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According to Poor Richard’s Blog, which posts the URL to the legislation, Congress — at the apparent behest of Monsanto — is moving to make it a crime to "grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat" one’s own food. The direct URL may be found here.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-510
The bill is sponsored by Richard Durbin, the U.S. senator representing Monsanto in this piece of legislative filth. He is a registered Democrat. Among the seventeen co-sponsors listed are Lamar Alexander, Kirsten Gillibrand, Christopher Dodd, David Vitter, Ben Nelson, Orrin Hatch, and the late Ted Kennedy (what the hell?). It is currently under consideration in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
On its face, a reading of the bill appears to give a reasonable concern for food safety. After all, it is important to protect human health from contaminated and other unsafe foodstuffs. But closer reading reveals that the discretion given to inspectors, and the general wording of the bill as a whole, would ensure that the larger producers would never have to face serious inspection — it’s the non-corporate, smaller food growers who stand to be most affected.
I want you to think about this. A recent study has found that girls are reaching puberty as early as age seven because of high-fructose corn syrup. It seems that increasing obesity in younger children is causing hormones associated with metabolic weight gain to kick in earlier, with one result being higher instances of breast cancer for the affected children throughout life. That is bad enough. Now imagine Monsanto, which produces genetically-engineered corn that the Huffington Post reports is linked to organ failure in rats, going virtually exempt from any and all regulation while smaller farmers including organic growers trying to produce healthier stock that could mitigate some of this, are driven out of business.
Worst of all is that the bill places control over U.S. food supplies into the hands of the World Trade Organization and multinational corporations. The Department of Homeland Security would also have jurisdiction to ensure compliance, and even food grown in the United States could be considered smuggling contraband into the country if it does not meet with approval from large corporations.
This is what we’re facing if S510 passes. It must not be allowed to, not without heavy modifications to protect independent growers and strictly regulate corporations.
20 Comments
There ought to be a criminal investigation of Monsanto and ADM for industrialized murder, conspiracy to commit industrialized and global murder, price fixing, RICO violations, fraud, and theft.
Industrialized murder – in that GMO crops were released onto the tables of the public without our knowledge, consent or anything else. GMO crops of all kinds are starting to show massive problems with tested populations of animals – you know, the things we usually experiment on before we start experimenting on unsuspecting people. The side effects of GMO crops do lead to death. Death from hormone imbalances, death from organ failures, and death from suicide (more on that later).
Price fixing: GMO crops are inherently unstable. As a way to control this instability, Monsanto et al have resorted to requiring farmers to plant only F1 seed – which they have to purchase from Monsanto et al every year. F2 plants become “monsters” because they cannot control the expression of the GM gene in the second and ensuing generations. In addition to this, Monsanto et all now own 75% of ALL the world’s seed producing and distribution companies. Their leadership has stated that the person who controls the food supply controls the world. Price fixing is just one tiny aspect of this world food domination strategy.
RICO: The country of Paraguay resisted all attempts by Monsanto et al to bring GMO crops to their country – trying to preserve their lucrative export market to Europe which bans most GMO crops (smartly). Paraguay cannot export food to the US because of NAFTA, CAFTA, etc. As a result of those treaties, Monsanto et al is free to “dump” commodities and flood the agricultural markets of these poor countries at will.
In any case, Monsanto brought GMO corn into the country illegally, contaminated the crops there, sprayed thousands of acres of native corn with Round-up killing not only the unprotected corn but poisoning water supplies that sickened livestock and the residents of that country. Now, Paraguay has lost its European market, and farmers are forced to buy Monsanto et al seeds if they want ot have any crops at all.
Fraud: Monsanto et al claims and/or insinuates through their advertising that GMO crops are the only way to “feed the world”. The truth is that GMO crops do not produce as much per acre as traditional non-GMO crops. In some cases, yield may be cut in half. Monsanto et al have also prosecuted farmers for supposedly stealing their GMO seeds when the facts show that the crops were contaminated by pollen drift from fields sometimes miles away. Monsanto of course denies that this happens. However, it has been proven in scientific studies.
This is where the suicides come in. In India, where cotton farmers were pursuaded to begin using Monsanto GMO cotton, yields dropped so low it forced many farmers into bankruptcy. The Indian government reports approximately 1500 suicides in the first year alone as being linked to this crop “failure”.
MONSANTO IS EVIL.
Now to the family farm: I would like for someone just once to explain to me which family farm has caused any of the following: The spinace e coli outbreak, the tomato e coli outbreak, any of the several dozen meat recalls for e coli or mad cow, any of the hundreds of salmonella contaminations, I could go on and on.
ALL of these were as a result of giant agribusiness food processing farms, ranches and processing plants. ALL of them. I know they talk about these “farms” as if they were your grandpappy or your cousin Jake’s farm. They are not. They were all corporate owned, giant, mono-culture farms.
We MUST fight this bill and put the regulations where they belong – on corporate agribusiness.
OK, I went to the link, read the entire summary, and skimmed the entire text, yet couldn’t find where it is “moving to make it a crime to ‘grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat’ one’s own food.”
Could you point me to the correct title and section to look at, please? Thanks.
Michael, believe me when I say this doesn’t sound good-I’m so tired of the DHS having it’s paws over everything- but, per your link,: “(2) require that each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports an article of food permit inspection of his or her records if the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to such food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” I don’t see the ‘outlawing’ of growing your own food or local farmers markets.
I did not see that either ‘ubetchaiam’…
but what is very true and potentially dangerous, is what ‘lokywoky’ has stated about Monsanto and the ADM. These bastards DO want to make all food growing and production come under their giant wing of corruption, deception, and death! These people are NOT good folk in any sense of the word, and they are attempting to hasten the complete and disasterous weakening of the nature of the foodchain.
Also, if you are involved in either the healthfood industry or organic farming and distribution markets, you can expect some interesting inequality in the performance of a ‘health inspection’ by a so-called health inspector. Even if you are consistently and religiously ‘clean as a whistle’, which you should be…they go to great pains to make you know that they rule, step out of line and they will make life uncomfortable! If you are part of the ‘corp culture in agribusiness’, a bit different, then they hand out a lot of ‘passes’ and ‘get out of jail’ free cards!
Check out this group for more info on Monsanto’s BS:
http://www.nongmoproject.org/
Already know about Monsanto et al, gmo’s, etc.; The issue for Michaels diary is the title of the diary. And yes, gummint inspectors are either lacking in doing their job -like MMS.SEC.etc.- or overzealous like TSA or USDA or incompetent and bought like the FDA.
Still, it is a better situation than at the turn of the last century.
And the real issue is politicians whoring themselves for money to run in elections.
I have some concerns about this post, although I do agree Monsanto is guilty of serious overreach and should be reined in with regard to its practices regarding genetically modified plant materials, their control in the environment and corporate liability.
This bit:
is a conflation. The Univ. of California study on fructose consumption by children (which is not available at the link provided in the post) only says that there is a corresponding increase in diabetes in children in concert with increased fructose consumption. There is another article cobbled together with a TimesOnline.co.uk article; the second article from Health Day discusses early onset menarche studies by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and another at Emory University. The first study’s conclusions point to weight gain as a possible trigger, the second study suggests multiple epigenetic factors and birth order. Neither of these two studies draw a direct link to consumption of fructose — specifically corn-derived fructose — as factors.
Further, the TimesOnline.co.uk article itself is flawed in that it says fructose is “a sweetener derived from corn”; this is only partially true since fructose is also found in fruits (hence the root, “fruc”) and honey. Were children to be consuming more fructose-laden fresh fruit in their diets, I doubt we’d see weight gain as an issue.
Lots of conflation in this post, plus imagination. I yield to nobody in my contempt for Monsanto and their patented seeds, and willingness to sue farmers onto whose land the patented stuff has blown.
But there’s nothing in the bill that would do any of the stuff claimed in the post.
What is in there is giving the FDA authority to actually recall tainted food, that is, to compel companies to recall. AS of now, they can’t make them do a recall, it’s all voluntary. This bill would change that.
Nope, a quick read doesn’t show any criminalization of home gardens or farmers market. The poster should re-read and reconsider.
I thought the early puberty was because of growth hormones fed to animals that kids in turn eat? I also remember reading about a study of sperm counts of Texas high school football players and Los Angeles kids. One population had terrible sperm counts. You’d think it’s be LA because of the urban smog, but it was Texas, because of the agricultural pesticides. My recollection. Also recalling Chief Seattle, whatever you do to the web of life, you do to yourself.
Each person who “manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports an article of food” can be anyone, including a local farmer or a home-grower. The particular bit, as written, is so broad as to have the ability to target literally anyone.
Scroll down the page. The part about girls reaching puberty at early ages is there. I can only go by what was written in the entry (which was also reported on my local news station yesterday evening, though the report dishonestly stated that no one knows the reason for the early onset). The Huffington Post is also reporting on the phenomenon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/09/puberty-hits-girls-as-you_n_676020.html
Obesity, a growing crisis in America, is linked to early puberty. And because fructose is a quick-release sugar that stores as fat in the body, that contributes to obesity. Other factors, including chemical exposure in the environment from plastic items and makeup, and the consumption of growth hormones in our food, are also contributing factors.
I used that part about girls hitting puberty earlier, with the consequence of higher risk for breast cancer, because it is linked (at least to an extent) to GMO and the legislation I blogged about. Monsanto goes largely unregulated even though its products are a huge risk to human health, but small farmers and even people growing vegetables in their yards can be targeted under this bill if it becomes law. As I pointed out in an earlier comment, that “each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports an article of food permit inspection of his or her records if the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to such food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death” can be taken to mean literally anyone not considered by the government to be a farmer could feasibly be prosecuted. This is not something that should be allowed to pass without heavy modifications to protect consumers and independent growers.
Summary of S 510 at Marlerblog. Bill Marler is the foremost tainted-food prosecuting attorney, who represents victims of contaminated food.
Extensive analysis by Farmer To Consumer Legal Defense Fund here. These folks represent small farmers and raw milk dairies that have been increasingly under attack by a coordinated effort between the FDA and state Ag depts, even in the absence of tainted products. The House passed its version of the law last year.
The main problem I see with this kind of industry-sponsored legislation is the requirement, even for small farms that sell food directly to the families who eat the food, of massive paperwork and computerized tracking of everything, which leaves them vulnerable to being raided if they make a tiny mistake in filling out the required forms. The fines are huge for a small farmer, a flea bite for big ag. The prohibition of seed cleaning is not a minor issue. Monsanto has already sued at least one seed cleaner, as part of its policy of controlling its patented seeds. The problem is that this puts seed cleaners out of business ( it’s a violation of contract to have your Monsanto seed cleaned, since you’re supposed to buy seed from Monsanto, not save and replant your own) due to legal costs.
S 510 would play into corporate hands, providing tools to make it easier to harass and mute/moot the few remaining small farmers and, with them, the sustainable food movement, just as has happened throughout the grain belt in the past, leading to mega-corporate-farms and CAFOs.
There was discussion of the bill at La Vida Locavore in April. The bill does not seem to differentiate between small organic farms and industrial-size farms, and, following the spinach contamination event, includes requirements that would seriously impinge on organic growers.
Has anyone found out if this bill is even scheduled for consideration this fall?
The only place I’m seeing that phrase used is “section 101” which is used to update a single section of the “Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” (21 U.S.C. 350c(a)). If you look at that bill and the language being changed, it appears that particular phrase is currently on the books in existing law. This just appears to modern it up a bit and add risk to animal life in addition to humans as cause for action (no doubt responding to that Melamine thing).
Any way it goes, there would have to be one outlandish series of events for a back yard organic garden declared a threat to human life … but they can totally do that even without this change it seems. Besides, if you are doing your own seeds all they have to do is dump a bunch of GMO pollen over your garden from the air and fix that right up (OMGZ vapor trails!).
Agreed Monsanto is effed up to the max. I Don’t think this legislation does what you are concerned about in this regard though. I didn’t look at the whole thing for impact on small farmer vs. large farmer yet.
Guess we aren’t allowed to point out the truth around here anymore :(
I haven’t but this from your comment tells me ALL I need to know: “. They would also significantly increase the power of the federal government to regulate intrastate commerce and give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) substantially greater power overall while making the agency less accountable for its actions.”
Regulate INTRAstate commerce? No fucking way.
And the FDA can’t do it’s job now; sure wish all those drug ads on tv would give other than ‘possible side effects’, for instance, “there is a 5 per cent chance of blindness occurring if you use this drug”.
And these from Marler’s blog set my teeth on edge:
“Food is to be refused entry into the United States if it is from a foreign facility in which the operator or government refuses to permit entry of United States inspectors, upon request, within 48 hours of request.
” ; talk about an opportunity for corruption.
“(1) Farm means a facility in one general physical location devoted to the growing and harvesting of crops, the raising of animals (including seafood), or both. Washing, trimming of outer leaves of, and cooling produce are considered part of harvesting. The term farm includes: (i) Facilities that pack or hold food, provided that all food used in such activities is grown, raised, or consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership; and (ii) Facilities that manufacture/process food, provided that all food used in such activities is consumed on that farm or another farm under the same ownership. ; now when I read that, it would imply that co-ops and those who bring their crops to Farmers Markets WOULD have the Federal government hanging over their shoulders.
Thanks Parsnip; Michael, that language and the effects from it are what I think you were trying to communicate. Thanks for the heads up.
The thing is, it’s already been done in Iraq. I’ll need to look up the article, but I remember reading a few years ago about how Iraqi farmers were being forced to give up their wheat seed stock to purchase GMO seeds, which are engineered to produce for a single season and then stop. This means that farmers must keep buying their seeds from the company that produces the GMO variety every year. Now Monsanto wants the same deal here in the states. If it can’t get people to buy its unsafe product, it will use the power of law to force us to buy it, crippling any and all who dare try to grow independently. As parsnip pointed out, Monsanto has already taken at least one seed cleaner to court for trying to keep seeds beyond the contract term.
You’re welcome, and thank you for keeping an open mind. I’m not the best communicator, and it’s been long enough since I’ve written blogs that my skills have gotten a bit rusty. But I’m glad I was at least able to open up a substantive discussion.
The seed companies are also attempting to patent vegetable garden seeds now, even those that are not genetically modified, by claiming they are doing special breeding to enhance particular characteristics. It would seem they are relying on ignorant patent office judges, who don’t understand plant breeding practices, or are corrupt in granting patents on what in essence is natural biodiversity, according to this article, and this organization.
Read Jeffrey Smith’s description of Monsanto’s long-term strategy to control the major food seeds for a more thorough grounding in the stealth plan:
We are slowly being brought under total control with respect to what we eat and its source. Using the guise of fear of germs/food safety, as this law clearly does, is a classic method of foisting measures upon us that we would never accept if we understood how the powers that be plan on implementing them. In effect, they will claim that small farmers, and even organic methods (compost derived from feces) are unsanitary, and must be eradicated. Eventually they will price out all but the big players from being able to buy seeds, and apparently plan eventually to outlaw saving tomato seeds from one’s own garden, for example.
Michael, here is the language of the Senate Bill which is now up to Reid to bring to the floor:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-510
With all the ‘strikeouts’ I am having a hard time figuring out what is in it and what is ‘struck out’ ; can you help?
I’ve called the Senate Cmte. and spoke with the person who handles ‘health’ related questions and expressed my concerns and called my local farmers market about it.
We’re both having a great deal of difficulty getting past all the stricken-out provisions. It really is difficult to tell what’s in the bill currently and what isn’t. I can try asking Senator Sherrod brown in my home state, but I hold no hope of receiving any answer from him.
Thx, hope others will call the Cmte. and express their concerns.