Save the Bees and Ban “Neoinic” Pesticides

If you’ve been paying vague attention to the news over the last decade, you probably know that we’ve been seeing an alarming decrease in bee populations since the early 2000s. Considering that our produce doesn’t actually grow itself and bees are our primary source of pollination, this is a bit of a concern for future life on our planet. Various governments have thrown cabals of scientists at the problem and, while they spent the usual amount of time arguing with each other, recently we have begun seeing results from various studies.

The most widely agreed upon cause of colony collapse is neonicotinoid pesticide usage.

So, what are “neonic” pesticides and what have they been doing to both humans and bees? They were first developed in the 1990s by Shell and Bayer as a reduced toxicity alternative to current pesticides on the market that would only target pests and not helpful insects. Its base is a compound chemically similar to nicotine, which acts as a natural insecticide. FYI: I honestly don’t understand why people voluntarily smoke poison.

The first pesticide developed by Shell was found not to be photosoluable, meaning that it didn’t break down in sunlight and was not viable for use with human consumables, so it was never released for public use. The second, which has been commercially available since the early 2000s, is water-soluable and will break down slowly when left in the environment. Since then, two other varieties have been developed and virtually all GMO corn grown in the Midwestern USA is treated with one of these types of pesticide. (Yay! They’ve basically been adding nicotine to food!)

So now that we’ve established this pesticide as not the best thing in the world, although better than what we used to use, what is the impact of “neonics” on bee populations? It is true that they aren’t killed. However, when this type of pesticide is applied to plants and a bee lands on them, the bee loses its ability to learn and remember navigation routes from its hive to their pollen sources. Simply put, they can no longer find their way home.

If that wasn’t enough, the bees that do make it back to their hive with infected pollen have unwittingly brought back a slow acting poison. In low doses on plants the pesticide doesn’t kill bees, but when concentrated while making the honey that provides the hive with nourishment, it often becomes lethal. To put it plainly, the bees are making their own food poisonous, which begs the question… what about the honey and produce that the everyday human is eating? With our larger bodies and such small amounts there aren’t the lethal effects seen in bees, but what about the neurological effects that are keeping bees from remembering where their hive is? It would be interesting to find out if those who developed memory disorders have had a wide exposure to this type of pesticide.

The European Union has already banned this class of pesticide, but Canada and the United States have not yet done so. There are initiatives by environmentalists and beekeepers to ban neonicotinoids in the United States and they have even filed a lawsuit against the Enviromental Protection Agency. Until they succeed, and here in Canada, that still puts even the regular garden bee at risk because garden centers regularly spray their plants with pesticides. You could buy a “bee-friendly” plant in the spring that has already been sprayed with the same pesticide that has been harming them!

Help Canada take action by signing the Suzuki Foundation’s “Petition to Ban Bee Killing Pesticides”

Organic Versus Convential Farming. Go!

Controversy makes amazing news and nothing is more controversial than organic farming. Debates have already sprung up on the legitimacy of a recently released paper by Rodale Institute, the world’s leading advocate of organic farming practices - going back to 1947.

The company ran a 33-year Farm System Trial designed to compare the results of conventional farming with that of organic farming on CO2 emissions.  Despite citing sources from 75 different peer reviewed and unaffiliated studies, there are an amazing number of skeptics who would be more than happy to debunk every word in the report.

The trial compares neighbouring plots of land, one farmed organic and the other conventional. Both types of plots were divided into till and no-till sections to reflect farmers who use both methods. The organic fields used typical organic farming techniques like crop-rotation and cover crops, while the conventional fields used the most common forms of synthetic pesticides and GMOs.

According to the study: “Recent data from farming systems and pasture trials around the globe show that we could sequester more than 100% of current annual CO2 emissions with a switch to widely available and inexpensive organic management practices, which we term “regenerative organic agriculture.” These practices work to maximize carbon fixation while minimizing the loss of that carbon once returned to the soil, reversing the greenhouse effect” ~ Read about the White Paper ~

The downside, since no potential solution is ever perfect, is that the first few years those farms switch their produce to organic, the yields aren’t as high due to previous soil depletion and they don’t qualify as organic yet so farmers are investing a lot of money without equivalent return.

This prevents a great deal of farmers from switching, especially when they have such a low profit margin as it is. With so many farms already in trouble due to drought and pest problems, we’re not likely to see a rapid increase unless they apply for grants or subsidies from the government or private investors.

March Against Monsanto: "This is our mess"

Join us this weekend - Saturday, May 24th!

Monsanto is a company often in the news for its controversial genetically modified crops. Genetic Modification uses enzymes to splice together desirable traits into a seed or plant that would not naturally occur. “March Against Monsanto” is a major international grass roots movement in over 50 countries. I reached out to Victoria, B.C. March organizer, Laura Weileby, to get her views on some of latest issues to hit the news.

"The point of any protest is always to raise awareness. In this instance it’s to bolster awareness of the evil corporation, Monsanto, and the dangers of genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”). The participants of March Against Monsanto want their right to know what’s in their food respected, and GMOs clearly labeled. The global [march] encompasses many objectives, including speaking on behalf of the environment, our bees and butterflies and all living beings unable to speak for themselves, severely at risk from Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide."

Corn, for example, has the highest production of any GMO crop and has been altered to resist both pests and herbicides. One modification causes the corn plant to produce a “dormant” insecticide that only reacts with an alkaline (the opposite of an acid) environment. The human stomach is naturally acidic, so it doesn’t activate the poison. This of course, doesn’t take into account people who have acid reflux and take alkaline medications on a regular basis to lower the acidity level in their stomach. Would taking these medications either before or after consuming GMO corn activate the poison and what effect would that have on the human body over a long period of time?

GMO corn also differs in nutritional value from organic corn. Organic corn has 7 times more manganese, which helps regulate blood sugar, protect against free radical damage, increase skin integrity, and prevents calcium loss from bones. It also has 437 times more calcium than GMO corn! If calcium is being removed from our food, no wonder we have to rely on supplements in our orange juice. GMO corn does contain one substance in greater quantities than organic corn; it contains 200 times the amount of formaldehyde. Yum.

So why aren’t products being labeled as GMO on our shelves? “Everyone has a right to know what they are eating and feeding their families. Health issues abound in the world today. GMO corporations fight labeling to make it difficult to trace these issues back to their product. The only reason acquiring labeling in Canada and the U.S. is such a struggle is because North America is home to the GMO corporate giants. Their roots are here, and they’re strong ones.”

In fact, there are over 64 countries around the world who require mandatory labeling of GMO products and it is up to grass roots organizations like March Against Monsanto to let the government know that we want it too! “Thanks to the internet, ignorance of this situation is weakening and the power of public awareness is slowly kicking in and killing these GMO giants who once thrived on the ignorance of all. This is our mess we let happen. It only makes sense we should have to put in the most effort yanking out the deepest, most prolific roots.”

Recently, Monsanto has also started their foray into more “traditional” methods of crop modification which have been used for thousands of years. Namely, crossbreeding – identifying plants with traits they want to cultivate, cross breeding them with each other, looking for those traits in the offspring, and re-planting from those offspring until those traits show up in 100% of plant offspring.So far they have introduced five new produce items to grocery stores, under unassociated company names of course, with at least two more getting closer to market. So far there are the: Beneforté, Bellafina, Melōränge, EverMild, and the Frescada.

“I don’t care what they sell. I, for one, will always be seeking ways to be more mindful of what my grocery money goes to support, and Monsanto will always remain a company I do not trust.”

Stop GMO Apple Production in the Okanagan

Right now, Okanagan Speciality is working hard to get their GMO Arctic apple approved in the U.S. and produced in the Okanagan. This apple is designed to not oxidize when cut, which would give pre-cut sliced apples a much longer shelf life. Currently Granny Smith apples are used for this packaged snack food -- they require citric acid to keep them white while in their packaging and have a limited 14 day shelf life (which we think is still pretty long for a sliced apple!). These new GMO Arctic apples would require less citric acid and have a much longer shelf life -- and we at Green Earth Organics don't think that's a good thing.

Not only would these apples be sold long past the normal life span of an organic (read: real) apple, but introducing GMO apples into the producing areas of the Okanagan, Similkameen, and Creston has the potential to cause BC's apple producers to lose very important export markets all over the world.

This is what the company behind this issue says about their product:

"Arctic apples address the supply chain issues caused by enzymatic browning. Only truly nonbrowning Arctic apples can reduce shrinkage rates, open new product opportunities, enhance freshcut offerings while decreasing costs and create a consumption trigger for consumers. We look forward to providing the apple industry with these benefits, and with your continued support, other biotech enhancements like fireblight and scab resistance."

What do you think? Read the following press release and make your voice heard by responding through the available channels:

In an important regulatory milestone, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) has opened the second, and final, public comment period for Okanagan Specialty Fruits’ biotech-enhanced nonbrowning Arctic® apples.

APHIS has posted their Environmental Assessment (EA) and Plant Pest Risk Assessment (PPRA) for Arctic apples, and is requesting public comments on the documents until the December 9, 2013 deadline. We are aware that biotechnology is controversial to some, but our company’s industry and consumer research suggests that those opposed represent a small, vocal minority who do not represent the mainstream consumer. The science, including over a decade of field trial experience and APHIS’ review, demonstrate that Arctic apples are just as safe and healthful as their conventional counterparts and they offer great value to the apple industry.

In the EA, APHIS recommends that Arctic apples be granted non-regulated status in the U.S., which we anticipate will occur early in 2014. We look forward to working in cooperation with the apple industry (see our communication to apple growers, packers and processors below) and associations, including yours, to get more people eating more apples. We invite you to support apple biotechnology by sharing this news with your membership, and by commenting to APHIS in support of Arctic apples. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact us directly.

Proposition 37 in California - What Went Wrong?

The majority Californians voted against Proposition 37 in Tuesday's election. Prop 37 would have given them the right to know whether the foods they are buying in their grocery stores have any genetically modified ingredients, aka GMO's.

The proposition was defeated 53% to 47%. Allegedly misleading advertisements paid for by large biotechnology and pesticide corporations are rumoured to have contributed to the defeat. 46 million dollars was spend on this advertising campaign.

GMO labeling is required in Europe and other countries, and the polls indicated that 90% of the US population was supporting labeling and the right to choose - so what happened? Was it the misleading advertising campaign?

Link to a detailed article on the defeat of Proposition 37:

http://www.cornucopia.org/2012/11/monsanto-throws-gmo-victory-party-in-california/

Link to an article on the first-ever GM food safety study to test over the entire life span of laboratory rats:

http://commonground.ca/OLD/iss/255/cg255_GMcorn.shtml

In the meantime, in Canada, Bill C-257 is a private member bill introduced by Alex Atamanenko of the NDP. It is an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act to require labelling for genetically modified foods. Private member bills rarely become law in Canada. Bill C-257 was introduced in June of 2011 and has had a first reading, but there's been no further action on it.

Alex Atamanenko had the following to say about his bill:

“Canadians are becoming more and more concerned about the food they eat. Independent research is difficult to find when dealing with this topic. There are scientists in the world who have found adverse effects. For example, studies were done on Monsanto's MON 810 corn in Europe. As a result, this corn has been banned in a number of European countries. Bulgaria has a total ban on GMOs because of health and environmental concerns.

“This bill is about the choice of Canadians to determine what they want or do not want to eat.”

Petitions have been repeatedly introduced supporting Bill C-257, but there's been no further movement towards passing the bill. To see the efforts, check out the Open Parliment page on it:

http://openparliament.ca/bills/41-1/C-257/

Concerns about GM Apples in BC

Okanagan Specialty Fruit has applied to plant genetically modified apples in the Okanagan. This is a concern for organic growers because bees will cross-pollinate between the GM apples and the organic ones. BC growers stand to lose export markets and more if their organic standards are compromised.

The Certified Organic Associations of BC (COABC), the BC Fruit Growers Association, the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen, and the Washington Hort Council have all spoken out against the introduction of a genetically modified apple into the Similkameen.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will take the number of letters they receive into account as part of their decision about this, so the more letters they receive, the better. They are seriously considering letting this apple be propagated, which will contaminate all the Organic production within a year or two.

Please go to this link to speak out against the GM apple initiative in the Okanagan:

http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Crops-and-Foods-Not-on-the-Market/Apple

More information is also available through COABC:

http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/docs/GMOapple%20info%20sheet.pdf

The CFIA's deadline is Tuesday, July 3rd, so please comment at the link above and spread the word!

Frankenfoods: Not a Joke After All - Join Us in Taking Action

Genetically modified foods are making news again, and not in a good way. Rather, they are making headlines that truly earn their nickname of “Frankenfoods”.

Here at Green Earth Organics we never, ever sell foods with GMO (genetically modifed organism) ingredients. Food that is 100% certified organic, by law in Canada, cannot contain GMOs. In addition, we are active in organizations that provide important opposition to the GMO-dense agenda of international agribusiness giants.

Attack of the Killer Genes

New scientific evidence proves that the same genes that “modify” their plant or animal hosts can “modify” the DNA of the animals that consume them—including humans. Here is some of the latest news that we only wish was science fiction. This article, which we have condensed for your convenience, can be read in its entirety on http://www.responsibletechnology.org/.

GM corn and cotton are engineered so that they produce their own built-in pesticide in every cell. This pesticide, called Bt, is produced from the soil bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt has been used safely by organic farmers and others as Bt bacteria spray for natural insect control. Genetic engineers insert Bt genes into corn and cotton, so the plants do the killing.

However, the Bt-toxin produced in GM plants is thousands of times more concentrated than natural Bt spray. Designed to be more toxic, it has properties of an allergen. It also cannot be washed off, unlike the spray.

Studies also confirm that even the less toxic natural bacterial spray can be harmful. When used to kill gypsy moths in the Pacific Northwest, about 500 people reported allergy or flu-like symptoms. Some had to be admitted to the emergency room.

Indeed, farm workers in India handling Bt cotton are now reporting these same symptoms that are related to BT cotton farming. According to GM food safety experts, and Monsanto’s own research, changes in the immune status of GM animals are "a consistent feature of all the studies."

GM soy and corn are potent allergens -- each contain new proteins with allergenic properties, leading some scientists to theorize that the US epidemic of food allergies and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation.

Large Numbers of GM Animals are Dying

In India, animals graze on cotton plants after harvest. But when shepherds let sheep graze on Bt cotton plants, thousands died. Investigators said preliminary evidence "strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin. . . . most probably Bt-toxin." In a small follow-up feeding study by the Deccan Development Society, all sheep fed Bt cotton plants died within 30 days; those that grazed on natural cotton plants remained healthy.

In a small village in Andhra Pradesh, buffalo grazed on cotton plants for eight years without incident. On January 3rd, 2008, the buffalo grazed on Bt cotton plants for the first time. All 13 were sick the next day; all died within 3 days.

Bt corn was also implicated in the deaths of cows in Germany, and horses, water buffaloes, and chickens in The Philippines.

In lab studies, twice the number of chickens fed Liberty Link corn died; 7 of 20 rats fed a GM tomato developed bleeding stomachs; another 7 of 40 died within two weeks. Monsanto's own study showed evidence of poisoning in major organs of rats fed Bt corn.

And the Really Bad News: GMOs Remain Inside of Us

The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function.26 This means that a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.

Warnings by Government Scientists Ignored and Denied

Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had warned about all these problems even in the early 1990s. According to documents released from a lawsuit, the scientific consensus at the agency was that GM foods were inherently dangerous, and might create hard-to-detect allergies, poisons, gene transfer to gut bacteria, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged their superiors to require rigorous long-term tests. But the White House had ordered the agency to promote biotechnology and the FDA responded by recruiting Michael Taylor, Monsanto's former attorney, to head up the formation of GMO policy.

That “See No Evil” Policy is Still in Effect Today.

Famed Canadian geneticist David Suzuki has said, "The experiments simply haven't been done and we now have become the guinea pigs." He adds, "Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,' I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying."

If other GM foods are contributing to the rise of autism, obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease, allergies, reproductive problems, or any other common health problem now plaguing Americans, we may never know. In fact, since animals fed GMOs had such a wide variety of problems, susceptible people may react to GM food with multiple symptoms. It is therefore telling that in the first nine years after the large scale introduction of GM crops in 1996, the incidence of people with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled, from 7% to 13%.

Of course, since Canada and the US are linked in so many ways, this is potentially bad news for Canadians as well.

Take Action to Avoid GM Foods

There are some things we can do in our everyday lives. People can stay away from anything with soy or corn derivatives, cottonseed and canola oil, and sugar from GM sugar beets--unless it says organic or "non-GMO." There is a pocket Non-GMO Shopping Guide, co-produced by the Institute for Responsible Technology and the Center for Food Safety, which is available as a download, as well as in natural food stores and in many doctors' offices. It can be downloaded at their website: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Non-GMOShopping/Shopping

By insisting on non-GMO brands, as you do by being a conscientious supporter of organic foods and Green Earth Organics, we in North American may be able to force the food industry to respond as they did in Europe, by removing all GM ingredients.