“Concerning information shared with us by Dr. Michael Fox and research scientist Dr. Anthony Samsel. Glyphosate in pet food can have deadly consequences.
Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide which contains the active ingredient glyphosate, recently designated a possible carcinogen, is actually absorbed by GM (genetically modified) crops genetically engineered to be resistant to this herbicide. Most corn, soy, sugar beet, cotton, and canola produced in the U.S. is GM, as is much imported rice. Glyphosate is also used to dessicate wheat and other crops before harvesting.”
This article is from the TruthAboutPetFood site. This is no surprize to me given so much is now GE without our knowledge or without labeling. Soy and corn are two typical examples and these are found in many products, particularly bread. They are fillers and are frequently used to add bulk to products. Glyphosate is also sprayed on crops and as I often point out, is sprayed onto fields regularly on the recommendation of our Agricultural textbooks, so on that alone is going to be present in our meat products. And all because farmers have been told for decades that it’s perfectly safe. As the article points out, it is a probable carcinogen, although it says ‘possible’. WHO has deemed it class 2A – a ‘probable’ carcinogen. To read up on glyphosate including the WHO data, visit our glyphosate page on the website.
A history of the company that makes Glyphosate (in Roundup) now classified by WHO as a probably carcinogen.
“Of all the mega-corps running amok, Monsanto has consistently outperformed its rivals, earning the crown as “most evil corporation on Earth!” Not content to simply rest upon its throne of destruction, it remains focused on newer, more scientifically innovative ways to harm the planet and its people.”
1901: The company is founded by John Francis Queeny, a member of the Knights of Malta, a thirty year pharmaceutical veteran married to Olga Mendez Monsanto, for which Monsanto Chemical Works is named. The company’s first product is chemical saccharin, sold to Coca-Cola as an artificial sweetener.
1920s: Monsanto expands into industrial chemicals and drugs, becoming the world’s largest maker of aspirin, acetylsalicyclic acid, (toxic of course). This is also the time when things began to go horribly wrong for the planet in a hurry with the introduction of their polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
“PCBs were considered an industrial wonder chemical, an oil that wouldn’t burn, impervious to degradation and had almost limitless applications. Today PCBs are considered one of the gravest chemical threats on the planet..
1940s: They begin research on uranium to be used for the Manhattan Project’s first atomic bomb, which would later be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese, Korean and US Military servicemen and poisoning millions more…
1990s: Monsanto spends millions defeating state and federal legislation that disallows the corporation from continuing to dump dioxins, pesticides and other cancer-causing poisons into drinking water systems. Regardless, they are sued countless times for causing disease in their plant workers, the people in surrounding areas and birth defects in babies…”
Glyphosate is sprayed where our children regularly walk
Visit our Glyphosate pageto learn more about Glyphosate. For Kiwis follow links to local information at Pananz, and for Rangitikei folks, consider signing our petition to ban Glyphosate in our towns’ public spaces. Found at the Petition page on the site.
“Birth defects are on the rise in Hawaii, leaving many to wonder if pesticides are to blame – including some pediatricians who are witnessing a spike in birth defects in babies.
In the town of Waimea, pediatrician Carla Nelson has seen at least 9 severe heart malformations in babies in the last five years, 10 times more than the national average. For the past three years, Nelson and other local doctors have found themselves at the center of a controversy over whether a cash crop of GM corn modified to withstand pesticides on four of the six main islands is the cause of an economic boom, or the source of the birth defects and illnesses. [1]…”
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Monsanto said it would abide by Latvia’s and Greece’s requests under a new EU opt-out law to be excluded from its application to grow a genetically modified (GM) crop across the European Union, but accused them of ignoring science.
Under a law signed in March individual countries can seek exclusion from any approval request for GM cultivation across the EU. While the European Commission is responsible for approvals, requests to be excluded also have to be submitted …. read more
A French court upheld on Thursday a 2012 ruling in which Monsanto was found guilty of chemical poisoning of a French farmer, who says he suffered neurological problems after… read more
By: Carey Gillam (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday that federal regulators erred in allowing an insecticide developed by Dow AgroSciences onto the market,… read more
The study, published in the journal Enviornmental Health, found that continuous exposure to very low doses of the herbicide Roundup might be linked to liver and kidney damage… read more
Washington Post: Montgomery County’s debate over where and how to ban cosmetic lawn pesticides heats up again next week as Council President George Leventhal (D-At Large) defends his far-reaching bill against a more narrowly drawn alternative.
Leventhal’s bill, scheduled for a committee mark-up on Sept. 17, bars what he calls “non-essential” pesticides from private lawns and most county-owned land, including parks and athletic fields. He cites the body of research linking pesticide exposure to childhood cancer and other health issues. read more (VIDEO)
For further information on glyphosate, Roundup, links to the WHO report and Rangitikei’s stance with pesticides, go here.
From the Daily Blog … a look at how capitalism works and why the rich are getting richer on the backs of everybody else:
By Douglas Renwick
“There is a standard view of how capitalism is supposed to work given by the media. It goes something like this; capitalism is a system where people come together to freely exchange goods and services, including labour. Businesses compete competitively to give the most efficient outcome, and the profit motive gives incentive for innovation. People who become rich do so because they work hard to offer the market what it wants while the poor do not, so this wealth inequality is to a large extent the natural workings of the market. This is an imperfect but the best possible system.
That is I think the standard view given in the media, and I think most of it can be debunked while the rest can be turned on its head. I’ll be critiquing this view, but also give my own view of how I think Global Capitalism works. I’ll give what I think are realistic and viable solutions to the faults of Global capitalism at the end.
Capitalism is always seeking to make profit, and it was able to make profits in the period from 1945-1971 in the productive sector of the economy, and under this system there was high economic growth which was relatively egalitarian
the productive sector reached a certain capacity in the 1970’s, increasing productivity became less profitable … profits went into the FIRE economy … finance, insurance, real estate
the banking sector became wealthier and got turned into an institution that gambles rather than investing in productive things
the economy is now a system that is normally stagnant, and only grows when it is driven by speculative bubbles which eventually crash
real wages stagnate, as they have in New Zealand since 1984, while corporate profits go way up ……”
This is good news from Scotland on the GM crop topic. Increasingly, countries are waking up to the dangers of GMOs and making moves to protect the public.
Livestock fed GM feed suffer liver damage … watch Jeffrey Smith’s interviews on the topic of health & GMOs. Very revealing.
Here is one:
Jeffrey Smith: GMO Health Conditions Already Known
“Growing genetically modified (GM) crops will not be permitted in Scotland, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced as he moved to protect Scotland’s clean, green status.
The Scottish Government will shortly submit a request that Scotland is excluded from any European consents for the cultivation of GM crops, including the variety of genetically modified maize already approved and six other GM crops that are awaiting authorisation.
The Cabinet Secretary said:
“Scotland is known around the world for our beautiful natural environment – and banning growing genetically modified crops will protect and further enhance our clean, green status….”read more
From the UK’s Guardian, more news on Roundup and glyphosate. Bear in mind glyphosate is in many other products as I recently confirmed. Most of the home garden sprays in our local supermarket, popular brands too, contained glyphosate. So important to read labels and fine print.
The Guardian…. “Monsanto is far from happy. The main ingredient of its highly profitable weedkiller, Roundup, often used in conjunction with GM crops, has been declared a “probable carcinogenic”.
As well as being profitable for Monsanto, glyphosate is one of the most widely adopted weedkillers in the world by gardeners and farmers alike. Use of it by UK farmers, for example, has soared by 400% in the last 20 years.
In response to the cancer warning, the US biotech company has been quick to accuse the body behind the new classification of bias. It says the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organisation (WHO), lacks transparency and has made an irresponsible decision – one likely to cause confusion among farmers and the wider public…
Although campaigners in the UK have tried to focus attention on possible risks to human health from glyphosate residues found in bread, toxicologists suggest gardeners and farm workers are the ones most at risk.
“It is difficult to work out the magnitude of cancer risks of glyphosate, but based on the quantities people come into contact with, it can be expected that agricultural workers applying the pesticide are at much greater risk than consumers in Britain, who are exposed via residues in food…..
For those worried about their health, one organisation now allows you to pay $120 (£75) to have your urine, breast milk or tap water tested for glyphosate contamination. Far from scaremonging, toxicologist Dr Robin Mesnage from Kings College London says such testing could help…”
Are councils in bed with Agrichemical companies? Both the Auckland & Rangitikei District Council are favouring chemical weed control over non-chemical, in spite of the heightened health risks highlighted recently by WHO. They cite outdated & incorrect data to support this preference.
Some Aucklanders are currently objecting to a flip flop on their Council’s current weed management policies. A petition has been circulating (and is on FB also if you would like to sign it) calling (like the Rangitikei) for a ban on the use of glyphosate on Auckland’s streets and parks. Some parts of Auckland are chemical free in terms of weed management however not all, and council is doing a u turn on their current policy of minimal chemical use, indicating in their Ten Year Plan a preference for chemical control.
Public areas are sprayed without any warning before, during or after the fact
Auckland’s Weed Management Advisory (a Community-led organization that helped create the Council’s Weed Management Policy 2013 of minimum agrichemical use, which the Council seems intent on doing away with) are also calling for a BAN on Glyphosate and have put a leaked briefing document up on their website. You can read it here. This is the Long Term Plan featuring quotes for alternative methods of weed management as opposed to management with glyphosate, typically, Roundup. Georgina Blackmore, the petition organizer, states that the figures cited should be taken with a pinch of salt … in fact a very large amount of salt. They are using she says, old, inaccurate and misleading information. “Disingenuous” says Auckland councilor John Watson. The Weed Management Advisory has accused the Auckland Council of putting the public at risk. Read their press statement here.
This line is a very familiar tale. Our own Rangitikei District Council cited inaccurate figures when justifying their rejection of glyphosate-free weed management in our public spaces. We had tried to counter this outcome by citing Auckland contractors who are currently employing mechanical weed control methods. The latter stated emphatically that their costs were a marginal 10-15 percent more than Roundup, and expected soon to even match it. Similarly, with the current Auckland scenario cited here, other Auckland contractors are saying their costs are even less than glyphosate.
When the request for tighter parameters and controls around glyphosate spraying was originally put to the RDC, citing the extensive independent research available on the myriad health risks associated with Roundup use, an internal report was requested by RDC on alternative cost-effective weed-control methods. Councilor Lyn Sheridan asked why health effects were not investigated by RDC and the response by CEO Ross McNeill was, ‘…they weren’t asked for’. They are missing the point here.
We need to be asking, why are Councils so bent on, so adamant, about choosing chemical control, and with a chemical that has recently been re-classified by WHO as a Class 2A carcinogen? Claiming there is insufficient proof of health risks is myopic at best.
That statistic is extremely high and surely deserving of closer examination of the research into environmental causes and the elimination of the probable ones?
Walkways and adjacent herbage where both school children & general public regularly walk is sprayed heavily with Roundup/glyphosate
The thing about Roundup is (and you will hear this in the audio link below) we the public are given no warning in advance of spraying, no signs are put out when they are spraying (so people can walk on it before it’s dry without even knowing) it is sprayed on public walkways where school children walk with no prior warning and it is sometimes sprayed on windy days.
Read Georgina’s piece here on her recent findings and her interview on Radio with Auckland Councilor John Watson and Professor Ian Shaw from Canterbury University.
“In an interview I gave on bFM this week about our campaign to ban the use of Glyphosate on Auckland Roads and Parks, Councillor John Watson and expert of Toxicology Professor Ian Shaw both agreed that we need to be seriously looking at what alternatives we have to spraying Glyphosate…” Read at SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/BanGlyphosate/posts/417049618496545
The news on Glyphosate is coming regularly since WHO classified it as a Class 2A carcinogen (it probably causes cancer). There was already enough evidence, in my opinion, to ban it anyway, however with the added weight of WHO’s conclusions (based on the previous research) surely it is only a matter of time before Glyphosate goes the same was as DDT and Agent Orange. You may not be aware but the same company responsible for the creation of Glyphosate is also responsible for the creation of those two products and Aspartame as well. Agent Orange was responsible for horrific birth defects still seen today in the Vietnamese population, a result of the US cleansing Vietnam of its defoliation during the Vietnam war. It was also responsible for a raft of health problems and birth defects experienced by our own Kiwi vets, a fact only recently acknowledged by our NZ government, to their shame I might add, given the war ended decades ago.
We in the Rangitikei are urging our council to desist from the use of Glyphosate in the public spaces of our towns. This at least will protect the public, especially our children, from unwitting exposure. These companies spray with no warning, and no signs out to say they are spraying. This is simply because Glyphosate has enjoyed a ‘harmless’ status for decades. The product data sheets however advise no contact with the sprayed foliage until dry, yet there is no way for us to know where they have sprayed. They also indicate the use of gloves and a mask (which nobody wears I note) and yet they don’t see fit to warn our children they are spraying.
This is the address of our Facebook page if you would like to keep up to speed with happenings in the Rangitikei to do with Glyphosate … or they are on the site as well:
The path our Marton school children take to school
HERE ARE LINKS TO SOME OF THE LATEST NEWS ON GLYPHOSATE:
Why The Netherlands Just Banned Monsanto’s Glyphosate-Based Herbicides
From naturalhealth365 … “The Netherlands has just become the latest country, following Russia, Mexico, and many others, to say no to Monsanto. The sale and use of glyphosate-based herbicides (the most commonly used herbicides in the world) has just been banned for non-commercial…”
New Research Fuels Roundup Weedkiller Toxicity Concerns
From Dr Mercola … “Last year, groundbreaking research was published suggesting that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s broad-spectrum herbicide Roundup, might be “a crucially important factor in the development of multiple chronic diseases and conditions…” This article includes an interview with Dr. Stephanie Seneff and Jeffrey Smith … a must watch with some facts that will horrify you about the meat industry and GE (glyphosate laden) feed.
Here is excellent news from Switzerland, joining the ranks of countries that are rejecting the probable carcinogen, glyphosate. This article is from Sustainable Pulse.
“Swiss supermarket giants Coop and Migros have announced that they will no longer sell products that contain glyphosate, following the World Health Organization’s report stating that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. They have also announced that they will be exploring non-toxic alternative weed-killers.”
Note: if you consider ‘probably causes cancer’ is not proof enough to stop using glyphosate, consider now the statistics of cancer deaths which are at one in three. That is very high. Is it not worth erring on the side of caution to try and cut down this awful death rate? Consider reading the book by Dr Samuel Epstein called ‘The Politics of Cancer’. This is very enlightening and will get you to consider more deeply the part environment plays in our protection.
Kissinger: “Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.”
GE feed is already being fed to some of our farm animals … it is unlabeled as GE so farmers can give no guarantee it’s not
They’ve been doing it by increments for decades. Once they own all the seed companies, you will have no other option than buying their genetically modified seed which we already know is dangerous to health. GE feed is already fed to some of our NZ animals … so it is in our food… be aware and treasure your organic/heirloom seed like gold.
Some history here … in the late 1980s a bill was passed in NZ (now world-wide) called Plant Variety Rights (PVR) or Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR). This allowed companies to emasculate seeds, removing their ability to reproduce by removing the reproductive organs. This meant of course that you couldn’t save seed from the resultant plants and would be forced to return to the store and buy another packet of seeds next season. Now what good could transpire from such an arrangement except profits for the …. yes …. the corporation? Corporations are about profits not the well being of populations. They are not averse to suing poor farmers for saving seed, something they’ve done for thousands of years. How helpful is that for struggling farmers from struggling nations? Already in poorer nations the promise by Monsanto of greater yields with their emasculated seed (aka genetically modified) have fallen flat and these farmers find themselves in very great debt instead, many committing suicide.
Just ten companies own 67% of the world’s proprietary seed market, and of that, Monsanto owns 23% and DuPont 15%. Need I say more? Do take the time to research this topic for yourself. You can read the full article on Monsanto at permaculture.co.uk:
” … Monsanto is buying heirloom seed companies. They are also buying the trademarks to a number of heirloom seeds. This means that you may think you are supporting an heirloom seed company but in reality the company is owned by Monsanto… “
More on glyphosate … another nation bans it. Since its reclassification by WHO to a class 2A carcinogen, many countries are moving to protect the public:
“Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena announced Friday that the import of the World’s most used herbicide glyphosate will be banned with immediate effect. The release of already imported stocks has also been stopped. Sirisena, a farmer and ex Health Minister, stated that glyphosate is responsible for the increasing number of chronic kidney disease (CKDu) patients in Sri Lanka and added that the move would protect the Sri Lankan farming community…”
Germany’s state consumer protection ministers are calling for an EU-wide ban on the leading global pesticide Glyphosate, after it was categorized as carcinogenic by the WHO. However, the federal government sees no need for action. EurActiv Germany reports.
Major oat buyer says no to glyphosate: no more shipments of crops sprayed pre-harvest with deadly herbicide
(NaturalNews) One of Canada’s leading manufacturers of conventional and organic whole grain ingredients used in cereals, breads, bars and many other products served around the world has decided to stop accepting oats sprayed with Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide (glyphosate) prior to harvest, noting consumer preference as a major contributing factor to this decision.
More news on the glyphosate front as more and more people wake up to the toxicity of glyphosate based herbicides. May the trend continue until it is hopefully banned altogether.
“Colombia will suspend aerial fumigation of illegal coca plants in light of a number of studies linking the herbicide involved to cancer, a move that marks the end of a decades-long strategy in the country’s fight against drug trafficking.
Spraying coca leaves, which are used to make cocaine, has been a key part of Colombia’s efforts to curb production of some 300 tonnes of cocaine a year that make it one of the world’s biggest producers of the drug…”
From the NaturalNews website … more damning information on glyphosate. The stream of articles on this product is constant. Bear in mind, scientists have been raising this alarm for years, spending a great deal of time researching this supposedly safe herbicide ingredient, their warnings falling largely on deaf ears. WHO’s recent public recognition and acknowledgement of its toxicity is now opening a floodgate of reaction world wide.
“(NaturalNews) Key data outlining the toxicity of glyphosate (Roundup) was recently uncovered, revealing that Monsanto knew about the cancer-causing effects of its best-selling herbicide more than 35 years ago, as did the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and yet neither entity chose to make this information known in the interest of public health. Both Monsanto and the EPA knew full well, at least as early as 1981, that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide causes cancer in mammals….”
Following on from the RDC meeting in late March 2015 where the topic of eliminating the spraying of glyphosate in urban Rangitikei’s public places was discussed following a report by Council into cost effective alternatives. If you missed the previous parts, follow the links to Part 1 and Part 2 before continuing here.
The Cost Effective Alternative
Returning to the Council discussion that day, Cr Ash raised the issue regarding cost effective alternatives to spraying Glyphosate. As outlined there, the alternatives were explored in the Council report however some of the detail was incorrect. It was claimed hot water treatment is fifteen times more expensive than chemical spraying. In fact, a company in Auckland, whose contact details I had supplied prior to the completion of the report, was prepared to present information to Council on their system that can operate at the small margin of 10-15% more than chemical spraying. That price, says the company director, is set to drop even further by the end of 2015 to be on a par with that of chemical spraying. This option however was never pursued and by all appearances isn’t going to be. According to the recent Rangitikei Mail article, Mayor Andy Watson, who was not available for comment, “endorsed the council’s position based on the commissioned report”. The RDC will only be establishing a no-spray register where those who wish to opt out can, and they take responsibility themselves for keeping that area weed free. A no-spray register is standard practice in many cities. If you wish to avoid any other exposure to public spraying activity, basically you can’t, and I’ve seen folk spraying in fairly high wind around here. I’ve also observed children walking on the regularly used track that they take to school … within minutes of being sprayed. The label on Roundup packaging warns about spraying on calm days and waiting for the product to dry before touching what is sprayed. My initial presentation had also included a request for warning the public of imminent spraying and/or the placing out of signs saying spraying is in progress. Nobody has been agreeable to this either. Neither the contractors nor RDC.
The Market
One of the bonuses we’ve been told about market competition is that prices will be driven down. In this respect I’ve suggested in previous discussions with those concerned here that surely the Council need only seek quotes for chemical free treatment from several competing contractors then secure the most favourable price. During my own research a contractor in one city who applies a salt solution to hardstand areas, said they were simply told to submit a quote for chemical free treatment. For some reason that remains unclear to me, the RDC prefers to lean favourably towards helping the current contractor, Fulton Hogan, to continue the status quo, and are not willing to introduce any competition. Surely this would benefit the rate payers. It is possible a local contractor may go even lower than the current one. The Auckland company is willing to look at working with and training a suitable contractor to establish its system of hot water and foam here in Marton.
In Summary
The important matter for me in all this, is health. There is a very long list of health issues with glyphosate and research clearly states it is a ‘probable carcinogen’. Class 2A. I’m left wondering, are people really interested in figuring out what causes cancer?
Bear in mind also, this product is sprayed all over pastures so it has to be in much of our food. It has been found in blood, urine and even breast milk. As I pointed out in my presentation, the cancer stats are now ONE in THREE. So one third of your friends / acquaintances / family will statistically be affected by this terrible
The Seralini Rats
plague, and plague it is. I personally can name three brushes with it in my close family. In one branch of my extended family, three deaths from it. In another, two. Among friends, two deaths. These stats are very high. Common sense should be telling us to err on the side of caution and when an organization like WHO is sounding warnings, why are we not listening? Or should I say, why are they not listening?
So, in summary, should you be interested in curbing the spraying of chemicals in your vicinity, be prepared for possible unpleasantness and vilification. Not for the faint hearted. I have received similar from the contractors themselves, one, when I asked him not to spray near my flat, walked right by me spraying within inches of my feet. The company has now agreed to a compromise and they are weed whacking again. I am spraying a non toxic spray under the trees, at their request and at my own expense.
For further information on glyphosate visit the glyphosate page on this site. You will find direct links to the extensive research near the bottom of the page. (You can view the actual research reports by the researchers themselves). There is also the very defining video by Professor Seralini illustrating his research conducted for two years on lab rats, after which France’s highest Court ruled Monsanto had deceived the public about the safety of their product.
Following on from the RDC meeting in late March 2015 where the topic of eliminating the spraying of glyphosate in urban Rangitikei’s public places was discussed following a report by Council into cost effective alternatives. If you missed part 1, read it HERE first.
The Outcome
Fast forward to the day of the meeting in March when the outcome was given. Council read out their report, embedded in the Order Paper [on page 26, Council Agenda 26 March 2015 electronic version.compressed (1)] which states, briefly, that a no spray register will be established so that those who wish to opt out can, and any areas thus opted out of will be kept weed free by that person. There was then some discussion around the issue and other possible options put forward. Cr Sheridan suggested that the no spray areas could be sprayed by the current contractor using a non chemical spray. Mayor, Andy Watson however, foresaw difficulties price-wise with that, potentially incurring more expense for ratepayers, so the idea was dropped. Cr Sheridan asked why the report had not addressed the initial health issues raised at the forum in November. CEO Ross McNeill responded that he had only been directed to research what alternative options other Councils used … not the health issues. More discussion ensued and Cr Ash tried to point out the recent findings by WHO and Canterbury University regarding health risks. She was promptly reminded that this was question time, not discussion time. Seconds later (still question time) another Cr expounded on the safety of glyphosate with nods of agreement all around.
So you will see here, the way Council operates, there is no room for discussion or dialogue, except by Council of course, amongst themselves, whilst you sit and listen only. There is no opportunity to correct any misconceptions, or to raise any other issues. Your five (rather four) minutes … is it. There ends your input.
Would it not have been pertinent to research the health issues which, after all, were the point of the whole exercise? It seems the RDC takes the three monkeys approach (if we don’t look at, hear or speak about the research then we won’t need to be concerned … even if it is by Doctors and Professors). By virtue of one very specific Mayoral direction here, the whole health issue is effectively sidelined. I feel this is a very lop sided way of interacting with the community … the very people who elect these representatives. You may or may not agree.
Two Other Questions Raised by Councillors
I should add here, in the mix of the discussion, two other questions were raised by other Crs. One was the cost of preparing the report, specifically … how many hours did it take [waste] in preparation? A very pointed question to which of course I was unable to respond in any way.
So here, a person is vilified for daring to raise health concerns for the public, health concerns the public are unaware of because, as has been established by France’s highest Court, the manufacturer has lied about its safety. Everybody believes it is safe.
It clearly isn’t.The other question was, ‘who else was concerned about this issue or was it just one person?’ [that would be me presumably].I was unable of course to respond to that either … had I been able to I could have said there were, as far as I knew, at least ten other persons anyway. Quite likely more but we shall see.
An UPDATE here: There are currently, as at 16 July 2015, 111 others who are concerned. If you happen to be concerned also, please sign the petition HERE. You could also ‘like’ our glyphosate FACEBOOK PAGE and stay informed with regular updates on this issue.
TO: THE RANGITIKEI DISTRICT MAYOR ANDY WATSON, AND CEO ROSS MCNEILL
We are calling on the Rangitikei District Mayor Andy Watson, and CEO Ross McNeill, to protect the public’s health by banning the use of the carcinogen glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, within the Rangitikei town limits. We want to see the Community housing grounds and parking areas, street verges, berms and roadsides, public parks and walkways designated chemical free zones.
Why is this important?
Recently glyphosate was classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Class 2A carcinogen, meaning, it probably causes cancer.
In 2009 French Professor Séralini’s two year study on glyphosate found it produced large cancerous tumours in rats. Because its effects are cumulative and not immediate (that is they only show up over a long period of time) people generally think it is safe. Dr. Don Huber, an award-winning, international scientist, microbiologist and professor emeritus of plant pathology at Purdue University (US) who has 55+ years experience in research and expertise in the area of plant pathology, says that contrary to the common claim of safety, a large volume of peer-reviewed scientific information clearly demonstrates that Roundup herbicide is chronically toxic to human and animal tissues and leads to cancer, premature death, kidney and liver failure, blood disorders and a host of other diseases.
Glyphosate is many times more toxic than DDT, and there’s also a correlation between Glyphosate use & bee die off.
With our cancer statistics at one in three now and climbing, it is important we protect the public, particularly children, from exposure to this chemical. It is a product most Council contractors use in keeping both urban and rural public areas weed free. There are some Councils however that now use chemical free alternatives, one in particular is hot water and foam. Some of us have already requested of Rangitikei District Council that they consider a chemical free alternative, however they’ve declined, based on their own report that failed to look at the proven cost effectiveness of hot water and foam treatment which is almost equal in cost to chemical spraying.
Our environment has long been subject to frequent spraying of this toxic chemical and France’s highest Court ruled in 2009 that it is not biodegradable as advertised. It has now also been found present in human blood, urine and breast milk. With WHO’s damning conclusions we need to be taking responsibility for protecting our health and making our beautiful district healthy and environmentally friendly for all. The public spraying of this carcinogenic chemical is a violation of our human rights.
Help us make public areas in our Rangitikei towns both glyphosate and chemical free now.
This article shows what lengths this company will go to to push its poison on people. Not only do they lie, they pull out all stops to stamp out any opposition. The heat has turned up for them with WHO’s latest announcement that Glyphosate probably causes cancer. And still our environmental protection agencies continue to allow people to slather it everywhere… schools, Councils, farmers, contractors.
“Dare to publish a scientific study against Big Biotech, and Monsanto will defame and discredit you. For the first time, a Monsanto employeeadmits thatthere is an entire department within the corporation with the simple task of ‘discrediting’ and ‘debunking’ scientists who speak out against GMOs…”
See our other Glyphosate pagesfor more info & links, &/or search categories for further related articles (at left of any page).
Please also consider liking our FB page &/or following our blog (right of any page) and do spread the word on all the untruths we have been told! Use the share buttons!
Following on from the recent update on the chemical spraying presentation made to the Rangitikei District Council forum in November 2014, and featured in the Central District Times recently, I’ve offered some thoughts on the Council process. This may be informative for some, and may also dispel some illusions about our so-called democratic processes.
When anyone presents an issue of concern at a Council forum the time limit is five minutes which includes question time, so it is really only four. Bear in mind with an issue this large this is not long. I had to condense my case to the quintessential and speak at top speed. Also bear in mind that in attending Council meetings there is little if any space for actual dialogue around issues. Five minutes is it. The process is not that people friendly (one Cr didn’t hide the fact he found the issue humorous) nor conducive to meaningful interaction or problem resolution. The Mayor, Andy Watson, allowed two questions from the Councilors … one centered around other possible alternatives. These I provided as I’d researched them. The other was not a question, rather it was to tell me that Horizons could provide the correct information about spraying parameters / guidelines / exposure etc. That completed I was duly thanked for my presentation and I sat down. I quietly whispered to a member of the Community Committee who was also there that day, asking her what happens next (quietly because you’re not supposed to be talking in there … and the Community Committee by the way, is a conduit group between community and Council). It appears that I should have asked specifically for somebody to get back to me on the issue. Since I hadn’t, that could well have been the very last I’d have heard about the issue. Now who ever would know that ‘minor’ technicality about being heard? It could have effectively disappeared into the black hole, forgotten forever. As good fortune would have it however, after I’d left and the meeting continued, Cr Sheridan voted for the matter to be put on the Agenda. It was seconded by Cr Ash. The Council was going to research other NZ Council methods of weed treatment and write a report.
The History
Now, bear in mind here, seven or so months prior, I’d emailed Council citing the research on the health risks of using glyphosate sprays (the herbicide of choice by most councils throughout the country). This research had been dismissed as ‘unproven extrapolation’. Cr Ash, and myself, had then met with the Mayor to discuss the research and the possibility of using non chemical sprays in the urban areas. He had sent us each away to research weed control methods used by other Councils with the prospect of RDC’s possibly considering a non-chemical alternative that was cost-effective … should we find one that is. In addition, information was given regarding how to get this issue onto the agenda using Council protocols. By all appearances, to the uninitiated, a very convoluted process. Because of these prior happenings, I already had a great deal of information on other councils, so later, I emailed contact details for an Auckland contractor with a cost effective hot water treatment.
During the interim I endeavoured to email updates to the Mayor and all Councilors about the surrounding facts on this issue since four minutes had clearly not enabled me to do this. In addition I kept them up to speed with all the latest research that comes in at quite a steady pace these days. Councilors apparently, have a great deal of information to wade through I’m told, so there are seldom any responses. Not even an ’email received’ message.
The Research
Anyway, regarding the research (and the case against Glyphosate is mounting) the latest is the World Health Organization’s announcement that Glyphosate probably causes cancer (and I see Dr Oz weighing in on this as well). In addition, Canterbury University has said Glyphosate causes resistance to antibiotics. Neither the
The Seralini Rats
Mayor, the CEO nor the Councilors (bar two) are impressed by WHO’s research, or any of the large body of research that is available on Glyphosate. Not surprising since our Government approves it, end of story. Note here, many governments have actually banned it though and France’s highest Court ruled that Monsanto (the manufacturer) has lied about Roundup’s biodegradability. Sadly, with the way Council works, there has been no opportunity for dialogue on this issue. Still, I do not believe it is rocket science. I would be placing my money on WHO, Professor Seralini’s evidence and France’s highest Court, as opposed to the wisdom of the Rangitikei District Council in Marton or the NZ government (aka corporation) that says it is GE free by the way and is not. Remember, Monsanto initially tested their lab rats for the required ninety days … not long enough for tumours to develop. Professor Seralini’s team tested them for two years… long enough to grow enormous tumours.
Why is Monsanto not now re-testing for two years themselves to prove to the public their product is safe? And why was it so difficult for Prof Seralini to even get a sample of their Glyphosate-laced GM corn to use in his research?
(Watch the Seralini video HERE or read the damning transcript). Would you buy a used car on the car salesman’s word alone? This is historically what the authorities have done with Roundup. It’s all been on Monsanto’s say so. Read more about the RDC’s decision in my next post.
“Following on from last week’s Word Health Organization (WHO) report on glyphosate, which confirmed the world’s most used herbicide probably causes cancer, Sustainable Pulse has discovered documents from 1991 that show how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) themselves were fully aware of glyphosate’s carcinogenic potential….”
These revelations are shocking. Please read, educate yourself and protect yourself & your loved ones…
Having attended RDC’s brief discussion on this yesterday, and heard their total endorsement of this toxic product, and refusal to consider the mounting evidence against it I’m left mystified. Presumably intelligent people, some of whom have university degrees, steadfastly refusing to consider the fact that the World Health Organization just MIGHT be right?
For more information and links on Glyphosate and Roundup, visit the Glyphosate page on this site.
(NaturalHealth365) “Since 1996, when genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were first introduced, we have seen a dramatic rise in the rates of food allergies, autism, reproductive disorders and digestive problems. Of course, companies like Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta – which own approximately half of the entire proprietary seed market – would have you believe that GMO dangers don’t exist. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth……..
One of the biggest lies connected to GMO technology exposed Agricultural technology corporations, like Monsanto, continue to push the notion that the use of GMO seeds will reduce the need for toxic chemicals in farming. Yet, in the past 5 years, due to the development of weed-resistant crops – farmers have been required to spray more herbicides on their fields – in an effort to kill the weeds. This is having a devastating effect on our environment and human health”. – See more at the source:
Now, we know that most folks think Roundup is so safe you can drink it. A local farmer told me when it was first introduced back in the ’70s it was advertised as being as safe as ‘Sunlight Liquid’ dishwash. If you really think it’s safe, visit the Glyphosate page on this site. It has been linked by independent, peer reviewed research with many illnesses, including cancer & birth defects. Especially, read the research and watch the video from the French team of scientists who tested this product for two years on lab rats (there on the ‘glyphosate’ page). They grew enormous tumours. Monsanto tested their own product on lab rats for just three months. It was given long term approval and here we are more than 3 decades later and it is still be slathered everywhere, and particularly on GE, Roundup read crops. Many farmers use it pre harvest on their wheat. We are ingesting this stuff from many fronts. Educate yourself and spread the word.
Here is the article from the Natural Society website that says Roundup has been found in Froot Loops! No surprizes there … it’s also been found in human breast milk. It has to stop… read article on Fruit Loops, other cereals and GE foods.
Note in this article … “Last year, Monsanto Co, the developer of Roundup, requested and received EPA approval for increased tolerance levels for glyphosate…” and… as usual the USDA don’t test for Glyphosate… so who knows how much is in our food? Now bear in mind why Glyphosate gets such free reign:
Here we have illustrated the close and unhealthy relationship between Monsanto and the US Government. Here is why their GE food products and associated Roundup are so widespread.
LikeLoading...
Watching our environment … our health … and corporations … exposing lies and corruption
“Concerning information shared with us by Dr. Michael Fox and research scientist Dr. Anthony Samsel. Glyphosate in pet food can have deadly consequences.
You must be logged in to post a comment.