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(Photo Credit for Header Image: Marian Sutherland, NZ)
The GE-Glyphosate Connection
“Glyphosate was made in 1964 as a strong metal chelator. In 1970, it was patented as a herbicide. In 2000, it was patented as an antibiotic. 85% of our genetically engineered crops are engineered in order to accept RoundUp herbicide with glyphosate as its primary agent” (Greenmedinfo website)
The Institute for Responsible Technology
It was “supposed” to be harmless to humans and animals—the perfect weed killer. Now a groundbreaking article just published in the journal Entropy points to Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, and more specifically its active ingredient glyphosate, as devastating—possibly “the most important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions that have become prevalent in Westernized societies.”
That’s right. The herbicide sprayed on most of the world’s genetically engineered crops—and which gets soaked into the food portion—is now linked to “autism … gastrointestinal issues such as inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, colitis and Crohn’s disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, cancer, cachexia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and ALS, among others.”
Enjoy this videotaped guided tour of Jeffrey Smith interviewing co-author Stephanie Seneff, PhD, a Senior Research Scientist at MIT.
Glyphosate Use in New Zealand
Technically we don’t have GE crops in NZ, I say technically because in 2000 they were grown here without the public’s knowledge… and allowed to mature to harvest (Seeds of Distrust by Nicky Hager. See also the TV3 ‘Corngate’ interview). Helen Clarke, Prime Minister at the time, originally ordered them pulled up, however with time and 
corporate persuasion we ended up with a slightly raised bar of acceptability for GE crops and the corn was allowed to mature. The point about GE crops, if you are not familiar, is that whoever eats them gets to ingest the glyphosate sprayed on them. The plants have been genetically altered to withstand the effects of the herbicide Roundup which contains glyphosate which of course is why they’re called ‘Roundup Ready’. This gives the farmer a nice weed free crop. Ingesting glyphosate would be fine for the consumer if it was safe, except who in their right mind wants to purposely ingest any herbicide? We now know there are many risks associated with ingesting glyphosate as the two year experiment by French Professor Séralini’s team has demonstrated (see below). Other research has also demonstrated it is not safe and yet it is in our foods, particularly corn and soy products.
Glyphosate
When a US Tertiary level lecturer of 55 years experience in agriculture, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology (Dr Don Hubert) calls Glyphosate one of the most toxic substances on the planet, you would think folks would sit up and take notice. Even NZ Medical Doctors and Scientists warn of its dangers. Nevertheless, it is still widely used on NZ pastures with at least one agricultural tertiary level textbook promoting its use. Add to this the aforementioned two year Séralini experiment with lab rats that resulted in huge cancerous tumours (see video & transcript below) and thinking people must agree it is time to examine this research. Instead, sadly, I find folks are not willing to even look at it. Were we not taught in school to examine the evidence? To weigh it up and decide for ourselves? Instead folks continue to blindly trust the say-so of a company that it’s been proven has been misleading the public.
A French court ruled in 2009 that Monsanto has lied about the safety of Roundup (ie it is not biodegradable as claimed) . This has resulted in its ban by the French government with multiple other nations following suit. To add to these disturbing facts, be aware that the US government, where this product originated, is quite, should we say, overly peopled, by Monsanto personnel. A glaring conflict of interest. Predictably the Séralini experiment has been greatly criticized and vilified by its opponents, citing the type of rats used for instance as being prone to tumours, when the rats used were the same strain Monsanto used. (The Séralini team and others have addressed these criticisms on their website). Monsanto only tested their rats in the early 1970s for the required 90 days, not long enough for tumours to develop, and were granted long term approval as ‘safe’, a status they’ve enjoyed ever since. In weighing all of this up, the reader should bear in mind that Monsanto also created DDT (now banned) and Agent Orange, sprayed on Vietnam in the ’60s, that continues to produce birth defects more than five decades later. This is also a company that is set to ensure that the entire planet is forced to buy their GM seeds by making the saving of heirloom seed illegal. Do you really trust this company with your farming and food production needs? With cancer rates now in the vicinity of one in three, the governments of the world need to follow the lead of nations like France and other countries in protecting their citizens by considering environmental causes for this health epidemic. Russia has placed a ban on GE crops until more research has been done, and yet ‘Clean Green’ NZ continues to slather glyphosate over everything. Even if the research were only half right, there is enough reason right there to desist from its use until further independent research is in.
“We don’t want to wait until we have exposed enough people to a chemical in order to prove that it’s carcinogenic. When we hit that point, we have hit a failure in the regulatory process.” – Dr. Lynn Goldman,
National Research Council Report Review Committee Member
To be fair, New Zealand farmers and others who use Roundup are very hard workers and probably don’t have time to be pouring for hours over research data about toxic substances … they rely on what used to be a reliable source … a person’s word … the manufacturer’s guarantee, and as noted, the endorsement of University textbooks. Farmers I speak with about this say with pride that their stock can eat the sprayed grass with no detrimental effects, failing to acknowledge the possibility that the effects are not yet visible. In the case of cancer a tumour, a tumour may have been present from 5-15 years prior to discovery. And yet we have been told Roundup is safe. Sadly in today’s corporate world, studies of corporations demonstrate that these conglomerates are not averse to lying at all. There is also a clear conflict of interest regarding those who approve this this product, referred to recently by Dr Meriel Watts:
1) No critical study in these vital toxicity assessment areas, that form the parameters used to approve our daily consumption, our RfDs / ADI’s, are ever supplied by an independent organisation like, say a university or public interest group.
2) Every animal study for glyphosate (the pesticide commonly known as Roundup) that the USA EPA and the WHO use to apply the ‘non-carcinogenic to humans’ rating, is sponsored and paid for by an agrichemical company.
3) The toxicity studies for glyphosate (Roundup) are all private, obtained directly from contracted laboratories that only work with industry – Product Safety Laboratories, Dow, ABC and Covance. They are unpublished and unavailable for review by public sector health representatives or individuals.
4) The very studies that provide the parameters that end up being residue levels, within toxicity assessment, are only ever supplied by the very organisations that require the toxicity assessment to be declared safe. In the case of glyphosate, the studies for proving non-carcinogenicity are only ever provided by Syngenta, Monsanto and Cheminova.
5) Furthermore, no study ever uses the stronger, more effective complete formulation of Roundup, (only the weaker active chemical glyphosate is used). And I believe this ‘policy’ has profound ramifications for our health.
To learn more about glyphosate and its widespread application in NZ, visit the Pesticide Action Network, Aotearoa NZ at www.pananz.net. There you will find fact sheets on pesticides including Roundup. There are also resources for sale including books by Dr Meriel Watts.
Another resource is Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility found at http://www.psgr.org.nz/ Here is their fact sheet, a pdf file, on Glyphosate. Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility wrote of their concerns to all NZ Councils in February 2014.
“The world’s best-selling weedkiller, and a genetically modified maize resistant to it, can cause tumours, multiple organ damage and lead to premature death, a new study has revealed. Its results are published in The Food & Chemical Toxicology Journal in New York. Here, experts discuss the significance of the findings.”
Dr Krüger: Glyphosate is Toxic to Dairy Cows
“Field Investigations of Glyphosate in Urine of Danish Dairy Cows
A new study by a team of scientists led by Dr Monika Krüger has revealed that Glyphosate (Roundup) is toxic to the normal metabolism of dairy cows…”
Here is yet another study revealing the toxicity of Glyphosate. Read the full article HERE, at ‘GMO Evidence’, and/or download the actual study from the Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology.
And in the meantime, from Reuters
USDA report says pesticide residues in food nothing to fear
Read more:
https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/dr-kruger-glyphosate-is-toxic-to-dairy-cows/
WHO’S REPORT ON GLYPHOSATE
Download the report here (PDF file)
“There is sufficient evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of glyphosate.”
In humans, the evidence drawn from multiple lab studies and population studies over many years concluded two pathways to the “probable human carcinogen” designation:
1. “There is strong evidence that glyphosate causes genotoxicity.” (page 77) This means chromosome damage and the inability of cells to reproduce. Similar genotoxic damage emerged for a breakdown product of glyphosate, AMPA.
2. “Strong evidence exists that glyphosate, AMPA and glyphosate-baed formulations can induce oxidative stress.” (Page 77.) AMPA is aminomethylphosphoric acid, a breakdown product of glyphosate.
(P 77-78 of the report contains a summary; notes here from article by renewablefarming.com)
The Glaring Conflict of Interest When it Comes to Approval of Glyphosate
Health Risks Found to be Associated with Glyphosate:
Lymphoma – Non Hodgkin, DNA Damage, Glyphosate Toxicity, Hormonal Disorders, Low Testosterone, Pesticide Toxicity, Hairy Leukoplakia, Lymphoma, Prenatal Chemical Exposures, Oxidative Stress, neurotoxicity, Blood Diseases, Hemolytic Anemia, Multiple Myeloma, Rhinitis, Parkinsonian disorders, Endocrine Diseases, Male infertility, Liver & Skin Cancer, Aflatoxicosis, Alzheimer’s Disease, Brain Inflammation, Accumulated Environmental Toxins, Low Dopamine levels, Lipid Peroxidation, Mercury Poisoning, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Botulism, Meningitis: Aseptic, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Vaccine Induced Toxicity, Chronic Kidney Damage & Disease, Genital Diseases, Dysbiosis
Links to above: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/glyphosate-formulations
Other Links:
IRT Institute for Responsible Technology http://www.responsibletechnology.org/
http://www.gmoseralini.org/en/
http://www.earthopensource.org/
http://earthjustice.org/healthy-communities/toxic-chemicals
Other Videos:
The World According to Monsanto
Monsanto’s Roundup Herbicide—Featuring the Darth Vader Chemical (youtube)
Seeds of Death (youtube)
The Séralini Experiment
Transcript: Pay close attention to what you are about to see. These images will be seen around the world. These rats have been fed with transgenic corn during their entire life cycle. The tumours they suffer from are enormous. The study that revealed the effect of these GMOs on the health of these rats has just been completed. It benefited from exceptional financial & technical means. We were able to witness the study in its entirety. It lasted for two years. Following years of doubt and controversies will we finally know the truth about GMOs? Would we then be faced with a health crisis of global proportions?
Paris, December 16th, 2011, Criigen offices, Committee for Research & Independent Information for Genetic Engineering…. Presentation of the results collected by Professor Seralini during his study focused on determining the potential harmfulness of the GMO corn Nk603 for humans and animals….
This is the longest most thorough study to have been carried out on a GMO and we’ve also carried out a joint study on the most used pesticide in the world, the Roundup which is a herbicide. It belongs to the main pesticide category. We spent over a year trying to obtain transgenic corn because no GMO manufacturers were willing to provide them. This is because Monsanto requires contracts to be signed stipulating that the seeds must not be used for testing and an arrangement must be made prior to the testing. We wanted our study to be independent….. read full transcript HERE
Links to Further Research:
The following link provides a list of research that has been done on glyphosate:
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/glyphosate-formulations
Included are the following topics:
Glyphosate pesticide (Roundup) exposure is a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma...Glyphosphate exposure has been linked to rhinitis among pesticide applicators.
The effect of metabolites and impurities of glyphosate on human erythrocytes (in vitro).
The environmental metabolite of glyphosate, Aminomethylphosphonic acid, exhibits genotoxicity.
Acute glyphosate-surfactant poisoning with neurological sequels and fatal outcome
Glyphosate-induced parkinsonism has been reported.
Glyphosphate poisoning resulting in aseptic meningitis has been reported.
Measles vaccine and glyphosate-induced parkinsonism has been reported.
Parkinsonism after chronic occupational exposure to glyphosate has been reported.
UCSF Places Secret Agrichemical Industry Documents including Monsanto Papers Online
Posted on Apr 20 2018 – 10:45pm by Sustainable Pulse
The University of California, San Francisco Industry Documents Library placed online several collections of agrichemical industry documents on Thursday, including some acquired and donated by U.S. Right to Know, a consumer and public health watchdog group. The documents shine light on the public relations, scientific, legislative and regulatory tactics the industry has used to defend its products and profits.
“These documents offer an inside view of agrichemical industry communications about the health and environmental risks of its products,” said Gary Ruskin, co-director of U.S. Right to Know. “We hope they will prove to be a valuable resource for policymakers, investigative journalists and the public at large.”
The documents will be housed in the UCSF Chemical Industry Documents Archive, which is affiliated with the UCSF Truth Tobacco Industry Documents, an archive of 14 million documents created by tobacco companies and their allies.
The documents donated by U.S. Right to Know will be known in the archive as the USRTK Agrichemical Collection. Many of these documents were obtained via federal and state public records requests. In February, the Freedom of the Press Foundation documented growing opposition to the use of public records requests for documents related to the agrichemical industry.
“We want to make these documents available so that others don’t have to go through the trouble and expense of obtaining them,” Ruskin said.
Many of the documents known the “Monsanto Papers” will also be made available. These documents are surfacing in litigation over whether Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
During the last year, these documents have been the subject of dozens of news stories worldwide. In March, two journalists at the French daily Le Monde, Stéphane Foucart and Stéphane Horel, won a European Press Prize Investigative Reporting Award for their work with the Monsanto Papers.
The documents are catalogued, indexed, fully searchable and downloadable so they will be easy to use for policymakers, journalists, academics and the general public. They are available free of charge.
U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit consumer and public health organization that investigates the risks associated with the corporate food system, and the food industry’s practices and influence on public policy. For more information, see usrtk.org.
Environmental Health Watch NZ 
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-complete-history-of-monsanto-the-worlds-most-evil-corporation/5387964
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Thanks SC for this link. Somewhere here I’ve included the history of Monsanto, but it always bears repeating regularly. Hope you are all safe down your ways with the quake I noted on one of the sites this morning?
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Why Glyphosate should be Banned – By Jeff Kirkpatrick, Ban GMOs Now; August 4, 2016
https://ban-gmos-now.com/2016/08/04/why-glyphosate-should-be-banned/
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Don’t Worry, be happy. As long as corporations Ceo’s etc can profit, why worry about humanity. You can buy Glyphosate cheaper at the Wharehouse.”Just” weed killer 360 gms per litre Glyphosate.
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exactly graeme. Corporations owe no allegiance to people or accountability for harm caused, that’s made very evident in ‘The Corporation’ movie. THey are beholden to shareholders only.
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Now the US president can pardon himself, Some remember a time in 1940………..
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please enlighten us Someone. Hadn’t heard that one.
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A neighbor has been trespassing on your private property by applying toxic chemicals on your property. He is trespassing with intent to cause you physical harm. He has already cause you serious physical harm.
A civil court judge has already determined that you have a right to use your private property as you wished. He continues to trespass with no regard to the law, the judge or concern for the harm he is causing you.
You verbally tell him not to trespass on your property. You request an incident report from the police chief, knowing that there is an existing conflict of interest between this neighbor and the local officials. It takes the police chief 16 months to physically hand you the incident report.
You tell the police chief that you want to file a trespass against this neighbor. The police chief advises you that he will not file a complaint against this neighbor because he does not want to “make him mad”. Does that police chief have the right to deny you a trespass against this neighbor who is trespassing with intent to cause you physical harm?
FYI the trespass continues for the following 5 years to the degree that you believe your life is in danger. You have no option but to take up arms or flee from your home, business and private property. How the heck can this happen?
Unfortunately I was targeted to be eliminated from my private property by my neighbor who was well connected with local government. This neighbor had a legal need to acquire my property. In order to eliminate me from my private property the weapon of choice was glyphosate.
He took the liberty of applying the chemical’s on my property with no regard of the law or my health, which was seriously effected immediately.
My government assisted him in every criminal act he committed against me. They committed criminal acts on his behalf. For over 5 years I suffered severely from the chemical exposure. I had so much chemical absorbed in my body it was excreting through the mucous glands in my lips.
I was denied a trespass against a terrorist. I was force to hire an attorney. This attorney took a bribe from the opposing party. My complaint was never filed against the proper party and my witnesses were never questioned by my attorney the judge cited my right to use my property as I wished. These terrorist did not comply to that judge. In fact they only became more aggressive. It was clear that if I did not flee they were going to kill me. When I fled I was suffering the severe skin condition, I was blind and homeless the following 4 years. This property not only provided my home and enjoyment of my life but I operated my business from my property.
It took years to find a physician qualified to treat the severe skin condition and it was a slow process to recover to the condition I am on today. My condition is chronic. My Dr. says I am a pioneer in the effects these chemicals can have on a human being. There has been no legitimate investigation into my allegations. No authority has ever reviewed my hard copy evidence.
The FBI eventually did come to my home 14 months after I contacted them. His intent was specifically to review my evidence. He arrived announcing as he walked in my door that he had no intention of reviewing my evidence. He demanded that I tell him my story (hearsay). I did manage to shove a photo of my skin condition in front of his face. It was then that he disputed my allegations of domestic terrorism were actually that I have been tortured. Had he have reviewed my evidence he would have recogized that not only was I being attack with chemical weapons but also by the City and County officials defaming my chararater, abusing their power and filing criminal charges against me based fabricated laws and ordinances. This was domestic terrorism against a civilian who has committed no crime of any kind in her life. He gave me 2 1/2 hours to tell him a story that had spammed over 10 years by that time. All acts were in violation of my State and Federal Constitutional rights. This same evidence took the better part of 3 days for a student lawyer to review and understand. 2 hours after this agent left my home, with none of my evidence, I received a letter from the FBI Headquarters Washington DC. The letter was signed by an Assistant deputy director. The letter stated that the agent determined no violation of Federal law has occurred.
It does not take a certificate from the academy to recognize that it is not possible for a letter sent from Washington DC to Iowa takes more than two hours. It does not take an attorney to understand that his description of me beings tortured is in fact a violation of Federal Law.
There is no justifiable reason for this to have ever occurred to any US citizen.
This does not include that unlawful taking of my home, business and private property or the damages that I continue to suffer from the effects of the chemical exposure such as the scoliosis that I have recently been diagnosed with as my rights continue to be violated as if I am less than human.
1-6-2023
Recent correspondence with Iowa Attorney General staff
The problem is your complaint does not involve financing issues regarding your home, it’s much more that that. Involving chemicals and more, violations of your civil rights ( which you would contact civil rights). We do prosecute, but we represent the State, not individuals.
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