With Vandana Shiva, Andy Kimbrell and David Bronner
Biotech corporations are now facing a huge problem of their own making, the so called super-weeds that have adapted to the multi year dousing of Roundup on 50% plus of the corn and soy growing areas in the US. Super-weeds are invading other industrial Ag. land and are spreading into gardens, parks and organic farms. Biotech corporations are currently driving the approval process for more toxic herbicides to eradicate these super-weeds, including 2,4-D, an ingredient of Agent Orange.
Andy Kimbrell covers the history of Michael Taylor’s astounding trip from Monsanto to the FDA. In 1992 the FDA issued a policy, that GMO crops are substantially equivalent to other crops and therefore do not require any additional environmental testing or mandatory labeling. This policy is still is in place today. The person who formulated the policy was Michael Taylor, a former attorney for Monsanto. Taylor then switched over to the USDA where he was administrator of the Food Safety & Inspection Service, then he went back to Monsanto as Vice President. He is now back with the FDA as Deputy Commissioner for Foods and was appointed the so-called Food Czar at the Obama White House.
Vandana Shiva gives an update on the Seralini Affair. Dr. Seralini used to be an official biosafety expert for the French government. He saw a feeding study by Monsanto with rats that showed early indication of both kidney and liver damage within 90 days. Monsanto then ended the study and determined there was no effect. Dr. Seralini however decided to use the same animals, protocol and feeding ingredients but continue the study for 2 years. At the end of those 2 years kidney and liver damage and tumors were so pronounced that the study became an international affair.
In November 2013 the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology retracted the Seralini paper that it had published in 2012. Observers point to the Goodman factor. Richard E. Goodman, a former Monsanto scientist, had become “associate editor for biotechnology” at the journal, a post that had been specially created for him. Soon after his appointment the Seralini study as well a a study from Brazil on toxicity of Bt ingredients in GMOs were removed.
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