24 hours to Stop Monsanto's erratic gene transfer

[Guest guest]

Please take action today. . . just a few minutes to let the RD voice be

heard!

Jan Patenaude, RD, CLT

In a message dated 8/11/2011 2:48:06 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,

info@... writes:

_Tell the USDA to reject Monsanto's new GMO drought corn!_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=1)

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=2)

_Tell Secretary Vilsack it's time to stop making rules that favor

agribusiness. _

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=3)

_Public comments needed by tomorrow, August 12th_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=4) .

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=5)

_Monsanto pushes USDA to approve GMO drought corn - Tell the USDA what you

think!

_ (http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=6)

Dear Jan,

As if genetically engineered alfalfa, corn for ethanol, sugar beets, and

most recently Kentucky bluegrass for lawns weren't enough, the Obama USDA is

now poised to approve another unnecessary GMO crop, in lieu of independent

scientific data and practice of precautionary principles.

Currently, Monsanto is seeking approval from the USDA of a drought

resistant corn known as MON 87460, which Monsanto claims achieves better

results

under low-water conditions compared to other varieties. Even the USDA’s own

assessment shows that MON 87460 is no more “drought-tolerant " than current

corn varieties nor does it have the true long-term potential benefits to

meet drought conditions that farming with organic corn can bring to farmers.

Unfortunately, like all GMO approval processes in the U.S., the USDA has

relied heavily on Monsanto’s own corporate science and failed to get adequate

independent, peer reviewed data regarding the safety of this new GMO

drought corn or of Monsanto’s claims.

It would appear that the " science " used to rationalize the approval for yet

another GMO crop is biased to the benefit of Monsanto, ignoring the needs

of farmers, the environment and the health of the population. The USDA

public comment for approval of MON ends tomorrow

_Let your voice be heard - Tell the USDA today to reject Monsanto’s GMO

drought-resistant corn_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=7) .

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=9_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=8)

British Scientists Find GMO Horizontal Gene Transfer

In what can only be a glaring scientific oversight, the USDA assessment

readily admits that “horizontal gene transfer†of DNA is a common event in

nature, but somehow diminishes the potential for the novel genetic components

found in Monsanto’s GMO drought corn to be capable of such leaps. Current

ag biotechnology relies on a crude insertion of GMO genes done in

scattershot fashion, which are by their very creation designed to cross

previously

untraversable genetic barriers imposed by nature.

More alarming is the fact that scientists in England have found that “

horizontal gene transfer†of one of the main GMO genetic components found in

MON 87460 has already occurred. Just last year scientists at University of

Bristol “identified a natural process they say that would allow synthetic

genes to move across GM organisms and out into the wild.â€

According to the USDA’s own assessment, Monsanto’s GMO drought corn “was

developed through a plant pathogenic bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens

mediated transformationâ€. It is the same Agrobacterium tumefaciens that

British researchers found that “‘transforms’ plant tissue at ‘plant

wound’

sites and ‘clearly demonstrates that when placed together on damaged plant

tissue, Agrobacterium readily transforms associated fungi’â€.

It is hard to understand how scientists at the main U.S. government

oversight agency could miss these facts in their own assessment of a new GMO

crop, but like previous administrations, officials in the Obama administration

appear more interested in fast-tracking Monsanto’s GMO technology.

Tell the USDA that they need to reject Monsanto’s studies of their own

products and demand more independent peer reviewed data before it can approve

any more GMO crops.

Monsanto’s Missing GMO Genes: Where did they GO?

On top of this, the current USDA assessment for Monsanto’s GMO drought corn

readily admits that multiple GMO genetic components “did not get

incorporated into the transformed plantâ€. Even as Monsanto attempts to

diminish this

alarming finding, the USDA also admits “a 22 base pair length of genomic

DNA got deleted at the insert-to-plant DNA junction in MON 87460.â€

Despite these disturbing scientific anomalies, which the USDA calls “minor

genetic sequence modifications†the agency concludes there is no “

biologically meaningful difference between MON 87460 and conventional corn.â€

Do you believe them?

Bt toxin from GMO Corn Found in Pregnant Mothers

This past spring, further punctuating the point of gene trasference from

plants to humans, Canadian scientists alarmingly discovered traces of the Bt

toxin from GMO corn - engineered to release an insecticide - in 93% of

blood samples taken from pregnant women and 80% umbilical cords tested.

This discovery comes in spite of promises by ag biotech companies such as

Monsanto that this was not possible.

For any mother or parent such findings should bring about a sobering

awakening that U.S. governmental regulatory agencies are not adequately doing

their jobs and that more independent peer reviewed studies must be conducted

before any more GMO crops are approved by the USDA or the Obama

administration.

_Click here to send in your public comment to tell the USDA that they need

to reject Monsanto’s studies of their own products and demand more

independent peer reviewed data before they can approve any more GMO crops_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=10) .

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=12_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/399?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=11)

Thanks for participating in food democracy,

Dave, and the Food Democracy Now! Team

Sources:

1. “PLANT PEST RISK ASSESSMENT FOR MON 87460 CORN†U.S. Department of

Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/403?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=14_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/403?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=13)

2. “Scientists Discover New Route for GM Contaminationâ€, November 4, 2010

Farmers Guardian.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/401?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=16_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/404?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=15)

3. “GM food toxins found in the blood of 93% of unborn babiesâ€, May 20,

2011, UK Daily Mail.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/402?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=18_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/402?akid=362.193276.bqQ-BS & t=17)

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