PLANET IN PERIL

Bloomberg The measure puts a temporary moratorium on the farming of genetically modified crops in Maui County.   Story here.

The Co-Operator The government has introduced amendments to its Agricultural Growth Act to make the language around seed saving clearer. Story here.   Larry Powell P in P photo.

Institute of Science in Society Researchers have created conventionally bred varieties tolerant to drought and low nitrogen soils that can reduce poverty in 13 African countries by up to 9 %, far outperforming anything that genetic modification has achieved  Prof Peter Saunders Please circulate widely and repost, but you must give the URL of the original and preserve all the links back to articles on our website. If you find this report useful, please support ISIS by subscribing to our magazine  Science in Society , and encourage your friends to do so. Or have a look at the  ISIS bookstore  for other publications. A  fully referenced version  of this article is posted on ISIS members website and is otherwise available for download  here

Organic Consumer's Association Crop-duster in Manitoba. P in P photo. What’s more poisonous than Dow’s 2,4-D “Agent Orange” herbicide or Monsanto’s Roundup? Story here.                    (See r elated, below:)  New GMOs Doctors Are Warning Against. (Video). "Do Manitoba's Elected Politicians Care About the Health of Their People? A Food Safety Advocate Wonders...The politicians are "no-shows" at a series of summer speaking events." 

Canadian Press Unregulated genetically modified wheat has popped up in a second location in the United States, this time in Huntley, Montana, the Agriculture Department said Friday.   Story here. Wheat field. P in P photo.

The Dr. Oz Show Click here to watch this "must-watch" video! Related: "Do Manitoba's Elected Politicians Care About the Health of Their People? A Food Safety Advocate Wonders...The politicians are "no-shows" at a series of summer speaking events." 

Dear Editor, So, I see the head of CropLife Canada, Ted Menzies, thinks I used "inflammatory" language in a recent story I wrote. It posed this question. "Is agriculture's toxic hold on nature turning into a death grip?" The story went on to quote scientific studies which link "neonicotinoids," a group of insecticides, to widespread declines in populations of both honeybees and songbirds. ("Neonics" are made by some of the world's biggest chemical companies that he now represents.) Excuse me, Mr. Menzies, if my headline sounded "inflammatory." But, if Canadians themselves are not yet "inflamed" by the impact your products are having on our natural world, perhaps it's time they should be! Every school kid must know by now what a calamity it would be if we lose our pollinators. Bees make our lives universally sweet while helping produce one of every three spoons-full of food we put in our mouths!  So

by Ted Menzies, President of CropLife Canada. In response to Larry Powell’s Aug. 19 article,  "  New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too. Is Modern Agriculture's Hold on Nature Turning Into a Death Grip?"  and his letter to the editor on Sept. 5 regarding the lack of replies ; Ted Menzies, President of CropLife Canada.  Inflammatory language such as that expressed in the article "Is agriculture’s toxic hold turning into a death grip?" creates a false impression that is both unfair to farmers and inaccurate. Farmers overwhelmingly choose to grow genetically-improved varieties of corn, canola, soybeans and other crops due to the numerous benefits they offer, such as increased yields, which allows more food to be produced on the same amount of land. The plant science industry is committed to the responsible use of its products. Neonicotinoid seed treatments use a ver

The politicians are "no-shows" at a series of summer speaking events. by Larry Powell Organizers of a national speaking tour, designed to warn of the potential health impacts of genetically-engineered foods, had high hopes of winning the ear of governments when the tour arrived in Manitoba in July. The Co-ordinator for the "GE Foods and Health Cross-Canada Speakers Tour" in the province, Rose Stevens, personally sent e-mails to numerous Members of Parliament and MLAs in Manitoba. She invited them to attend  one of the seven events   held in the province that month.  Some sent regrets, without further explanation. Others said they had other commitments, without saying what they were. One said he was going to be out of the country for one of the dates, but didn't mention the others.   Several did not even respond.                                                                                                  Whatever their circumstance,   not one of t

Manitoba Co-Operator Organic growers in Manitoba have limited options right now. Story here. A soy crop in Manitoba, genetically-engineered to resist the herbicide, Roundup.  An estimated 90% of all such crops are manipulated in this fashion,  resulting in copious use of such chemicals. P in P photo.

Is modern agriculture’s hold on nature becoming a death grip?  By Larry Powell Another insectivorous species in decline,  the  purple  martin. Are they becoming "neonic" victims, too? PinP  photo. This summer, the tragedy of dying pollinators took on a new dimension. A team of Dutch researchers found that, in addition to bees, “significant declines in populations of insect-eating birds are also associated with high concentrations of neonicotinoids.” “Neonics,” as they are commonly called, have become the most widely used group of insecticides in the world – and, the most infamous. As well as killing the crop pests they are supposed to, they’ve been implicated in the deaths of billions of honeybees from near and far, for well over a decade. The European Union even clamped a two-year moratorium on their use, last year. Various formulations of the chemical are made by multinational corporations like Bayer CropScience, Syngenta and Monsanto. They’re used as seed dress

Organic Consumer's Association Hell hath no fury . . . like a mother whose child has been sickened by a toxin that’s almost impossible to avoid. Details here. Related: Field of Nightmares. Canada embraces the widespread use of Roundup by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence. PLT photo.

Common Dreams Ronnie Cummins: "These victories make it clear to agribusiness giants like Monsanto and Dow that the day has come when they can no longer buy and lie their way to victory." Details here.

Montreal Gazette Sale of controversial seed delayed after protests across Canada. Details here.

EcoWatch A new study led by scientists from the Arctic University of Norway has detected “extreme levels” of Roundup, the agricultural herbicide manufactured by Monsanto, in genetically engineered (GE) soy. Full story here. Related:  Field of Nightmares  -  Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence.

Manitoba Co-Operator The good news is, the weed was found at only two sites out of 283 surveyed last fall. Details here. Artist; Paul Hoppe

Huffington Post HALIFAX - A U.S. company hoping to produce genetically modified salmon eggs in Canada has also applied to the federal government to sell its fish for human consumption.  Full story here.

Los Angeles Times With monarch butterfly populations rapidly dwindling, a conservation organization on Monday asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement tougher rules for the weed killer glyphosate — Details here. Please also read:   " Field of Nightmares -  Ottawa continues to embrace the widespread use of Roundup on Canadian farms by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence." "Dangerous Ditches -   Manitoba’s “war on weeds” comes complete with powerful herbicides, questionable spraying practices and collateral damage."

New York Times THREE crops — corn, soybeans and wheat — account for a vast majority of the value of America’s agricultural crop output. But wheat is different in one important respect.  Full story here. Non-GMO wheat. May you live  long and prosper! PLT photo.

Winnipeg Free Press The federal government in the U.S. has proposed eliminating restrictions on the use of corn and soybean seeds genetically engineered to resist a common weed killer.  Full story here. Ground sprayer - PLT photo