http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/label-genetically-enginee_b_1609814.html
In 49 countries around the world, including all of Europe, people have the opportunity of knowing whether or not they are eating food which contains genetically engineered ingredients. In the United States, we don't. That is why I have introduced, along with Sen. Barbara Boxer, an amendment to the agriculture bill which will give states the right to require labels on food products which are genetically engineered.
All over this country people are becoming more conscious about the foods they eat and serve their kids. When a mother goes to the store and purchases food for her child, she has the right to know what she is feeding her family.
Poll after poll during the past decade showed that nine out of 10 Americans agree that food with genetically engineered ingredients should say so on the label.
Almost 1 million Californians signed a petition to get labeling of genetically engineered food on this November's ballot. They want the right to know what is in their foods.
MORE: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/media/view/?id=ac2744bb-41dc-4d36-935b-d8154b6ea94a
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/LabelingSupport.pdf
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Brazil court ruling will cost Monsanto $billions
http://redgreenandblue.org/2012/06/19/brazil-court-ruling-will-cost-monsanto-billions/Monsanto wins lawsuit, farmers will fight on Monsanto, the multinational agribusiness giant that brought us genetically modified (GMO) corn, soy, and cotton (as well as Agent Orange, dioxin, and other nasties), broke the rules in Brazil, and it’s going to cost them.
While US courts have been pretty tolerant of Monsanto (Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a former Monsanto employee), the Brazillian courts aren’t putting up with their bullshit. They ruled that a lawsuit from a group of farmers in one region should apply to all farmers across the country – which means Monsanto will end up owing between $2 billion and $7.5 billion.
What happened? The case was pretty straightforward.
Monsanto makes money off of patented seeds (something that didn’t even exist until just a few years ago; the notion that companies could patent life-forms would have appalled the founding fathers). It collects royalty payments from farmers.
But that wasn’t enough for Monsanto. I continued to collect royalties on their GMO soy seeds even after their patents had expired in Brazil. Why not? Farmers would have to sue them to get the money back, and Monsanto has had a pretty good track record beating farmers in court, and dragging cases out for years.
But a group of 5 million Brazilian farmers sued, and won.
Monsanto tried to argue that the ruling should only apply to the farmers in a single state, but the Supreme Court said “Don’t be ridiculous”.
Now the GMO giant will have to pay the $7.5 billion back.
Jane Berwanger, a lawyer for the farmers, attacked the very idea that Monsanto should be able to collect a royalty for every generation of their GMO seeds:
“Monsanto gets paid when it sells the seeds. The law gives producers the right to multiply the seeds they buy and nowhere in the world is there a requirement to pay (again).”
Monsanto has appealed the decision, and it make take years before the final ruling comes down.
Source: Red Green & Blue (http://s.tt/1f2UV)
Processing of Retroactive Agent Orange Claims Nearly Complete
Milestone Allows VA to Refocus 1,200 Decision Makers on Claims Backlog
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/processing-of-retroactive-agent-orange-claims-nearly-complete-2012-06-19
WASHINGTON, Jun 19, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that nearly 230,000 claims have already been processed for the three newest Agent-Orange related conditions through June 2012, including over 150,000 claims required to be adjudicated under the order of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The near completion of these complex Nehmer claims enables VA to redirect 1,200 employees who were dedicated to reviewing the Agent Orange cases toward addressing the current backlog of disability claims.
"I am proud of our VA employees who worked hard to complete these Agent Orange claims, putting over $3.6 billion into the hands of our Vietnam Veterans and their survivors," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "We completed all of the Agent Orange Nehmer claims for living Veterans, and are now focusing on the fewer than 500 remaining that will benefit survivors."
The Agent Orange claims stemmed from VA's 2010 amendment of its regulations to add ischemic heart disease, hairy cell and other chronic B-cell leukemias, and Parkinson's disease to the list of diseases presumed to be related to exposure to the herbicide used in Southeast Asia.
"While we work to transform how we do business through new processes and technology, at the end of the day it's about taking care of our Veterans and their loved ones on the issues affecting their lives," said Secretary Shinseki.
Given the complexity of the historical casework, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) allocated its most experienced decision makers, about 37 percent of its rating staff, to processing Agent Orange claims. VBA's 13 resource centers were exclusively dedicated to re-adjudicating these claims.
READ MORE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/processing-of-retroactive-agent-orange-claims-nearly-complete-2012-06-19
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/processing-of-retroactive-agent-orange-claims-nearly-complete-2012-06-19
WASHINGTON, Jun 19, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that nearly 230,000 claims have already been processed for the three newest Agent-Orange related conditions through June 2012, including over 150,000 claims required to be adjudicated under the order of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The near completion of these complex Nehmer claims enables VA to redirect 1,200 employees who were dedicated to reviewing the Agent Orange cases toward addressing the current backlog of disability claims.
"I am proud of our VA employees who worked hard to complete these Agent Orange claims, putting over $3.6 billion into the hands of our Vietnam Veterans and their survivors," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "We completed all of the Agent Orange Nehmer claims for living Veterans, and are now focusing on the fewer than 500 remaining that will benefit survivors."
The Agent Orange claims stemmed from VA's 2010 amendment of its regulations to add ischemic heart disease, hairy cell and other chronic B-cell leukemias, and Parkinson's disease to the list of diseases presumed to be related to exposure to the herbicide used in Southeast Asia.
"While we work to transform how we do business through new processes and technology, at the end of the day it's about taking care of our Veterans and their loved ones on the issues affecting their lives," said Secretary Shinseki.
Given the complexity of the historical casework, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) allocated its most experienced decision makers, about 37 percent of its rating staff, to processing Agent Orange claims. VBA's 13 resource centers were exclusively dedicated to re-adjudicating these claims.
READ MORE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/processing-of-retroactive-agent-orange-claims-nearly-complete-2012-06-19
Skeptics doubt VA's claim of breakthrough on claims backlog
http://www.stripes.com/news/skeptics-doubt-va-s-claim-of-breakthrough-on-claims-backlog-1.180811
WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs officials say they’re poised to make a major breakthrough on the department’s massive claims backlog, but skeptical lawmakers and veterans advocates say they’ve heard such proclamations before.
VA officials announced Tuesday that they have all but wrapped up work on Agent Orange disability claims that overwhelmed the processing system over the last two years. Nearly 230,000 of those cases have been reviewed and finalized, and officials said fewer than 500 open cases remain.
The VA had set aside 37 percent of the department’s rating staff and 13 resource centers to deal solely with the Agent Orange cases. With the work finished, officials said, those centers and about 1,200 claims processors will begin dealing with the overall disability and pensions backlog.
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More than 911,000 claims remain unprocessed, down from more than 1.4 million last year but still up 60 percent from when the Agent Orange claims push started two years ago. About two-thirds of those cases have been pending for more than 125 days, despite department promises to deal with them quickly.
Members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee called that embarrassing.
“VA continues to struggle with unconscionable backlogs and unacceptable delays in getting our nation’s veterans the benefits they need,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. “It is time for VA to break this cycle of unproductivity and deliver the benefits that the agency was created to provide.”
READ MORE: http://www.stripes.com/news/skeptics-doubt-va-s-claim-of-breakthrough-on-claims-backlog-1.180811
WASHINGTON — Veterans Affairs officials say they’re poised to make a major breakthrough on the department’s massive claims backlog, but skeptical lawmakers and veterans advocates say they’ve heard such proclamations before.
VA officials announced Tuesday that they have all but wrapped up work on Agent Orange disability claims that overwhelmed the processing system over the last two years. Nearly 230,000 of those cases have been reviewed and finalized, and officials said fewer than 500 open cases remain.
The VA had set aside 37 percent of the department’s rating staff and 13 resource centers to deal solely with the Agent Orange cases. With the work finished, officials said, those centers and about 1,200 claims processors will begin dealing with the overall disability and pensions backlog.
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More than 911,000 claims remain unprocessed, down from more than 1.4 million last year but still up 60 percent from when the Agent Orange claims push started two years ago. About two-thirds of those cases have been pending for more than 125 days, despite department promises to deal with them quickly.
Members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee called that embarrassing.
“VA continues to struggle with unconscionable backlogs and unacceptable delays in getting our nation’s veterans the benefits they need,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla. “It is time for VA to break this cycle of unproductivity and deliver the benefits that the agency was created to provide.”
READ MORE: http://www.stripes.com/news/skeptics-doubt-va-s-claim-of-breakthrough-on-claims-backlog-1.180811
Monday, June 18, 2012
Hearing on Monsanto lawsuit deal begins Monday - Judge must decide if settlement is fair
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201206150173
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A hearing begins Monday to determine whether a multimillion-dollar settlement in the huge class-action Monsanto dioxin lawsuit should be approved.
The judge must decide if the settlement reached Feb. 24, after nearly a decade of litigation, is fair, reasonable and adequate.
Under the tentative agreement, chemical giant Monsanto will provide class-members up to $93 million. The company has agreed to a 30-year medical monitoring program with a primary fund of $21 million for testing, and up to $63 million in additional funding, if necessary. It also has agreed to spend $9 million cleaning 4,500 homes.
The settlement also would allow residents to retain their right to file personal-injury lawsuits against Monsanto if medical tests turn up illnesses potentially related to dioxin exposure.
Word of the settlement emerged on the eve of an expected six-month trial in a case in which Nitro-area residents sought medical monitoring for dioxin-related illnesses and a cleanup of what they argue is a contaminated community.
READ MORE: http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201206150173
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A hearing begins Monday to determine whether a multimillion-dollar settlement in the huge class-action Monsanto dioxin lawsuit should be approved.
The judge must decide if the settlement reached Feb. 24, after nearly a decade of litigation, is fair, reasonable and adequate.
Under the tentative agreement, chemical giant Monsanto will provide class-members up to $93 million. The company has agreed to a 30-year medical monitoring program with a primary fund of $21 million for testing, and up to $63 million in additional funding, if necessary. It also has agreed to spend $9 million cleaning 4,500 homes.
The settlement also would allow residents to retain their right to file personal-injury lawsuits against Monsanto if medical tests turn up illnesses potentially related to dioxin exposure.
Word of the settlement emerged on the eve of an expected six-month trial in a case in which Nitro-area residents sought medical monitoring for dioxin-related illnesses and a cleanup of what they argue is a contaminated community.
READ MORE: http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201206150173
Friday, June 15, 2012
Agent Orange’s deadly legacy spreads to Japan
http://www.rt.com/news/agent-orange-buried-okinawa-932/
The fallout from the US military’s use of Agent Orange may have spread from Vietnam to Japan. Massive caches of the toxic herbicide were buried on Futenma, “the world’s most dangerous base,” potentially poisoning the island, a Japanese daily reports.
The US military presence has long been a point of contention for locals on the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, a cluster of islands located some 400 miles south of Japan.
A slew of violent crimes committed over the last 40 years by US servicemen has led 85 per cent of locals to oppose the presence of American bases on Okinawa. However, the military’s most deadly mark on the islands may be a far less visible killer: Agent Orange.
Scores of barrels of the defoliating chemical were clandestinely buried at Futenma Air Base on Okinawa Island following the Vietnam War, the Japan Times reports.
The Pentagon allegedly ignored repeated requests from soldiers serving on the island in the 70s and 80s to safely dispose of a pesticide a million times more toxic than any naturally occurring poison.
In the Summer of 1981, “unacceptably high readings” of chemicals in the wastewater flowing out of the installation prompted Lt. Col. Kris Roberts, the former head of maintenance projects on Futenma, to start digging up the ground near the end of the base’s runway.
"We unearthed over 100 barrels buried in rows. They were rusty and leaking and we could see orange markings around some of their middles," Roberts, now a state representative in New Hampshire, told the Japan Times in a recent interview.
READ MORE: http://www.rt.com/news/agent-orange-buried-okinawa-932/
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Controversy grows over 'Agent Orange corn'
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/18788754/controversy-grows-over-agent-orange-cornINDIANAPOLIS (WISH/FOX) - Food safety advocates are raising a red alert over what they call Agent Orange corn.
The problem surrounds a popular farming herbicide known as 2,4-D - one of the chemicals used to make Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
Critics fear farmers will use the herbicide in greater concentrations because of a new breed of corn that is resistant to the chemical.
"2,4-D has to go on a fairly young crop. It's a growth regulator," said farmer Ken Edmondson. "My take on it is it's nonsense. 2,4-D has been around forever. I do not buy into this theory that it's an Agent Orange kind of a compound."
Experts also believe the health risks linked to Agent Orange were caused by a different chemical, not 2,4-D.
The company that developed the new corn also insists the chemical is safe.
"You know, there are something like 4,500 studies and reports that are used to support ongoing uses of the product," said Garry Hamlin of Dow Agro Sciences.
The Environmental Protection Agency rejected a petition to ban 2,4-D in April.
A group of Vietnam vets has now teamed up with environmentalists to ask President Obama to look into the dangers of the herbicide.
WATCH VIDEO: http://www.myfoxal.com/story/18788754/controversy-grows-over-agent-orange-corn#
‘Agent Orange corn’ thrills farmers, worries critics
http://wtvr.com/2012/06/14/agent-orange-corn-thrills-farmers-worries-critics/
Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News
SEAFORD, Delaware (CBS News) – There is a controversy in the food industry over so-called “Agent Orange corn.”
The genetically modified vegetable is protected from a herbicide that kills so-called super weeds, but is linked to the notorious “Agent Orange” used in Vietnam.
Many farmers are thrilled with the corn, but many critics think it will lead to more use of toxic chemicals.
Seventy-two-year-old Irvin Handy has been farming in Delaware his whole life. And that’s meant a lifelong battle to kill enemy weeds, without killing his corn and soy crops. Handy has a consultant who advises him on an ever-changing chemical arsenal to keep the weeds at bay.
“Yeah, they’ve been terrible this year. They’ve been the worst I’ve ever seen this year,” said Handy.
But like a lot of farmers, Handy has seen an incredible uptick in super weeds that just won’t die since they are resistant to the chemical herbicides that used to work on them, like Roundup.
READ & WATCH: http://wtvr.com/2012/06/14/agent-orange-corn-thrills-farmers-worries-critics/
Sharyl Attkisson, CBS News
SEAFORD, Delaware (CBS News) – There is a controversy in the food industry over so-called “Agent Orange corn.”
The genetically modified vegetable is protected from a herbicide that kills so-called super weeds, but is linked to the notorious “Agent Orange” used in Vietnam.
Many farmers are thrilled with the corn, but many critics think it will lead to more use of toxic chemicals.
Seventy-two-year-old Irvin Handy has been farming in Delaware his whole life. And that’s meant a lifelong battle to kill enemy weeds, without killing his corn and soy crops. Handy has a consultant who advises him on an ever-changing chemical arsenal to keep the weeds at bay.
“Yeah, they’ve been terrible this year. They’ve been the worst I’ve ever seen this year,” said Handy.
But like a lot of farmers, Handy has seen an incredible uptick in super weeds that just won’t die since they are resistant to the chemical herbicides that used to work on them, like Roundup.
READ & WATCH: http://wtvr.com/2012/06/14/agent-orange-corn-thrills-farmers-worries-critics/
Agent Orange at base in '80s: U.S. vet Nearby residents of Futenma possibly tainted by leaking barrels
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120615a1.html
The U.S. Marine Corps buried a massive stockpile of Agent Orange at the Futenma air http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifstation in Okinawa, possibly poisoning the base's former head of maintenance and potentially contaminating nearby residents and the ground beneath the base, The Japan Times recently learned from interviews with U.S. veterans
READ MORE: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120615a1.html
The U.S. Marine Corps buried a massive stockpile of Agent Orange at the Futenma air http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifstation in Okinawa, possibly poisoning the base's former head of maintenance and potentially contaminating nearby residents and the ground beneath the base, The Japan Times recently learned from interviews with U.S. veterans
READ MORE: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120615a1.html
Wal-Mart says dioxin concern by Auburn group is delay tactic - APACE wants to reopen environmental review at Placer County level
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/210781.html?content_source=&categoryhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id="
AUBURN CA - Wal-Mart attorneys are blasting an Auburn activist group’s attempts to reopen Placer County’s environmental process on the North Auburn project as error-filled and obstructionist.
Citing a state Department of Toxic Substance Control request for Wal-Mart to conduct soil-sampling for dioxins at the store site, the Alliance for the Protection of the Auburn Community Environment (APACE) has called on the county to reopen the environmental impact process.
But Wal-Mart attorneys Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton of San Francisco, has responded that the store project does not require any further environmental review.
Judy Davidoff, a land-use attorney with the firm, said that APACE’s contentions on dioxin and furan levels have previously been considered and the state toxic substance control department has issued a “no further action” letter.
“After the no further action letter was issued, APACE began lobbying to revisit the soil-contamination issue and mandate additional testing and cleanup at the project site,” Davidoff said. “The department has consistently refused to do so.”
APACE member Victoria Connolly, said Wednesday that Wal-Mart is taking a lackadaisical approach to the group’s effort to revisit environmental issues at the site.
“We are attempting to get the Board of Supervisors to be concerned about the health and safety of residents in the area and reopen the EIR to allow public comment on the section that deals with hazards and toxins,” Connolly said. “What is true is that the state is requesting further action and requesting Wal-Mart to enter into a voluntary cleanup-up agreement.”
Davidoff said that, at APACE’s request, the department did agree to ask Wal-Mart to voluntarily conduct soil testing at the project site.
READ MORE: http://auburnjournal.com/detail/210781.html?content_source=&category_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=
AUBURN CA - Wal-Mart attorneys are blasting an Auburn activist group’s attempts to reopen Placer County’s environmental process on the North Auburn project as error-filled and obstructionist.
Citing a state Department of Toxic Substance Control request for Wal-Mart to conduct soil-sampling for dioxins at the store site, the Alliance for the Protection of the Auburn Community Environment (APACE) has called on the county to reopen the environmental impact process.
But Wal-Mart attorneys Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton of San Francisco, has responded that the store project does not require any further environmental review.
Judy Davidoff, a land-use attorney with the firm, said that APACE’s contentions on dioxin and furan levels have previously been considered and the state toxic substance control department has issued a “no further action” letter.
“After the no further action letter was issued, APACE began lobbying to revisit the soil-contamination issue and mandate additional testing and cleanup at the project site,” Davidoff said. “The department has consistently refused to do so.”
APACE member Victoria Connolly, said Wednesday that Wal-Mart is taking a lackadaisical approach to the group’s effort to revisit environmental issues at the site.
“We are attempting to get the Board of Supervisors to be concerned about the health and safety of residents in the area and reopen the EIR to allow public comment on the section that deals with hazards and toxins,” Connolly said. “What is true is that the state is requesting further action and requesting Wal-Mart to enter into a voluntary cleanup-up agreement.”
Davidoff said that, at APACE’s request, the department did agree to ask Wal-Mart to voluntarily conduct soil testing at the project site.
READ MORE: http://auburnjournal.com/detail/210781.html?content_source=&category_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
CBS Charlie Rose investigates "Agent Orange Corn"
http://www.examiner.com/review/cbs-charlie-rose-investigates-agent-orange-cornhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Farmers, executive chefs, the food industry and even Vietnam Veterans are speaking out about a farming chemical called 2,4-D, which has gained the name "Agent Orange Corn" by critics. CBS This Morning's anchor Charlie Rose and Sharyl Attkinson, a CBS investigative journalist, looked at the issue from crop to table today and found that although Dow Chemical, the maker of 2, 4-D, says the herbicide is safe and thoroughly tested, there are concerns from all sides of the issue. The moniker, Agent Orange Corn and even the official name of the herbicide, "Enlist," gives some indication of the level of controversy.
Over the years, genetically modified corn fields have become increasingly resistant to weeds after repeated use of herbicides, hence the introduction of a new weed killer, 2, 4-D. The chemical is a component once used in the chemical Agent Orange that was sprayed as a jungle defoliant in Vietnam. Repeated studies show that those exposed to the chemical have increased risk of cancer and numerous other health problems.
Farmers, executive chefs, the food industry and even Vietnam Veterans are speaking out about a farming chemical called 2,4-D, which has gained the name "Agent Orange Corn" by critics. CBS This Morning's anchor Charlie Rose and Sharyl Attkinson, a CBS investigative journalist, looked at the issue from crop to table today and found that although Dow Chemical, the maker of 2, 4-D, says the herbicide is safe and thoroughly tested, there are concerns from all sides of the issue. The moniker, Agent Orange Corn and even the official name of the herbicide, "Enlist," gives some indication of the level of controversy.
Over the years, genetically modified corn fields have become increasingly resistant to weeds after repeated use of herbicides, hence the introduction of a new weed killer, 2, 4-D. The chemical is a component once used in the chemical Agent Orange that was sprayed as a jungle defoliant in Vietnam. Repeated studies show that those exposed to the chemical have increased risk of cancer and numerous other health problems.
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