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Digest No #107, 22nd May 2010

  1. Food Labelling Review - MADGE's submission
  2. Great reviews for the documentary Food Inc - what is the Australian situation?
  3. WA's disallowance motion and how the orang-utans beat Nestle
  4. GM eucalyptus trees with reduced fertility planted in the US
  5. Kakadu plums and mining - patents, profits and poverty?
  6. Tomorrow's table - GM promoters show why Monsanto's data untrustworthy
  7. TechNyou - balanced information or brainwashing for school children?
  8. Events and inspirations

1. Food Labelling Review submission- MADGE's submission

Here is the MADGE submission to round 2 of the Food Labelling Review. It is long so we would like to highlight a few points that may be of general interest:

  • MADGE commented on how confused and difficult the submission process seemed (covering letter)
  • How GM food is different from non-GM food, therefore it should be labelled (Paragraph 1.4)
  • Ingredients like soy, likely to be GM contaminated, that are present at less than 1% should be assumed to be GM and labelled as such, unless proved otherwise. (Q6 page 16)
  • There is no monitoring and enforcement of GM labelling (Section 5.1)
  • If the current GM food labelling standard were to be enforced food would have to be tested overseas as Australia is lacking accredited labs. (Section 5.2)
  • GM technologies are being extended to utilize newly discovered RNA silencing mechanisms within cells. The potential is to be able to kill any living organism by introducing specific RNA into a cell to target an essential cell or organism function. The evolutionary purposes of these mechanisms are not understood as yet, but they appear to play an immune-response role. Essentially, by introduction of highly infectious double stranded RNA directly or through food via GM plants, the organism is 'misled' into silencing its own essential functions, leading to mobidity or death. MADGEs interested in the science could make their way through this paper. Monsanto has already published on its work in this field (Q6, Q7, Section 5.3, Q36)

Thank you to everyone who put in submissions. We have put the ones we were sent up on the website.

2. Great reviews for the documentary Food Inc - what is the Australian situation?

Go and see this film and take everyone you know too. It reveals the dark underside of the food industry in the US. This is a global industry and it affects us too. "At the Movies" reviewed it (17.30 minutes in). Margaret gave it 4 ½ stars and David 4. Here is a review from The West Australian.

The film shows workers and animals brutalised in vast feedlots and processing plants. Consumers die or are disabled from eating this food. Farmers are treated as contract workers for vast conglomerates. Is the situation similar in Australia? It is not as bad but there are some worrying similarities:

Chickens:

Thankfully there are increasingly more free range and organic suppliers or poultry in Australia. This article from the UK shows the power of the consumer to drastically reduce intensively farmed chickens in their country, we have the power to do the same here. Insist on knowing where your poultry if from and how it is treated.

Feedlots and meat processing:

Feedlots are a part of the Australian meat industry. Meat processing companies in the film have operations in Australia. For example "JBS, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the largest beef processor in the world, acquired Swift & Co. in 2007, forming JBS Swift Group, the third-largest beef company in the US and including major meatworks in Australia."

In the past few years JBS Swift has purchased Australian Meat Holdings (2002); Tasman Group (2009); Tatiara Meat Company (2009); feedlot processing facility at Rockdale Beef, Yanco, NSW (2010) and is rumoured to be in talks with Castricum Brothers export facility at Dandenong.

Monsanto:

The largest seed company in the world is shown stalking and suing seed cleaner Moe Parr. His crime was to clean the seed of farmers so they could replant. When Monsanto introduced their GM seed it became illegal to save seed. Moe had no way of telling GM from non-GM seed and, although he had no contract with Monsanto, was sued. He settled as he had no way to defend himself through the court system. Monsanto has an Australian branch and sells GM cotton and canola seed in Australia.

What can you do?

  • Think about where food comes from and how it is produced.

Feedlots were established partly so we could have more consistent meat. Listen to this interview with butcher Vince Gareffa from Mondo de Carne in Perth. He talked about how modern improvements altered food to be pretty but later he realised we need food to be natural. "We need to eat that apple off the tree when it's ripe, not stored for six months. We need to eat the meat and have a happy chew, not turn around and expect it to be butter." He said that from 60-80% of beef in Australia is hormone assisted. Hormones were banned in chickens in the 1970's. He wants natural food. Grass feeding "will give inconsistencies but they are inconsistencies that we can fall in love with".

  • Think about not only the price of food but the cost.

Are we forcing farmers to use techniques that are damaging to us all? Is it better to have a small amount of grass fed meat or lots of cheap, mass produced meat? Should we be supporting family farmers or trusting large corporations to feed us?

  • Buy from farmers who are growing food in a respectful way

Thankfully we have many options in Australia to support respectful and sustainable meat farming, these are just a few, mostly Victorian producers. Please feel free to email us, to alert us of suppliers in others states.

Lamb/Mutton and Beef :

Australian Pork

Melbourne Chef Adrian Richardson at La Luna Restaurant in Carlton, Melbourne writes about the Australian Pork Industry in his cook book titled ‘Meat' and has this to say; "compared with other countries, the Australian pork industry has invested considerable time, money and research into minimising the negative effects of intensive pig farming practices. In very recent years the industry has introduced more rigorous animal welfare requirements and I have to say that in my experience most modern pig farmers do seem to care about their animals, if only because it makes better commercial sense."

However he then goes onto explain that pig farming is still big business, geared towards maximum cost efficiency and that he himself only buys direct from farmers.

If you wish to avoid buying pork from intensively farmed pigs there are alternatives. There are several growers of Heritage or old breed Pork at farmers markets, including Fernleigh Farm , Gpysie Pork, Large Black Pigs and King Valley Pork.

For bacon and other cured meats, Istra near Daylesford, Victoria, produces small goods without the use of sodium nitrates and other preservatives, using free-range pork. For the enthusiast, this blog column from SBS farm to fork series explains a simple technique to make your own bacon.

  • Shop at farmers markets and local shops where you can ask how the food was grown
  • Learn to cook, cure, ferment and preserve food
  • Go to Joel Salatin's talks in Daylesford. He runs Polyface Farm that is the total antidote to mass production and was featured in the movie Food Inc as well.

3. WA's disallowance motion and how the orang-utans beat Nestle

Congratulations to everyone in WA who have worked so hard to try and use disallowance motions in the parliament to prevent the planting of GM canola. Speakers in support of the Disallowance were Giz Watson & Lynn MacLaren (Greens) and Jon Ford (Labor). Against were Robyn McSweeney & Brian Ellis (Liberal). Unfortunately the Upper House motion failed on Tuesday night 14 to 19. The ALP and Greens voted for the disallowance motion but the Liberals and Nationals defeated it. It also appears there will also be no public maps of where GM is growing.

There is an air of suspended reality about GM. The evidence is coming in thick and fast that it is a total failure. None of the promises of higher yields, less chemicals, more profitable for farmers, feeding the world etc have eventuated.

In contrast all the warnings have come true:

In Australia, The Age published an article that stated some of the farmers who have grown GM canola will no longer be doing so as it has not lived up to its promises. It is more expensive and doesn't yield more.

The markets for it are limited and it sells for $12 a tonne less than ordinary canola. Here are some of the letters the article provoked.

GM will collapse sooner or later as it just doesn't work. The Rodale Institute compiled this elegant list of reasons why. They include "basic science", "unpredictable consequences" and "unnecessary".

However we cannot allow the whole of agriculture to be contaminated by GM. The best action to take is to know and care about what you buy. The effectiveness of this was witnessed this week when Nestle promised to stop using palm oil sourced from companies linked to rainforest destruction. Orang utans are being driven to extinction with the loss of their homes. This campaign only started in March this year. People acting together are very powerful.

Why not make sure your food is produced in a ethical and sustainable way and is free of GM, nanotech and irradiation.

4. GM eucalyptus trees with reduced fertility planted in the US

US regulators have approved a field test of 200,000 genetically engineered eucalyptus trees. They have been engineered to withstand cold, have less lignin (which provides trees the strength to stand up) and reduced fertility.

The Agriculture Department approved the trial despite receiving 12,462 comments from people or organizations opposed to the trial, compared with only 45 supporters of the trial.

There are fears that this could cause a disaster as they are likely to out cross.

MADGE issued a press release saying: "The concern for Australia is that as a result of this field trial, and subsequent plantings if sufficiently successful, the genes may find their way to Australia, with a potential impact on our entire indigenous biodiversity."

MADGE is wondering if Australian environmental departments were consulted before these trials were approved in the USA."

If you wish to know more read " Genetically Modified Trees- The ultimate threat to forests" a book by The World Rainforest Movement.

5) Kakadu plums and mining - patents, profits and poverty?

A major US cosmetics company, Mary Kay, has applied for an international patent on the Kakadu plum. They plan to use it in a skin care product. The Mirrar people traditionally use the plant as bush tucker and medicine. Is Mary Kay guilty of biopiracy? This is when companies file patents on plants for uses that are traditional knowledge of indigenous people.

No one is sure how Mary Kay obtained the samples of the plant extract. If they went into Kakadu and picked the plums they would have to negotiate with the traditional owners. However there is a loophole in Australian laws in that if they bought a plant from a nursery, no consultation is required. Mary Kay doesn't seem to have obtained a permit from Queensland, Northern Territory or WA authorities. Dr Daniel Robinson highlighted the issues in this interview with Bush Telegraph. No spokesperson was available from Mary Kay.

This brings into question who owns the great natural wealth of Australia, which includes its flora and fauna and mineral riches? Mining is massively expanding and although it generates vast income for some sections of the community the wider picture is worth examining. Farming and mining are coming into conflict in many places. In Queensland people who thought they own the land they live and work on are finding that mining companies can come onto their land and put in gas wells. Gas is extracted by pumping chemicals into the ground to fracture it to release the gas. Groundwater is being contaminated by gas and gas wells are leaking.

In the US communities that have had similar gas extraction processes can light the gas that comes out of their water taps at home. Illnesses appear to be linked to these mining processes. 60 Minutes filed this report on the issue.

There is also conflict between farming and coal and gold mining in NSW. The NSW Greens outline the issues here. The Muckaty people in the Northern Territory are concerned about a nuclear waste dump on their land.The Australian Government looks ready to announce oil and gas leases in the waters off WA and SA.

All of these mining adventures have the possibility of disastrous consequences for people, land and water. Last year a vast oil spill happened off the coast of WA It "was caused by poor decision making and corporate greed, a senior industry source has claimed." Currently the Gulf of Mexico is being polluted both by the crude oil leaking from the rig and also the chemical dispersant used to make the spill less visible. Once again the disaster appears to have been caused by industry being sloppy and irresponsible. "Officials from BP, which leased the rig, Transocean, which owned it, and Halliburton, which was assisting operations to complete the well when tragedy struck, were guilty of 'falling over each other to point the finger of blame at somebody else'". Here is an article from the US that expresses the anger and frustration at this destruction and the system that allows it to happen. "The corporations, and those who run them, consume, pollute, oppress and kill. The little Eichmanns who manage them reside in a parallel universe of staggering wealth, luxury and splendid isolation that rivals that of the closed court of Versailles."

The link between resource riches, corruption, economic stagnation and mismanagement of assets has been called the "resource curse". Its horror can be seen in the Niger Delta where Shell has operated since 1958. They have brought environmental destruction, the oppression of human rights and the hanging of Ogoni leaders including Ken Saro-Wiwa. This week the Nigerian Justice League issued a spoof press release that purported to be from Shell. The company apparently was going to start a multi-billion dollar clean up in the delta and would compensate inhabitants for their loss of livelihood. Shell's only comment was that it was a hoax.

It is clear that without strong regulation and informed discussion our mining boom could become a curse. Farmers, rural residents and indigenous people are bearing the brunt of this with almost no options to protect themselves or their land. They need our support and understanding. Are mining profits from self-regulating companies, protected by government, sufficient return for the potential loss of fertile land, clean water and a democratic society?

6) Tomorrow's table - GM promoters show why Monsanto's data untrustworthy

Pamela Ronald is a scientist who wrote a book with her organic farmer husband suggesting that organic and GM could co-exist "Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food" by Pamela Ronald and Raoul Adamchak. A keen MADGE was recommended this book by Terry Redman the WA agriculture minister. She commented:

"As the author is a highly qualified scientist involved in University research over many years, I expected to find in this chapter some scientific studies and outcomes. But no! It is a folksy-philosophical discussion about risk....the only sign of any numerical data and associated process is in the quantities of ingredients and the numbered steps in the four recipes she provides!"

MADGE Madeleine Love also read it. "The book could be subtitled "Anne of Green Gables shares a GM recipe with Biopirates". Its full of sunlight sparkling off the dew drops on GM corn on textured hillsides with gentle breezes, interspersed with recipes and arguments for why it's silly that we think GM food might be worth a concern."

Since WA ag minister, Terry Redman, told our WA MADGE the book "contains guidance to help the public distinguish rumours from high quality science." MADGE decided to rate the GM canola Monsanto material, that FSANZ used for their food approval, against the checklist in Chapter 6 of the book:

  1. Examine the primary source of information - Yes, we've got the Monsanto GM RR canola data and we've examined it.
  2. Ask if the work was published in a peer-reviewed journal. No, after approval the trout production study was written up for publication.
  3. Check if the journal has a good reputation. No, the Monsanto material wasn't published.
  4. Determine if there is an independent confirmation by another published study. No, the GM RR canola is a patented product and there was no independent confirmation. FSANZ relied solely on material provided by Monsanto.
  5. Assess whether a potential conflict of interest exists. Yes, Monsanto is presenting its own work to advocate for the safety of its own product.

    6. Astoundingly the authors say:

    "If governmental regulators were to rely solely on data supplied by parties whose primary concern is not the public good but private interest, then the public would have reason to question the integrity of the research."

    This is exactly why MADGE has been questioning the integrity of the research

  6. Assess the quality of institution or panel. No journal, no panel, no university - just Monsanto.
  7. Examine the reputation of the author. Here is a list of some of Monsanto's achievements:

So under the authors own criteria it seems that the scientific evidence in support of GM is not credible.

Who are the authors? Our excellent WA MADGE has found out the following:

Pamela Ronald "started at Cornell University obtaining and mapping the Mali rice disease-resistant gene. She then moved to the University of California, Davis where she cloned and patented it. Monsanto & Pioneer then negotiated gene licenses from the University (but ultimately didn't commercialize it). .. Monsanto gave.. $20,000....toward the UC Davis biotech training program and they offer graduate internships. Agricultural research at UC Davis is funded by industry up to $10 million annually including (money) from biotech companies.

And Pamela's husband manages the UC Davis organic farm student project. I think their book is more an attempt to recoup some of the investment, further promote the biotech industry, and indulge the separate passions and careers of the husband and wife team."

Pamela Ronald has recently co-written an op-ed piece in the New York Times. The heart rending article states how the world, including farmers in poor countries, is being denied the miracle of GM by people concerned about the technology. Phil Bereano wrote a letter describing his experience at the Cartagena Biosafety Protocol negotiations. "In every one of these it has been the poor countries (especially of Africa) that have been most critical of GE technology and the attempts of multinational corporations and governments (such as that of the US) to pressure them into adopting it."

7) TechNyou - balanced information or brainwashing for school children?

TechNyou is a new site set up to showcase technology and was formerly the Gene and NanoTechnology Information Service. It is funded by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research and operates in partnership with the University of Melbourne. The tone is resolutely techno-optimist.

It states "the key to the program success was an integrated approach to science and partnerships with industry and academic institutions including La Trobe University and RMIT." MADGE would like to know more of the industry and academic institutions funding and links.

It lists the various bodies responsible for regulating GM food. This sounds comforting and rigourous unless you have closely examined the behaviour of these bodies. (see MADGE on FSANZ approval of GM canola and Section 5 of MADGE's second round submission to the Food Labelling Review Panel on the monitoring of GM food).

One the many sections of concern is what is being taught to children. In the Access Nano page Grade 7's are told about a "space elevator" made of carbon nanotubes. There is also a module on personal care products - including sunscreen. The first "activity" is reading labels. This is misleading as there is currently no obligation for manufacturers to label nanoparticles. The Federal government doesn't even have a list of the various nanoparticles that are in production and use in Australia.

The module suggests an experiment to test the effectiveness of nano and other sunscreens. (Guide 2 experiment investigating sunscreens). The optional part of the experiment involves putting various sunscreens on student's arms. The notes say:

"At the time of publication, debate about the possible risks of nanoparticles as found in sunscreens is ongoing. Although they are generally considered safe and are available in several brands of commercial product, conclusive data is unavailable. In light of this, it is up to teachers or the school to decide whether this experiment is appropriate."

This raises several questions:

  • Should children and teachers be put at risk by these naive experiments?
  • Should teachers have access to alternative views on this subject?
  • Are our children being given information that encourages them to both understand and question technologies?
  • Does it give an unrealistic picture of the benefits? Where does it cover the negatives as detailed in various Friends of the Earth publications?
  • Can it be considered science or is it promotion?
  • Why is this federal government department providing information to schools?
  • Should there be a full disclosure of who has developed this material including funding and other links?
  • Where are the modules showing low tech solutions to our problems? ie working with natural systems to store carbon, feeding the world with agro-ecological agriculture

MADGE is very concerned about what is happening in education. We need people to help us investigate the issue. Pick whatever concerns you and research when and where you can. Then send us the result. We will check and collate what we receive and spread the word. All you need is a few spare minutes here and there. Email us at info@madge.org.au

8) Events and inspirations

Get active:

Calls for an immediate moratorium on synthetic biology after Craig Ventor claims to have created self-replicating synthetic life.

Saturday, 22nd May, 7.30 pm, Wonthaggi Desalination Forum, Wonthaggi Town Hall. Speakers include columnist Ken Davidson. Follow the anti-desal campaign on the Watershed Victoria website.

Saturday, 22nd May Food not Bombs 30th birthday picnic. 2-8pm Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy, Melbourne. "Food Not Bombs serves 4 time a week in Melbourne and is a loose 'organisation' of people that collect food that would otherwise be thrown away, cook it and serve it on the street for whoever wants to eat it to eat it."

Cardinia Shire Council is running a Sustainability Expo in Pakenham on Fri 11 June - Sat 12 June. The event will be held in the Lakeside Room of the Cardinia Cultural Centre, Lakeside Drive Pakenham. MADGE will be there - ring 0407307231 if you'd like to help on our stall or can't find us on the day. This region is important, as the first GM canola crop near a residential area was grown in Berwick in 2009. The campaign to keep Casey/Cardinia GM free continues.

Talks:

Sunday 23rd May, Melbourne: John Ralston Saul - Freedom and Globalisation 7pm, RMIT Capitol Theatre, Melbourne

Monday, 24th May, Brisbane: Raj Patel & Bill McKibben in conversation, Avid Reader, Boundary Street, West End

Recent research:

ADHD linked to pesticide exposure: study and article on the study here.

Presidents Cancer Panel links cancer to chemicals.

Unilever doesn't want labels.

Courses and workshops:

Soil Foodweb Interactions and Benefits to Food Production, Lismore 24th May to 4th June, Dookie 7-18th June. Highly recommended.

Ethical consumer workshops:

  • Friday 4th June 12 and 1pm Maribrynong Green Lunch-box supermarket tour
  • Friday 4th June, 5-8pm Sustainable food, St Kilda Town Hall;
  • Saturday 5th June, 9.30am - 12 noon, Farmers market tour and workshop, Port Philip;
  • Thursday 29th June 6-8.30 pm Public workshop and supermarket tour, Footscray;
  • Saturday 21st August, 10am-12.30pm Knox Library Supermarket tour, Knox City.

Registration details here

Websites:

Mapping the cultural implications of peak oil and climate change in Future Scenarios.

Relocalise Hepburn blogspot

Minmia a Wirradjirri law woman explains belonging to country. Her book "Under the Quandong tree" is worth reading especially in regard to mining sacred sites.

Movies:

Dirt the movie

Books:

The World According to Monsanto - Spinifex Press

Rebirth of a city:

Detroit - from rust belt to a city that feeds itself. This article covers a lot of issues including "Today's hunger crisis is rooted in the industrialized food system which destroys local food production and forces nations like Kenya, which only twenty-five years ago was food self-sufficient, to import 80 percent of its food because its productive land is being used by global corporations to grow flowers and luxury foods for export."

"It is never too late to be what we might have been - George Eliot"

Happy Eating
Love
MADGE