| California GMO Labeling Initiative Headed for Ballot In victory rallies across the state, supporters celebrated as the California Right to Know campaign filed 971,126 signatures for the state's first-ever ballot initiative to require labeling of genetically engineered foods. The huge signature haul, gathered in a 10-week period, is nearly double the 555,236 signatures the campaign needs to qualify for the November ballot. If passed this November, Californians will join citizens of over 40 countries including all of Europe, Japan and even China who have the right to know whether they are eating genetically engineered food. [Read More] To get involved, visit labelgmos.org Danish farmer reports malformations, ill health in pigs fed GM soy For our upcoming documentary, we've been documenting serious health problems in US livestock fed GMOs, and astonishing recoveries when the animals switch to non-GMO diets. An example of such effects were recently reported by Danish pig farmer lb Borup Pedersen, who has gone public with revelations that GM soy feed had devastating effects on the health of his animals and on his farming profitability. On GM soy, his pigs suffered a higher disease and death rate, and a large number of birth defects. Many of the malformations were of the same type as those found in babies born in GM soy-producing regions of South America, which are linked with Roundup exposure. When Mr Pedersen switched to non-GM soy starting in April 2011, within two days, his pigs' massive problems with diarrhea virtually disappeared. Death from ulcers and bloat, which had claimed 36 sows (out of about 450) over the previous two years, also vanished. And deaths from loss of appetite dropped from 2 the previous year, to zero. The average number of piglets born per sow over an eight month period also jumped by about 2 pigs (from 28.1 to 29.9). Mr Pedersen said that though non-GM soy was more expensive, the extra cost was more than compensated for by the lower medication costs for his healthier non-GM-fed pigs. And he needs less man hours. He is now making about $100 more profit per pig than when feeding GM soy. The Danish newspaper that broke the story carried an editorial arguing that it would be irresponsible for the authorities to ignore the discoveries made by the farmer. Read a report on the farmer's experience and that of a second Danish farmer here: [Read the Report] Ib Pedersen has placed online a video of one malformed piglet. Please be warned that many people will find this video extremely distressing. [Watch the Video]
Kellogg's "natural" Kashi brand under fire for containing GMOs Kellogg's is facing anger on social media sites because of complaints that its popular Kashi brand cereal doesn't live up to the company's "natural" billing on advertisements and box covers. The controversy went viral after a Rhode Island grocer tacked a note to one of his store shelves, telling customers he wouldn't sell the cereal because he found out the brand used GM, non-organic ingredients. Photos of the note began popping up on Facebook pages and food blogs as some consumers claimed Kellogg's was misrepresenting its cereal. Kellogg's got itself into trouble by "not being entirely transparent," says Roger Nyhus, president of Nyhus Communications in Seattle. He sees a trend among some companies "of fudging language to allay consumer concerns and jump on the green bandwagon, and I think it's starting to backfire." While the "natural" claim made by Kashi is well worth scrutiny, it is true that 7 of Kashi's cereals are verified by the Non-GMO Project and are listed in our Non-GMO Shopping Guide as well as on The Non-GMO Project's website. [Read the Article]
Agent Orange Crops denounced by farmers and consumers Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto are racing to roll out GM crops resistant to 2,4-D (a component in Agent Orange) and dicamba, as a way to counter rapidly spreading herbicide-resistant weeds that are choking millions of acres of US farmland. These crops would massively increase the use of these acutely toxic chemicals, and cause unprecedented harm to agriculture and the environment. Wind, heat, and humidity can cause these chemicals to become airborne, drift for miles, and then damage gardens, crops, and trees. Jeffrey Smith's interview by CBS.com [Watch the Video] Coalition of more than 2,000 farmers and food companies taking legal action [Read the Article]
US farm costs soar as Roundup fails As Roundup fails under the onslaught of resistant weeds, farmers are being forced to spend more and use more chemicals to control the weeds that threaten yields. "I've gone from budgeting $45 an acre just two years ago to spending more than $100 an acre now to control weeds," said Mississippi farmer John McKee, who grows corn, cotton and soybeans on his 3,300-acre farm in the Delta. [Read the Article]
Mother takes on Monsanto, wins global prize Thirteen years ago in Argentina, Sofia Gatica's newborn baby died of kidney failure after being exposed to pesticides sprayed on GM soy. She investigated disease rates in her local community and discovered the cancer rate was 41 times the national average and rates of neurological problems, respiratory diseases and infant mortality were astonishingly high. Sofia and her fellow activists, the Mothers of Ituzaingo, went to court and won a municipal "buffer zone" ordinance, prohibiting aerial spraying less than 2,500 meters from homes. Now Sofia has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in San Francisco. [Read the Article] See also video: 2012 Goldman Prize Winner for South and Central America: Sofia Gatica [Watch the Video]
Monsanto props up weak GM crop price When Australian state governments were considering lifting their bans on GM canola in 2007, local activist groups invited Jeffrey Smith to conduct a national tour, where he met with numerous politicians, farmers, consumers, and media. In addition to warning about the documented health risks of GMOs, he offered economic data from other countries to demonstrate that introducing GM canola would close some markets and sacrifice Australian farmers' non-GMO price premium. The states that went ahead with planting GM canola are now suffering closed markets and lower prices. Monsanto is trying to prop up the prices of the unwanted GMOs. [Read the Article] | 
