"Planet in Peril" blogger accuses Manitoba’s Minister of Agriculture of lying.

Since the individual Minister at the heart of this story is back in his job after an absence of a dozen-or-so years, I feel it appropriate to re-post my blog story from 2014. After all it's now been well over a decade, not just a couple of years, since he made me the promise he never kept. 

by Larry Powell

 

Manitoba's Minister of Agriculture, Ron Kostyshyn, (below), lies.

Way back in September of 2012 (now more than 1 1 years ago), Kostyshyn promised he would read a peer-reviewed article I had co-authored. Entitled "Field of Nightmares," it appeared in the well-respected Canadian journal "Alternatives - Canada's Environmental Voice." It documented much of the research which has been done, linking the popular herbicide "Roundup" to adverse effects on the health of livestock, wildlife, crops and even humans. It also placed the official position of the Government of Canada on the record, which was, it was "aware of the research, but, it did not raise immediate risk concerns that would have triggered regulatory action.”

So my story concluded that "Ottawa was letting corporate seduction trump the scientific evidence"

Since Roundup is used in oceanic amounts on crops everywhere, including Manitoba, I was naturally curious. Was Mr. Kostyshyn aware of the evidence? If not, why not?

If so, is his inaction due to the fact he simply does not believe the science? If he does why isn't he doing something? It's not as if he were powerless. The Government of Manitoba regulates the sale, use, transportation, storage and disposal of pesticides. 

So I emailed him a link to my story, asking him why nothing is being done. 

No answer.

When I had a chance to interview him later, in person, he said he had been busy and had not seen my email. So I made him promise (on tape) to read my article and get back to me. He said he would! 

Following more weeks of silence, I tried to reach him by 'phone, but was kept from talking to him by a staffer in his office, who gave me a lecture for not following proper protocol for interviewing a Minister.

As a result, after all this time, I still haven't heard from him and feel fully justified in now declaring that he lies. 

For the record, I don't give a damn that it was my byline on the story in question. That's not the point. The story was important because, of the thousands that had been written about Roundup, it was the only one I've seen that summed up in one place the points I've outlined above.

By refusing to answer my questions, Mr. Kostyshyn clearly feels no obligation to be either accountable or transparent to the people of this province. Meanwhile, both Manitoba and Ottawa continue to embrace prodigious Roundup application without bothering to explain why. 

What are we to conclude when a Minister of the Crown so flatly refuses to engage in the least bit of intellectual discussion that might shed some light on where he is coming from? 

Might we conclude that there is collusion of some sort between our elected officials and the huge, rich, ruthless, powerful and unelected Agribusiness corporations who manufacture these products? 

I am not saying there is. What I am saying is, Mr. Minister, if it isn't collusion, then what the Hell would you call it?

THE HIGH-MAINTENANCE POLLUTING PORK INDUSTRY BELLIES UP to THE TAXPAYER TROUGH ONCE AGAIN.

 Manitoba/Canada News Release

GOVERNMENTS INVEST IN "INNOVATION" TO "HELP INCREASE COMPETITIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF PORK PRODUCERS"

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing $2.2 million in three agricultural research projects, to be conducted by Topigs Norsvin Canada (TN), that will enhance the competitiveness of Manitoba pork producers by improving the precision feeding of sows and promoting higher animal welfare standards, Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Ralph Eichler announced today.

"These innovative projects will give the pork industry more tools in their sustainability toolbox," said Bibeau. "They will help to improve feeding and housing for the pigs, which leads to better resource efficiency and a reduced environmental footprint for producers. Topigs Norsvin plays a big role in making Canada a global leader in swine genetics, and we are proud to support their work."

"Our government is pleased to support the work of our producers through these innovative projects that will accelerate agricultural innovation, promote knowledge transfer to producers, advance value-added opportunities, strengthen competitiveness and support sustainable agricultural development in our provincial pork industry," said Eichler. "The results of these projects will be valuable in our continuing efforts to strengthen the sustainability of our provincial pork industry."

The three research projects, which will help the pork industry be more environmentally and economically sustainable, will focus on:

improving competitiveness and sustainability of pork production through increased feed efficiency, improved carcass quality and higher animal welfare standards by innovative application of microbiome profiling, computer tomography and genomics;

advancing sow reproductive knowledge and management practices for optimal lifetime productivity and embryo transfer success; and innovative application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, behavioural science and genomics to enhance resource efficiency for environmental sustainability of sow farms in Manitoba using welfare friendly production.

Funding is provided by the Ag Action Manitoba Program-Research and Innovation, through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The funded research will be beneficial to the province's first-of-its-kind sustainable protein strategy, ensuring Manitoba producers are well-positioned to remain leaders in plant and animal protein development in the face of increased global demand for high-quality protein, the minister added.

A key element of the strategy includes using innovation to grow livestock herds for animal protein and new acres for plant protein, while ensuring Manitoba remains a strong environment for investment and is responsive to the needs of producers.

TN is establishing an over $30-million new research and development facility in Plumas, Manitoba. It is to be completed by the end of 2022 and is aimed at sow management, where the funded projects will be conducted and results shared with industry stakeholders. The first of its kind in the world, these projects will utilize leading-edge artificial intelligence, computer vision, behavioural research, and precision feeding to generate a database comprised of important animal health and welfare data.

"Topigs Norsvin continuously monitors international developments in the pork industry and prides itself as a leader in the sector," said Hans Olislagers, Chief Technical Officer, Topigs Norsvin. "Implementation of loose housing of sows during farrowing is already legislated in several countries and we recognize our responsibility to breed and select pigs while maintaining the integrity of animal welfare. This assures our customers that our genetics will fit the housing systems and market demands of the future."

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a five-year, $3-billion investment by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada's agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. This commitment includes $2 billion for programs cost-shared by the federal, provincial and territorial governments that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.

RELATED:

In Hogs we Trust - Part 11

$$The Price we Pay for Corporate Pork$$

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The Fate of the Canadian Rockies May Rest on This Decision

The Tyee

                                Bighorn country, eastern slopes, AB. Photo by Aerin Jacob

Approving the Grassy Mountain Coal Project will surely spell nothing less than the industrialization of Alberta’s sensitive eastern slopes. Story here.

Health Canada approves another product known to be deadly to beneficial organisms.

The Western Producer

Members of the "neonic" family are known mass-killers, esp. of pollinators such as honeybees. "Karen" holds dead bees at Hayes Valley Farm.

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has announced that neonicotinoid insecticides are not a threat to aquatic insects when used as a seed treatment on canola and in many other instances. Details here.

Of pandemics and politicians. (Opinion)

by Larry Powell

Politicians need to be judged, not by their words, but their actions. Ontario Premier, Doug Ford has been generally well-received for his press conferences during the pandemic. Sounding good. Saying the right things. But it was under his watch, after all, that inspections of Ontario's personal care homes were slashed to save money. And we all know how tragic and deadly the situation has become within such homes in Ontario and elsewhere. Sadly, Ford's actions are consistent with a neo-liberal agenda that has dominated the world, notably since the Reagan/Thatcher era. Cut, slash. Get governments "out of the way," Contract out. Lay off. Throw your jurisdictions "open for business" while shrinking public services like education and health. Let the market rule! (Music to the ears of the likes of Mike Harris, former Tory premier of ON. He seems to have done alright assuming the helm of one of the for-profit, private home-care companies in that province.)

Then, there's Alberta. Premier Kenney appears, in some ways, to grasp the gravity of the crisis and what's needed to counter it. Yet his government has shamelessly and heartlessly directed (no doubt at the behest of its rich, powerful and American-owned owner, Cargill) the re-opening of a big meat plant which has seen the single largest outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in North America! This is shameful and outrageous. It flies in the face of warnings from the Union there, that a re-opening would only lead to a resurgence of the pandemic, putting its members under even greater risk. Many of those members are vulnerable foreign workers, forced by economic necessity to live in crowded housing and work in dangerous, cramped condition in the plant.

It was also under Kenney's watch that an "inspection" of the plant was carried out via Skype! This, too is in keeping with neo-liberal philosophy. Its leaders view most any regulation as nothing more than "red tape" to be done away with, no matter the consequences.

 (Just look at Manitoba, where a Tory regime - with positively Trumpian zeal - has done away with "pesky" rules which once kept at least a partial reign on a now-runaway, high-maintenance, costly-to-the-public-purse, cruel and polluting, "factory-style" pork industry.)

As long as we keep electing leaders who care more about political expediency and cronyism than science, nothing will change.

End park mining in Manitoba. (Video)

The Wilderness Committee

Peace River Frack-Up

PolicyNote (CCPA - the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives)

Part 1 of a report on how fracking poses risks to BC Hydro’s Peace River dams,
British Columbia, Canada. Story here.

The site c dam, BC in an early stage of construction - 2016.
Photo by Jeffrey Wynne 

Canada’s reindeer ‘at risk of extinction’

The Narwhal

As governments drag their feet on caribou habitat protections, the iconic species engraved on the Canadian quarter is winking out across the country. The year 2019 saw alarming declines and local extinctions of a species Indigenous peoples hold sacred. Story here.

"Santa's reindeer" flee a logging truck, somewhere in the boreal
forests of Canada. 

Please read my own, related story and watch my video, below...Larry Powell.

Even our national bird - the Canada jay - is not immune from the ravages of manmade climate change.

Save the Wilderness. A music video by Eric Bogle and Larry Powell.

Don't let the forces of "anti-science" win Canada over. Please help!

, It’s on. Jason Kenney launched his anti-environmentalist “War Room” this week because he thinks 2020 is going to be the year Alberta starts doubling its oilsands emissions. He’s going to spend $30 million in taxpayer dollars this year to fill the airwaves with ads to promote the oil industry. We got a taste of what his spin doctors have prescribed with a two-minute video launched on YouTube. It’s ugly — within 20 seconds, it implies babies depend on bitumen sales to live happy lives. You can count on Dogwood to be a strong voice standing up against Kenney’s propaganda machine, but we need every penny to fight back. Donate $5, $50, or even $500 today — your gift will make a difference. Jason Kenney is putting the full weight of his government behind this smear campaign. His War Room team wants to erode the work we’ve done together building organized opposition to oil tankers for a decade now — and they have $30 million to do it. Don’t let Jason Kenney fool you into thinking this is a debate over jobs and families in Alberta. If it was, he’d use his $30 million budget to start transitioning oil patch workers into new careers, opening the door to future opportunities. Instead, he’s using his campaign to protect Big Oil’s bottom line. Meanwhile, the federal government just spent $4.5 billion on a rusty pipeline, and plans to shell out at least $10 billion more to expand it — think of the schools and hospitals we could build with that money. With a $30 million budget, the War Room plans to steamroll grassroots opposition and try to bamboozle Canadians into changing the debate. Don’t let that happen. A generous donor has pledged to match every gift to Dogwood. That means until December 31, your $100 becomes $200 — instantly. We need every last penny to launch a strong opposition to the War Room. Double your money with a gift of $5, $50, or even $500 right now. Yours, Adam Bailey, Dogwood P.S. Jason Kenney just launched his $30 million War Room to spread pro-oil propaganda across our country’s airwaves. They have deep pockets and a clear goal: to derail the hard work of people like you who have been defending our coast against Big Oil. You can be a strong voice standing up against them with a donation of $5, $50 or even $500. And if you give now, a generous donor will make sure your donation is doubled. PLEASE DONATE https://dogwoodbc.ca/donate

Wexit and climate pollution: a tale of two Canadas

National Observer

This PinP photo was taken along a highway construction project in SK.

There are already two Canadas when it comes to climate pollution, and they've been heading in opposite directions for years. A successful "Wexit" would split them into two separate countries: One would become the world's most climate polluting country per person, with an economy twice as dirty as China's. Story here.

End the criminalization of land rights defenders. (Video)

In Alberta, a shocking abuse of political power to protect the oil industry

NATIONAL OBSERVER

This story is part of "Covering Climate Now," a global collaboration of more than 220 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story:

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The Government of Alberta has created the new “Energy War Room” (with an annual budget of $30 million) to combat environmental NGOs, specifically those who have been campaigning against the oil sector. This may come as a surprise to taxpayers wondering why a billion-dollar industry needs such government-subsidized assistance in the first place. Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage provided an answer of sorts, offering the following as the higher purpose of the Energy War Room: More here.

An aerial photo believed to depict a dump site near the Muskeg River mine,
Alberta tar sands. A "Beautiful Destruction" photo.

Amazon deforestation accelerating towards unrecoverable 'tipping point'

The Guardian

Data confirms fears that Jair Bolsonaro’s policy encourages illegal logging in Brazil. 
Story here.

The Amazon rainforest near Manaus, capital of the
Brazilian state of Amazonas (largely untouched by human hands,
so far).Photo by Neil Palmer/CIAT.

It’s feared that a disease deadly to hogs, “PEDv,” will return to the rampant stage it reached in Manitoba in 2017.

FARMSCAPE

"Manitoba Pork" reports 50 cases in the province already this year, and calls for stepped up efforts to combat it. Story here.

Piglets with PEDv develop severe diarrhea and vomiting.
Almost all die within a few days of birth.
A Manitoba Pork photo.

RELATED: 

Another 2017 for PEDv?

“IN HOGS WE TRUST” 

Part 111 - From Malaysia to Manitoba - the global magnitude of livestock diseases.

Manitoba's "Protein Advantage"

A few months ago, the Government of Manitoba invited input from the public on a proposal to expand production of protein-rich food, whether plant or animal-based, in this province. It claims, meeting this fast-growing global demand offers much bigger opportunities than those which have existed before, for both farmers and investors. The province has embarked on a massive expansion of its industrial pork industry by relaxing both health and environmental regulations and obviously hopes through this new initiative,  to make it even bigger.

In this in-depth article, long-time farm activist and livestock producer, Ruth Pryzer, offers many valuable insights into why this all needs to be taken with several grains of salt.

PinP

Nunavut's ill-advised hunting proposal

Science

A polar bear and her two cubs.
Photo by Alastair Rae.

The government of one of Canada’s northern territories may soon adopt a recommendation which may well threaten the ability of the polar bear to reproduce. Story here.

Fungicides move into the headlines. And not in a good way. Letter.

Dear Editor,

A chlorothalonil molecule.
Image by Jynto.

A month ago, the European Union announced it would ban the widely-used fungicide, chlorothalonil.  

Why? 

Because experts in its own Food Safety Agency suspected it was carcinogenic - or cancer-causing. 

It just so happens, that very same product is also used right here in Canada, and apparently in no small amounts, either! Yet our own Canadian "regulator," the PMRA, re-assessed the chemical less than a year ago.  While it imposed some restrictions, it will still allow its main use as a treatment for mold, mildew and blight in food crops, to continue.

Fast forward to today. The New York Times is now reporting that a new and deadly fungal infection, Candida aurus, is moving across the globe, with "numerous cases" reported in many countries, including Canada. The fungus is claiming many lives and proving to be well-nigh indestructible. 

Why? 

According to experts in the field of antimicrobial resistance, it is probably building defences against medical treatments because we are applying too many agricultural fungicides to our crops! 

(According to Stats Can, while it does not identify the specific kind, farmers here in my home province of Manitoba use fungicides more frequently than their counterparts in any other province!) 

So, could it be, in addition to the likelihood that the herbicide, Roundup causes cancer, we need to worry about fungal infections becoming resistant to available treatments, too?  

I have no idea. 

But I would think my own government might! Yet, even though I've tried for a month now to find out how the EU and Canada could come up with such starkly different findings (regarding carcinogenicity), I've heard nothing back at all. And I  have no reason to expect there'll be any response this time, either.

This is disturbingly similar to the growing medical crisis surrounding the overuse of antibiotics in the world's intensive livestock industry. (Both the government of Manitoba and the hog industry's lobby group remained similarly silent when I asked them for information for a series I was writing on the government's fateful decision to de-regulate this already large industry, to allow it to expand.) 

I call it government by neglect. Arrogant neglect.

As one world expert on antibiotic resistance, Ellen Silbergeld, states, "Why on earth did somebody think that putting antibiotics in agriculture was a good idea?" 

Silbergeld is a scientist. And, in a "post-truth" world, sadly, science must take a back seat to profit and politics.

Meanwhile, the frenzied growth of this runaway industry - from Malaysia to Manitoba - continues apace.

Larry Powell

Shoal Lake, Manitoba.

The Trump Administration Has Thrown Out Protections for Migratory Birds

truthout

A great egret. One of the many birds that migrate between Canada and the U.S.
A PinP photo.

Under Republican and Democratic presidents from Nixon through Obama, killing migratory birds, even inadvertently, was a crime, with fines for violations ranging from $250 to $100 million. The power to prosecute created a deterrent that protected birds and enabled government to hold companies to account for environmental disasters. But in part due to President Donald Trump’s interior secretary nominee…more here.

RELATED: 

New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too. Is modern agriculture's hold on nature becoming a death grip?

Frack sand mine in Manitoba, Canada endangers climate and First Nation (Video)

Carbon emissions up as Trump rolls back climate change work

The Guardian

A coal plant in Wisconsin. US Geological Survey.

Last year’s 3.4% jump in emissions is the largest since 2010 recession and second largest gain in more than two decades. More here.