Precautionary Principle

"What the public fears is not the experimental science, but the fundamental irrational decision to let out of the laboratory into the real world before we truly understand it."

Barry Commoner, Cellular Biologist

In 1975 scientists worldwide agreed. For all the good gene manipulation held, left unchecked it had the capability to adversely affect humanity on a very large scale. Their concerns led to the Asilomar Conference, the birthplace of the Precautionary Principle. The central tenet of the Precautionary Principle is first, do no harm. The second is if there is the slightest of suspicion that recombinant technology could harm the public’s health or the environment, the burden of proof falls on those who use the technology to prove different.

Pesticides on Trial

On the 27th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster in India, anti-pesticide advocates are putting the six largest pesticide companies under the accountability spotlight. According to a press release from the North American branch of Pesticide Action Network (PAN), attorneys, witnesses and jurors will put the 'Big Six' -- Monsanto, Sygenta, Bayer, BASF, Dow and Dupont on trial for what PAN calls "their crimes against humanity.

Now It's in the Blood

For all the empty promises the bioseed corporations have made to try and convince consumers that GMO food is safe, a study from University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, Canada is perhaps the most telling.

Staxed

"The lack of transparency in the current approval process, leading as it does to an inability to evaluate the scientific rigour of the assessment process, seriously compromises the confidence that society can place in the current regulatory framework used to assess potential risks to human, animal and environmental safety posed by GMOs."

Royal Society of Canada's Experts panel on the Future of Food

On The Wind

"With the introduction of primitive irreversible genetic techniques in a dangerous combination with a product and profit orientated mind-set forced on society by a powerful political-industrial complex, humanity faces an uncertain future."

Arpad Pusztai, Ph.D., FRSE, Biochemist and Nutritionist

Colony Collapse Disorder

"..the decline in pollinator populations is one form of global change that actually has credible potential to alter the shape and structure of terrestrial ecosystems."

Committee Chair, May R. Berenbaum, Entomology Dept, University of Illinois

The Black Swan

"I am compelled to fear that science will be used to promote the power of dominant groups rather than to make men happy."

Bertrand Russell, Icarus, the Future of Science, 1925

The term black swan originated from an old belief that all swans were white. In that context, a black swan became a metaphor for something that could not exist. But when black swans were discovered in Australia in the 17th century, the saying took on a new meaning. In the case of genetically engineered industrial agriculture, the black swan became a perceived impossibility that actually has come to pass bringing with it a large impact.

Death By Nutrition

"There is more than a casual association between GM/GE foods and adverse health effects. There is causation, as defined by recognized scientific criteria."

American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), May 2009

Bill C-474

The debate over Bill C474 has demonstrated exactly how the partnership of Canadian politics and agribusiness now work. Bill C474 called for the amendment of the federal Seeds Regulations to require that an “analysis of potential harm to export markets” be conducted before federal permission is granted for the sale of a new GM seed. The private Members Bill C-474 was introduced by Alex Atamanenko, NDP Agriculture Critic and MP for BC Southern Interior in November 2009.

Protecting Canadian Alfalfa

Consumers might well wonder why all the fuss about alfalfa. Well, if you purchase naturally raised meat or organic milk or cheese products or eat sprouts and use herbal remedies to treat your ills, you better pay attention. The Canadian government has once again enabled Monsanto, the arch villain to organic and conventional farmers everywhere, to strike another blow against the organic and natural food market as they continue to wage a war on consumers who prefer to eat natural foods.

The Gene Gamble

"In the first time in our history we have created a self-reproducing biological system that we cannot control and whose consequences are uncertain, unpredictable and potentially dangerous."