Market allows you to provide your family with wholesome, healthy food while supporting your local community at the same time.

Here's the reality- Family farmers need your support! Now that large agribusiness dominates food production in the U.S., small family farms have a hard time competing in the food marketplace. Buying directly from farmers gives them a better return for their produce and gives them a fighting chance in today’s globalized economy.

And health-wise, your doing your family a great favor! Much of the food found in grocery stores is highly processed and grown using pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and genetic modification (GMOs). Some of it has been irradiated, waxed, or gassed in transit. These practices may have negative effects on human health. In contrast, most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed, and many of our farmers go to great lengths to grow the most nutritious produce possible by using sustainable techniques, picking produce right before the market, and growing heirloom varieties. (Make sure to ask each farmer about their growing practices. We've found that most sustainable farmers enjoy talking about their love for the soil and the great lengths they go to produce healthy, pesticide free food!)

Top 10 Reasons to Bring your Kids to the Farmers Market

1. Develop healthy emotional eating habits.

One of the biggest myths about emotional eating is that it's prompted by negative feelings. Yes, people oftenturn to food when they're stressed out, lonely, sad, anxious, or bored.
But emotional eating can be linked to positive feelings too! It's no accident that McDonald's named their kids deal a "Happy Meal"! They do this to form a lifelong emotional bond between being happy and eating at McD's, and it works!

You can beat the fast food marketing guru's at their own game. Simply swap out the fast food and replace it with a fun day at the Farmers Market! Do this on a regular basis and your kids will start to equate healthy real food with those happy family days at the market.

Here's a great article on 7 Steps to Become a Conscious Eater

2. Connect kids with "real food"

There is a huge disconnect between most Americans and their food. For the most part, we've stopped questioning where our food comes from, how it is raised and if it is good for our health. To a large extent, this is why our supermarkets shelves are lined with so many boxes of processed junk. And most of it isGenetically Modified (GMOs). We are the ones buying it so they keep making it!

We can break that cycle with our kids and the Farmers Market provides a great opportunity to further the food connection discussion. It's much more effective when you practice what you preach. Buying from local sustainable farmers reinforces the message.

3. Talk with real farmers

As you know, kids are naturally curious. This is a good match because farming is really amazing. Think about it: plant seeds in dirt, add water, get vegetables! Of course there's a lot more to it than that.

As we mentioned above, a lot of the farmers we meet are very proud of the work they do and they're very happy to talk about it. With a little coaching (if necessary) you're kids can ask some great questions, like- Why are you a farmer? What's your favorite things to grow? What's that hardest thing to grow? The easiest? Do you use chemicals or pesticides? Why, or why not?

A cool side-effect of this is that the next time you go to the market your kids will remember the farmers. It's great to make new friends, especially when their doing something as important as growing your food.

4. Let them buy their own food

Depending on your kids age(s), give them a few bucks to buy some of their own food to bring home. This in itself is a great learning experience. Will they think long and hard about what to buy? Or will they buy the first thing they see? Learning to shop wisely and consider all the options is a great skill to have.

And let's be honest, if we really want to teach our kids about the value of real food, they should know how to shop for it!

PS- If you have young kids, instead of actually shopping maybe you can just let them give the money to farmer. Little kids (and the farmer) will probably enjoy this!

5. Cook the food you bought at home

Getting kids involved in cooking is great. Basic cooking skills open so many choices for them later in life and alleviate them of the need to buy ready made, highly processed meals. But it's not always easy.

Cooking the food you just bought, or the food THEY just bought if you followed the step above, makes this a whole lot easier. It's the next logical step- "We bought these veggies from the nice farmer, now we get to cook them!"

For snack ideas, check this out: Quick Clean Eating: 40 Non-Processed Snacks for Busy Moms!

6. Introduce new foods

Face it, some kids are just picky eaters. The 3 steps above may have a profound effect on their willingness to even TRY something new, right? Let's go through this- We met the farmer, learned about how they grew this, we bought it, we took it home and now we cooked it. It's just natural to want to taste it!

7. Learn about nutrition

For older kids, the Farmers Market provides an opportunity to learn about nutrition and why real foods are so important to maintain a healthy body. If your kids compete in sports, you can teach them why nutrients will make them better athletes. Even if they don't play sports they can understand that real food is packed with vitamins and minerals that make them stronger, smarter and healthier.

Additionally you'll be able to choose non-GMO foods and support non-GMO farmers.

8. Get away from the screens

TV screens, computer screens, iPad screens, phone screens- ARghhhh! Yes, I know you are reading this on a screen (unless somebody printed it for you). Screens are awesome but they have their time and place. Food has a huge impact on childhood obesity but at the same time most kids are on their butts too many hours per day.

Do we really have to watch Lion King one more time? The Farmers Market is a great excuse to bust away from the TV, or Xbox or Facebook, Instagram, - whatever, and get some fresh air.

9. Family bonding

A trip to the Farmers Market provides a great way to spend time together as a family. It's easy to enjoy each others company when you're doing something healthy. With little kids you can play fun games like finding food that's different colors or shapes. With older kids try a scavenger hunt and offer a family prize if the goal is hit.

It may take a little work (and a bribe or two) but the market can be a fun family outing. Who knows, you may end up creating one of those fond memories that your kids can carry and pass on to their kids. How great would that be!

10. Teach the importance of community

The growing number of farmers markets in the United States gives us hope. They serve not only as a way for people to purchase local food but also as a chance for them to connect with others within their communities. Buying local promotes a sense of pride in you home town.

Farmers markets allow you to teach your kids that they can make a difference by voting with their dollars. When you shop at a large grocery store chain, a fraction of your dollars stay local. Supporting local farmers keeps the money in your community where it can be reinvested for the good of the town.

Find Farmers Markets Near You

Ready to find some farmers markets? Please visit the eatlocalgrown project. Just enter your Zip Code and hit Search....

Vermont will be first state in nation to require GMO labelling

Vermont will likely be the first state in the nation to require food manufacturers to label products containing genetically modified organisms. Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday he will sign Vermont's GMO labeling bill into law.

His announcement came just minutes after the House gave H.112 final legislative approval by a 114-30 vote.

"I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food," Shumlin said in a statement. "Vermont has led the local food movement that is better connecting people nationwide with the food they eat."

The bill would take effect July 1, 2016. Other states have labeling laws that go into effect when neighboring states pass similar policies.

Sen. David Zuckerman, P/D-Chittenden, has been pushing for GMO labeling for much of his career in the state Legislature. Zuckerman was first elected to the House in 1996.

"Vermont has now put a stake in the sand around food transparency, and it may well help create that across the country, much as we did with marriage equality and other historic measures," Zuckerman said.

There will be challenges ahead, he said.

Read more at www.reformer.com

Find a March Against Monsanto near you: Local Marches

Find Local Food and Farmers Markets at the eatlocalgrown project.

Monsanto: Preventing GMO Labeling At Any Cost

Today, Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) is set to introduce a bill that would preempt state mandatory GMO labeling efforts. The bill, strongly backed by The Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA), Monsanto and the Koch brothers, would give ultimate authority of the issue over to the FDA. This is concerning because the FDA favors a voluntary approach to the extremely controversial issue. The FDA also tends to side with biotech on the GMO issue. If this bill comes to pass, where does that leave the public’s demand for the right to know what is in their food?

Thankfully, pro-GMO labeling groups are determined to keep lawmakers from backing the Pompeo bill. Groups including Just Label It stormed over a hundred offices on Capitol Hill earlier this week and campaigned for two other initiatives that would instead demand mandatory food labeling. The bills, HR 1699 and S 809, were introduced last April by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) respectively.

Monsanto and other biotech corporations have vehemently fought labeling efforts in many states including 2012′s Prop 37 in California and last year’s I-522 in Washington.

In biotech’s latest efforts to stifle the peoples’s right to know, Monsanto has threatened to sue the entire state of Vermont over a proposed GMO labeling bill. The popular legislative bill requiring mandatory labels on genetically engineered food (H-722) is stalling in the Vermont House Agriculture Committee, with only four weeks left until the legislature adjourns for the year. Despite thousands of emails and calls from constituents who overwhelmingly support mandatory labeling, despite the fact that a majority (6 to 5) of Agriculture Committee members support passage of the measure, Vermont legislators are holding up the labeling bill and refusing to take a vote for fear of Monsanto’s threats.

In Oregon, two separate county measures will have to battle biotech bank accounts to have a fighting chance at passing. Syngenta, Monsanto, and Dow, among others, have formed an alliance waging a multimillion-dollar campaign to defeat the Oregon ballot measures. St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. and its allies in the biotech and food industries have set a spending target of $6 million for the campaign against the labeling initiative, according to industry sources. That’s 40 times the $150,000 the pro-labeling forces say they will spend.

Monsanto and other biotech corporations have spent millions fighting GMO initiatives in addition to the over $260,000 they openly pumped into the House, and $122,000 pumped into the Senate. Please keep in mind these are just known numbers. Speculation and common sense would lead one to believe the numbers are in fact much higher.

The labeling of food with genetically modified ingredients has been a contentious issue around the world, with several countries mandating labels at the insistence of environmental and consumer advocates. That hasn’t happened in the United States, where the Food and Drug Administration says engineered food is no different than conventional food and so needs no labels that reveal details of production.

Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe, however. In more than 60 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale.

Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment which is a good thing given the mighty biotech titans, their big bank accounts and the twisted determination to impede labeling at any cost.

To fight back, please vote with your dollars. Every dollar spent on organic food or food stamped with the non-GMO verified food project seal is a dollar kept out of Monsanto’s bank account. Shop at a local farmer’s market and support the efforts of our farmers who still care to provide people with real, poison-free food. Consider planting a garden. Even the smallest patios or balconies can be maximized to grow enough food to sustain a small family. Join the global protest against Monsanto to stop the destruction of the food supply and the hostile take over of the global seed supply. Whatever you do, do something!! The only way to stop this is to be proactive and make a stand for future generations.




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Monsanto Threatening to Take State of Vermont to Court over GMO labeling Laws

The citizens of Vermont want GMO foods to be labeled. As NaturalSociety’s Anthony Gucciardi reported in 2013, a bill which has already passed the House awaits a final O.K. by the Senate. If Monsanto gets their way though, as made evident in heated testimony given at the Statehouse this past Wednesday before a Judiciary Committee, not only will the bill get stalled in the Senate, but Monsanto points to the fact that the state will have to spend around a million dollars just to defend the bill in court. Image credit: mintpressnews.com

You can guess who is on Monsanto’s latest pay-roll. Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee warned that, although he ‘supports a labeling bill’, he feels that there are potential litigation costs which could hinder state finances. He also mentions that dairy would also be excluded from the bill, but currently there is no GMO dairy in Vermont.

Agreeing with Monsanto’s interests and testifying that the new law would have to be defended is Assistant Attorney General Bridget Asay, stating that even if the state was successful in passing a GMO-labeling bill, the legal challenge could end up costing more than $5 million, and the state would not be able to recover legal fees. She estimates that the total cost would include potential reimbursement for a victorious plaintiff – Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, and their poison-filled coffers.

The ‘expert’ testimony arguing against the labeling law likely did not include the potential costs if genetically modified organisms are allowed to continue to run rampant in our food supply – including costs to organic farmers, and the possibility that just three companies could end up owning the seed rights to just about every food we eat, once they are genetically modified and have cross-pollinated non-GMO crops.

Potential amendments to the bill could include:

1. The requirement a legal defense fund to cover the costs of litigation started by Big Ag companies, and;

2. An exemption of dairy for fear that it might undermine the bill’s passing or viability in court.

Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s is concerned about a proposal to pass the bill with one exception: if a privately funded legal defense fund would be established to cover the expense of legal challenges.

“Quite frankly that boxes us in,” Sears told Asay at the hearing. He said he thinks it would be irresponsible to set the state up for a potentially costly lawsuit without setting aside the money to pay for it.

Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, said she’s troubled by the prospect of setting a precedent for supporting only what can be backed by wealthy interests. The legal defense fund idea was not part of the Senate Agriculture bill, Sears acknowledged after the hearing, but he said that doesn’t mean the idea can’t be revisited.

How might Big Ag fight the bill legally? A potential lawsuit would possibly be based on several legal arguments: First Amendment rights and protections against compelled speech, “equal protection” laws, rules prohibiting conflict between state and federal laws, and the so-called “dormant commerce clause” saying states can’t make laws that will have an adverse impact on interstate commerce.

Where our rights not to be poisoned to death come in, should be an equal concern to any attorney fighting a potential case. How about a counter suit for murder, and billions of dollars in pain and suffering fees to people who are dying of kidney failure, and cancer, or having reproductive challenges due to GMO crops? These politicians need to stop worrying about Monsanto and Big Ag’s threats and take care of the people that put them in office, otherwise, they will be looking for new jobs come next election.

Join us as we oppose Monsanto and fight for food freedom! Find a March Against Monsanto near you.

Please support our friends at NaturalSociety.com:

1. Monsanto & Friends Make Biggest Illegal Contribution on Record to Stop GMO Labeling in Washington
2. Monsanto Threatens Lawsuit Over GMO Labeling Bill
3. Breaking: Vermont House Passes GMO Labeling Bill
4. Vermont Introduces Monumental GMO Labeling Legislation
5. Maine House Crushingly Supports GMO Labeling: 141 to 4 Vote
6. The Next Prop 37: New ‘Cleaner’ GMO Labeling Bill Introduced in California

Source: naturalsociety.com
Follow them: @naturalsociety on Twitter | NaturalSociety on Facebook

5 Companies Against Genetically Modified Foods

As consumers become more health conscious and knowledgeable about what they are eating and where it comes from, more are demanding to know if the food they eat contains GMOs. That's resulting in both national and state-specific movements.

Roughly 37 states are proposing that food labels contain whether the product contains GMOs, according to Right to Know GMO - A Coalition of States, which of course are meeting resistance from companies like Monsanto (MON_), DuPont (DD_) and others that create GMO seeds for large commercial crop growing. Many countries already have similar labeling.

We've already seen smaller natural foods and specialized companies move to taking out foods sourced from GMOs from their products - Popcorn Indiana's Fit Popcorn, Trader Joes' health and beauty products and Clif Bars, for instance, but it's notable when a large company moves to making food without GMOs, given that sourcing actual food products not made from GMOs is easier said than done. (The working percentage of corn seeds that are from GMOs, for example, is about 90%.)

Here's a list of some notable companies taking a stand. http://www.scribd.com/doc/213141061/Taking-a-Stand-Against-GMO

Read More: Taking a Stand Against GMO