A 'Lively' Day at Monsanto
Ronnie Cummins- Organic Consumers Assoc.
ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Cleaning Up after Big Ag
A “Cow Palace” in Washington State that threatens public health with its acres of untreated animal waste. A city in Iowa spending $1 million a year to keep illness-causing nitrates from farm runoff out of public drinking water.
And who can forget the plight of Toledo, Ohio, residents whose water last summer was so contaminated by farm runoff that they couldn’t even bathe in it, much less drink it?
For decades, America’s chemical-intensive, industrial farming operations have spewed nitrates and other toxic chemicals, animal waste, ammonia, antibiotics, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane gases into public air, waterways and communities.
How do they get away with it? Largely because lobbyists have seen to it that Big Ag is exempt from many of the rules and regulations that other industries, and even municipalities, are required to follow under laws such as the Clean Air Act (comments on exemptions here), the Clean Water Act (comments on exemptions here) and the Resource and Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA).
Concerned about the growing threat to public health, and tired of picking up the tab for cleaning up the mess, citizens and local and state governments are turning to the courts for help.
In some cases, they’re winning. But the real win will come when the conversation turns from mitigating pollution, to preventing it, by transitioning to pesticide-free, chemical-free, non-GMO organic regenerative agriculture.
TAKE ACTION: Tell the EPA: Please Protect U.S. Waters from Factory Farm Pollution!
BLOG POST OF THE WEEK
Cowbells for #milktruth?
Last week, OCA’s political and media consultant, Charlotte Warren, attended the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) conference in Boca Raton, Fla. There she learned that Big Dairy is feeling “under attack” by consumers who, well, simply want to know what’s in their milk and cheese, how factory farm dairies treat their animals, and by the way just how much pollution are those farms unleashing into U.S. waterways?
But instead of focusing on addressing consumers’ legitimate concerns, Warren learned, Big Dairy has hired public relations firms and a team of young social media wizkids to post and tweet about the wonderful wholesomeness of milk (produced in unwholesome conditions using unwholesome practices).
Conference sessions included, “Partnering across the Dairy Industry to Better Understand Consumers,” “Top Hot Button Issues Keeping Dairy Executives Up at Night,” and “The Food Dialogues: Animal Care and Consumers’ Emerging Expectations.”
But the best session of all was “Telling the Milk Story: Safeguarding Consumer Confidence in Milk’s Goodness,” which included the launch of the “Get Real” social media campaign, complete with hashtag (#MilkTruth). And cowbells.
Yes, cowbells.
ACTION ALERTHey CSPI—Step Up to the Plate! Debate! The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is probably the only consumer advocacy group that opposes mandatory GMO labeling. And CSPI executives are quick to defend the organization’s position. Gregory Jaffe, CSPI’s Director of Biotechnology and official spokesman for the organization’s anti-labeling position, has no problem writing pro-GMO articles, serving on government panels as a GMO supporter, or making speaking appearances at industry events to tout the benefits of GMOs. Yet when challenged to a public debate on the subject of GMOs, Jaffe refused. As consumers, we’d love to see Jaffe agree to a debate with Consumers Union senior scientist Michael Hansen. Will you help us convince him? |
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SUPPORT THE OCA & OCFIt Takes an Online Village In December, as we were organizing consumers to protest Rep. Mike Pompeo’s DARK Act—a federal bill to preempt state GMO labeling laws—we reached out to many of our allies who share our concerns about GMO foods, pesticides and states’ rights to pass laws to protect their citizens. Many groups responded positively, pitching in to mobilize their members, organize buses, and do whatever else necessary to make the December 10 protest a success. Because as we’ve all learned over the years, it will take all of us, working together, to fight some of these battles. CREDO was one of those groups. As it turns out, there are a lot of CREDO members and action-takers who share your concerns about food safety and protecting the environment. Many of you who have signed OCA petitions have likely also signed CREDO petitions addressing similar issues. We believe in working with other groups to achieve our—and your—goals. That’s why we were pleased to learn that CREDO has selected OCA as one of three nonprofits that will receive CREDO funding this month (February). How does the CREDO funding work? It’s based on a vote count. The more people who vote for OCA between February 1 – 28, the more funding we’ll receive. Who can vote? Anyone who has ever signed a CREDO petition, or purchased CREDO mobile or credit card services. So this month, we’re asking that you support OCA with your vote. Of course, good old-fashioned, regular donations are always welcome, too. Thank you! Sign a Credo petition to be eligible to vote
Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education) Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts) |
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MORE FROM OUR BLOGA ‘Lively’ Day at Monsanto On January 30, OCA participated in a protest and confrontation at Monsanto’s annual shareholder meeting. The meeting was held at Monsanto corporate headquarters outside St. Louis, Mo., in a town called Creve Coeur—which in French means Broken Heart. It’s a fitting name for the location of a company that has caused so much heartache with its toxic chemicals. OCA’s mission on January 30 was to let Monsanto know, in no uncertain terms, that its so-called science—bought and paid for with dirty corporate money—is no match for the research being conducted by honest, independent scientists. As the meeting was winding down, Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant told attendees, “We’ve had a lively afternoon.” To Mr. Grant we say be prepared. Things are about to get a lot livelier. Download the Monsanto Makes Us Sick leaflet More on the health hazards of Roundup |
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VIDEO OF THE WEEKTPP—It's NAFTA on Steroids The Trans-Pacific Partnership. It’s the worst trade deal you’ve never heard of. A “Trojan Horse in a global race to the bottom,” says Robert Reich. What does it mean to consumers if Congress passes this anti-consumer trade deal? The TPP will give corporations a free pass to bypass laws and regulations—like those governing food safety and environmental protection—that get in the way of their profits. TAKE ACTION: Don’t Let Congress ‘Fast-Track’ Dangerous Trade Deals! |
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FROM THE OCA BOOKSHELFEffortless Healing Regaining your health isn’t as difficult as you might think. And it definitely doesn’t mean adding a long list of prescription drugs to your daily regimen. In his new book Effortless Healing, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains how your body is actually designed to heal itself—if you follow some basic principles. Effortless Healing includes a long list of valuable tips, including: • The single most important health step the average person can take • An inexpensive way to remove some of the pesticides on non-organic vegetables • The best 3 vegetables to use if you're new to juicing • The common mistake people make when they add fermented vegetables to their diet • The most important lifestyle improvement you can make to prevent and treat chronic disease • A simple lesson you can learn from children and wild animals to improve your health And many more. |
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LITTLE BYTESEssential Reading for the Week Carbon Sequestration: A Climate Change Solution Often Ignored Monsanto's Newest GM Crops May Create More Problems than They Solve Breyers Ice Cream Going Artificial Growth Hormone-Free Shedding Light on Three Big Lies about Systemic Pesticides and Bees Sleepless in America: What Happens When You're Sleep Deprived? Obama Admin Grants Immunity to CDC Scientist That Fudged Vaccine Report |
ronniecummins@organicconsumers.org