AGRIBUSINESS: Tanzania Orders Destruction of Monsanto/Gates Foundation GMO Trials.

AGRIBUSINESS: Tanzania Orders Destruction of Monsanto/Gates Foundation GMO Trials. Tanzanian civil society organisations (CSOs) welcome the decision of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mathew Mtigumwe, to bring an immediate stop to all ongoing GMO trials taking place in the country. These are under the auspices of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project which includes Monsanto, the Gates Foundation and national research centres.

Roundup Linked to Global Boom in Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance.

Roundup Linked to Global Boom in Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance. Celiac disease, gluten intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome are on the rise worldwide, and that rise has taken place in parallel with the increased use of glyphosate (Roundup) herbicide, shows a new US peer-reviewed paper from Dr. Anthony Samsel and Dr. Stephanie Seneff. The review has been published in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Toxicology. Roundup is linked in Samsel and Seneff’s new review paper to a major increase in celiac disease. A recent estimate suggests that one in twenty people in North America and Western Europe now suffer from this gluten intolerant disease. “All of the known biological effects of glyphosate – cytochrome P450 inhibition, disruption of synthesis of aromatic amino acids, chelation of transition metals, and antibacterial action – contribute to the pathology of celiac disease,” Samsel and Seneff’s paper states. Monsanto’s Glyphosate (Roundup) has become the number one selling herbicide worldwide, due to the increase in the planting of Roundup Ready GM Crops.Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats. It increase the toxin burden leaking into the blood stream) and inclusion of probiotics (superior quality such as ‘entralive maximal’ from Entrapro) which also contain essential prebiotics plus a high quality enzyme formula along with eating whole foods in a manner easy to digest – for several YEARS (such as soups and cooked foods) to enable the gut lining to heal. Many gluten free religites don’t get better because the underlying leaky gut is not repaired.

South Africa Government Rejects Monsanto’s GMO Triple Stacked Maize.

South Africa Government Rejects Monsanto’s GMO Triple Stacked Maize.The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) has welcomed the decision of the South African biosafety authorities, rejecting Monsanto’s application for the commercial release of its GM drought tolerant triple stacked maize: MON 87460 x MON 89034 x NK 603. At its meeting on the 2nd October 2018, the Executive Council: GMO Act, refused to authorize the GM maize for commercial growing as it found that the data provided by Monsanto was insufficient to demonstrate the claimed drought tolerant and insect resistant efficacy of the GM event. In particular, the EC found that the drought tolerant field trial data presented by Monsanto for trials conducted over a period of 5 years (2014-2018) in Hopetown, Orania, Lutzville and Malelane, were sorely wanting.

Roundup weed killer may play role in widespread bee deaths..

Roundup weed killer may play role in widespread bee deaths, study finds.For the past decade, bee colonies have been dying off in high numbers. A new study suggests the widely used herbicide Roundup may be playing a role. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that honeybees exposed to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the Monsanto weed killer, lose some of the beneficial bacteria in their guts, thereby becoming more susceptible to infection and death from harmful bacteria.

Trump Quietly OK’s Bioengineered Farming on Wildlife Refuges.

Trump Quietly OK’s Bioengineered Farming on Wildlife Refuges. When you think about America’s wildlife refuges, a lush rolling mountain range or untrammeled wetland preserve might come to mind—not a field clouded with industrial weedkillers. There’s a good reason for that: A few years ago, the Obama administration barred two controversial forms of biotechnology on designated wildlife preserves, neonicotinoid pesticides and genetically modified crops, to help the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) better uphold its public mandate of conservation and wildlife protection. But the Trump administration is seeking to make the country’s wilderness safe for agrichemicals again. In a terse memorandum, seemingly unprompted, the FWS quietly rescinded a hard-won Obama-era legal agreement, which imposed a blanket ban on the pesticides and genetically modified crops on the agricultural lands currently hosted in national wildlife refuges. Trump Quietly OK’s Bioengineered Farming on Wildlife Refuges. The Trump administration’s new plans for agrichemicals allows the use of pesticides and GMOs on farmlands located in the habitats of individual wildlife refuges across the United States. This could open the door to wide application of two high-risk biotechnologies. One is genetically modified crops, which have expanded the monopoly power of seed giants like Monsanto across the agricultural supply chain and have often come with increased use of the company’s controversial Roundup glyphosate herbicides. Additionally, the agreement allows refuge-based farms to use neonicotinoids, a class of pesticides associated with the disruption of ecosystems and damage to critical bee populations. Activists say that the chemicals the Trump administration is quietly promoting on conservation areas are known for posing environmental and public-health risks and would upend the fundamental mission of wildlife refuges.

AGRIBUSINESS: Fabián Tomasi, Who Exposed the Toxic Nature of Argentine Agribusiness, Dies.

Fabián Tomasi, Who Exposed the Toxic Nature of Argentine Agribusiness, Dies. Tomasi suffered from a serious illness due to his exposure to pesticides and despite his physical pain, raised his voice to denounce the multimillionaire agribusiness companies responsible .Fabián Tomasi, who contracted severe toxic polyneuropathy due to his exposure to pesticides as an agricultural worker, but fought back by becoming an iconic voice against the impact of agribusiness and toxic chemicals, died on September 7. AGRIBUSINESS: Fabián Tomasi, Who Exposed the Toxic Nature of Argentine Agribusiness, Dies. He had been in hospital for five days after having been diagnosed with pneumonia. Even as his illness inhibited his mobility and caused extreme pain, Tomasi valiantly continued to talk about the impact of chemicals (some of which are illegal), which are widely used in several provinces in the north of Argentina by agribusiness companies. This has led to thousands of cases of cancer, malformations and other related illnesses, which are often ignored or denied by the government and these companies. Below is a piece written by Tomasi in March for La Garganta Poderosa about his life, illness, struggle and about those responsible for the suffering of his community.AGRIBUSINESS: Fabián Tomasi, Who Exposed the Toxic Nature of Argentine Agribusiness, Dies. Many coastal provinces have been destroyed by glyphosate and other chemicals, as if they willingly forgot that we human beings have 70% genetic similarity with plants. How did they expect their poison to tell us apart? They don’t. This is why when they fumigate, only 20% remains in the vegetables and the rest is in the air that we breathe. It is not enough to say “Get out Monsanto,” because the chains of evil today extend to the rest of the multi-million dollar companies and they are tangled up in silence. Today, there are no sicknesses without poison and there is no poison without this criminal collusion between multinational companies, the health industry, the governments and the justice system.

Genetically Modified Children: New Film Unveils the ‘Monstrous’ Child Deformities Caused by Agrochemicals in Argentina.

Genetically Modified Children: New Film Unveils the ‘Monstrous’ Child Deformities Caused by Agrochemicals in Argentina. The shocking film "Genetically Modified Children" unveils the horrors of decades of chemical-intensive agricultural practices in Argentina, where the majority of crops are genetically modified (GM) and routinely doused in dangerous agrochemicals, and the chokehold big tobacco companies such as Philip Morris and chemical and seed giants have on poverty-stricken farmers desperate to earn a living. The film, produced by Juliette Igier and Stephanie Lebrun, shows the devastating health effects the region's agricultural sector is having on children,1 an increasing number of whom are being born with monstrous physical deformities. Some of the children's cases are so severe that, without a medical intervention, will result in death before the age of 5. The film begins with the crew traveling from North Argentina in the Province of Misiones to the Brazilian frontier, an agricultural region that was one of the nation's first to begin growing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the mid-'90s. Featured in the film is Ricardo Rivero, regional head of the local electricity company. He learned that the reason families cannot pay their bills is because often they are taking care of a sick or handicapped child, and receive no assistance from the Argentinian government. The film shows them visiting the humble home of a tobacco farmer where they meet Lucas Texeira, a 5-year-old boy with an incurable genetic skin disease. The family believes it was caused by the mother's exposure to Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller early on in her pregnancy. No one told her it was toxic, she says. The genetic mutation that caused her son's condition left him with no pores in his skin, which means he doesn't perspire. The heat from his body stays inside, causing him severe and painful itching that leads to frequent crying spells. Mr. Texeira expresses his sadness over Lucas' condition, as well as his fears that he could have another child in the future with a similar deformity.

Roundup Made With Vinegar (Rather Than Glyphosate) Is Now Available .

Roundup Made With Vinegar (Rather Than Glyphosate) Is Now Available . Roundup is a pesticide (a weed-killer or herbicide) containing the active ingredient glyphosate. It is a controversial herbicide that is the most heavily used pesticide in the world. And since the introduction of Roundup Ready crops that have been genetically modified to survive repeated Roundup applications, the use is only increasing on farms. Several posts here, here, and here have discussed research and controversies with Roundup, and the numerous health concerns (including that it is a "probable carcinogen"), as well as the residues that are in our food (and allowed to be there). A new product called Roundup, but containing acetic acid instead of glyphosate, is now available at garden centers in Austria. The product is called Roundup AC is being manufactured by Scotts (the name is licensed from Monsanto), and it uses 10% acetic acid in place of glyphosate. To use ordinary vinegar as a weed-killer: Use on a hot sunny dry day. Just spray or pour some on the offending weeds - and whatever the vinegar touches will soon die. Unfortunately the weeds may come back after a week or two (the root systems may not be killed off) - so just reapply vinegar. Or can make the effects of the vinegar stronger by adding one cup salt to a gallon vinegar or a little (a teaspoon or more) dish detergent to the vinegar. Or combine all three ingredients when needing permanent removal of vegetation from an area such as sidewalk cracks or gravel driveways. Roundup Made With Vinegar (Rather Than Glyphosate) Is Now Available .

How Monsanto Plants Stories, Suppresses Science & Silences Dissent to Sell a Cancer-Linked Chemical.

How Monsanto Plants Stories, Suppresses Science & Silences Dissent to Sell a Cancer-Linked Chemical. As Monsanto comes under scrutiny for allegedly hiding the dangers of its weed killer, Roundup, we talk to a reporter who says the company attempted to censor and discredit her when she published stories on their product that contradicted their business interests. Carey Gillam is a veteran investigative journalist and author of “Whitewash–The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer and the Corruption of Science.”

Weed Killer in $289 Million Cancer Verdict Found in Oat Cereal and Granola Bars.

Weed Killer in $289 Million Cancer Verdict Found in Oat Cereal and Granola Bars.Popular oat cereals, oatmeal, granola and snack bars come with a hefty dose of the weed-killing poison in Roundup, according to independent laboratory tests commissioned by EWG. Glyphosate, an herbicide linked to cancer by California state scientists and the World Health Organization, was found in all but two of 45 samples of products made with conventionally grown oats. Almost three-fourths of those samples had glyphosate levels higher than what EWG scientists consider protective of children’s health with an adequate margin of safety. About one-third of 16 samples made with organically grown oats also had glyphosate, all at levels well below EWG’s health benchmark. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the Monsanto weed killer that is the most heavily used pesticide in the U.S.

Monsanto knew about glyphosate-cancer link 35 years ago.

Monsanto knew about glyphosate-cancer link 35 years ago. The almighty Monsanto has recently come under fire, after the World Health Organization labeled the main ingredient in the company’s popular Roundup weed killer product to be a human carcinogen. Monsanto is currently in damage control mode in an effort to pick up the pieces from this public relations disaster. In reality, Monsanto has known about the link between glyphosate and cancer for upwards of 35 years. It’s no surprise the evil giant has kept quiet for profit’s sake. The effects of glyphosate on the human body have been studied for years by research scientist Dr. Anthony Samsel, who has revealed the harmfulness of its nature. Samsel has also worked with Dr. Stephanie Seneff, who released a warning that upwards of half of all children in the U.S. could be autistic by year 2025. The impending autism rate will largely be caused by exposure to glyphosate. Samsel was recently given a look into a “trade secret” file that had been sealed away since 1981 at the request of the Monsanto Company. Samsel was able to view the document thanks to his field of study. Though he was not granted permission to show the file to anyone, he is allowed to speak his thoughts on his findings. Samsel was interviewed by journalist Tony Mitra, and spoke about his findings on camera. He talks about disturbing evidence which shows “significant incidences of cell tumors of the tests and tumor growth in multiple organs and tissues” of lab animals. Samsel also discusses the fact that there is evidence that glyphosate enters bone marrow almost immediately. This entry into the bone marrow prevents the formation of new cells in living organisms. Samsel continues to highlight a higher incidence of benign tumors and cancerous tumors that, in almost every single case, begin in outer tissues.

Brazil Judge Suspends Use of Agrochemical Glyphosate.

Brazil Judge Suspends Use of Agrochemical Glyphosate. A Brazilian judge has suspended the use of products containing the agrochemical glyphosate, a widely employed herbicide for soy and other crops in the country, according to legal filings. A federal judge in Brasilia ruled that new products containing the chemical could not be registered in the country and existing registrations would be suspended within the next 30 days, until the government reevaluates their toxicology. The decision, which could be subject to multiple appeals, also applies to the insecticide abamectin and the fungicide thiram. The ruling affects companies such as Monsanto Co, which markets a glyphosate-resistant, genetically-modified type of soybean that is planted on a large scale in Brazil. Monsanto is now a unit of Bayer AG, following a $62.5 billion takeover of the U.S. seed major which closed in June. Certain glyphosate-resistant corn and cotton strains have also been authorized in Brazil.

Monsanto Loses Landmark Roundup Cancer Trial, Set to Pay USD 289 Million in Damages.

Monsanto Loses Landmark Roundup Cancer Trial, Set to Pay USD 289 Million in Damages. Monsanto has lost a landmark cancer trial in San Francisco and has been ordered by the Judge to pay over USD 289 Million in total damages to the former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, a California father who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which was caused by Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup.

Monsanto sued small farmers to protect seed patents.

Monsanto sued small farmers to protect seed patents, report says.The agricultural giant Monsanto has sued hundreds of small farmers in the United States in recent years in attempts to protect its patent rights on genetically engineered seeds that it produces and sells, a new report said on Tuesday. The study, produced jointly by the Center for Food Safety and the Save Our Seeds campaigning groups, has outlined what it says is a concerted effort by the multinational to dominate the seeds industry in the US and prevent farmers from replanting crops they have produced from Monsanto seeds. In its report, called Seed Giants vs US Farmers, the CFS said it had tracked numerous law suits that Monsanto had brought against farmers and found some 142 patent infringement suits against 410 farmers and 56 small businesses in more than 27 states. In total the firm has won more than $23m from its targets, the report said.