Dear Reader,
Once it became pretty clear that Monsanto would stop at nothing to protect the patents on their Frankenfoods, organic farmers started getting nervous.
So they set out to file a suit to keep these bullies from suing them in the case of accidental contamination. As genetically modified crops become more and more prevalent, some farmers have chosen to stop growing certain crops rather than face lawsuits if those crops were to become contaminated.
The judge in the case sadly didn’t understand why this is a big deal. He dismissed the complaint, claiming that Monsanto wouldn’t have any reason to sue organic farmers because such farmers wouldn’t be interested in using Monsanto’s seeds.
But that’s not the point. It’s not that the farmers are interested in using the seeds–it’s that the rampant use of the seeds by conventional farmers makes contamination likely, no matter what organic farmers do to try to prevent it. You can’t prevent birds from eating seeds at one farm and then depositing them at another farm, after all. You can’t prevent bees from visiting a Monsanto-seed-growing farm and then an organic farm.
So instead of seeing the farmers’ concerns for the reasonable fears they are, the judge instead chose to believe that a known patent bully would somehow learn a little self-restraint.
And so the story of how Monsanto is changing agriculture for the worse goes on.
Almost 12 years ago, Dr. Wright wrote a Nutrition & Healing article (subscribers can access ithere) that raised some major red flags about the genetic engineering of food crops (which was already pretty darn prevalent).
One of those red flags was the deliberate effort to misinform American consumers about which products on our grocery store shelves came from genetically engineered origins–efforts that still go on today.
Another was the increased risk of death that could come from under-tested genetic manipulations. To this end, he cited a case in which the lack of clear labeling on genetically engineered tryptophan caused 37 deaths, 1,500 cases of partial paralyzation, and 5,000 cases of temporary disability. All events that could possibly have been avoided if the genetically engineered concoction had been properly tested–but, you know, that costs money, so it was rushed to the shelves instead. And of course the industry blamed the deaths and injuries on procedural changes rather than the real culprit–the genetic engineering itself.
Years later, here we are, staring down the barrel of a gun. As Monsanto continues to assert its hold on agriculture, there could be a time when the only foods available to us are those that have been genetically modified. We simply won’t have a choice.
But that doesn’t mean we should give up. And various groups, such as one called Millions Against Monsanto, are working diligently to fight back against moves like President Obama’s recent appointment of a former Monsanto bigwig to a high-ranking position at the FDA.
Yours in good health,
Christine O’Brien
