Cows producing human breast milk?! Hold the laughter, this story is real. Scientists in China and Argentina genetically modified cows to produce human breast milk. Milk and cookies, anyone?
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We have been closely following the “ag gag” bills that are cropping up across the country criminalizing the undercover taking of farm videos and photographs. New York is the latest state to consider a bill that would impose more stringent sanctions on those revealing animal abuse than the abusers themselves. Genetically modified crops reinforce genetic homogeneity and promote large scale monocultures, they increase vulnerability of crops to climate change, pests and diseases and thus contribute to the decline in biodiversity. In the age where 75% of our plant genetic diversity has been lost, we must ask whether GMOs are doing more harm than good. 
Gold rush is a thing of the past. The name of the new game is “land grab”, where governments of developed nations and multinational companies are leasing or buying large tracks of land across the African continent and other countries around the world in a feverish rush to grow crops for food and bio-fuel. “Society stands on the precipice of forever being bound to transgenic agriculture and transgenic food” reads the first sentence in the amended complaint filed by farmers, environmentalist, researchers and consumer groups against Monsanto. New plaintiffs strengthen the resolve to stand up to Big M. 
The Future of Food conference can be neatly summed up by this timeless aphorism uttered by Mahatma Gandhi: You must be the change you want to see in the world. Let’s get to work! 
If approved by the FDA, a new bill introduced in California, known as The Consumers Right To Know Act, would require labeling on all genetically engineered salmon sold in California. 
Recently, Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack compared biotechnology and sustainable agriculture to two sons, for whom he declared equal love. Read on to learn why biotech has in fact been the agency’s favorite “son.” USDA often sides with and promotes industry interests. Its new pilot program allowing biotech developers to prepare their own safety studies or pay for those selected by the agency will only reinforce the image of an agency regulating for the industry. 
The organic food sector grew last year by nearly 8 percent, far out-pacing the overall stagnant U.S. food industry and providing new jobs. Consumers continue voting organic with their dollars. 
The Russian government is eager to sell off land that houses one of the world’s largest and oldest collections of seeds and plants — dosvidanya biodiversity. 
A study confirms what many in rural communities know too well — some factory farms are industrial-scale polluters. These polluters, however, still escape clean air regulations. Lawsuit by organic groups asks Federal court to invalidate Monsanto’s patents and to end Monsanto’s practice of suing farmers over GMO contamination. 
A bill that waters down EPA protections of the Clean Water Act is recommended for consideration by the House as a whole. This is one of several Republican sponsored bills aimed at reducing EPA powers. 
Conventional and organic farmers and environmental groups filed a lawsuit challenging the USDA’s decision to permit the unrestricted commercial release of genetically engineered alfalfa. At least one African government petitioned to include the paraquat herbicide formulation in the Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. This could have far reaching consequences for the export of the herbicide. 
PAMTA – the legislation that addresses overuse of antibiotics in the agricultural system, which leads to antibiotic resistance in the human population, is once again introduced by Congresswoman Slaughter. A California Appeals Court reversed a lower court’s ruling which would have required the destruction of genetically modified sugar beet seedlings planted in September 2010. 
The usual and unusual politics surrounding the deregulation of genetically engineered alfalfa. In less than a month, USDA has approved for unrestricted growth GE alfalfa and partially deregulated GE sugar beets. Now, it deregulates GE corn for biofuel production with no environmental impact study of novel proteins it contains. 
New FDA data shows that almost 80% of all antibiotics sold in 2009 were reserved for animal farming. Part two of our series on antibiotic overuse in healthy farm animals examines the response from the FDA and the proposed legislation. On the heels of the decision to deregulate genetically engineered alfalfa, this Friday USDA announced that it will allow the planting of Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” GE sugar beets even though the agency has yet to finalize conducting an Environmental Impact Statement. Cardinal Turkson, the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, discussed GMOs in an interview with the Vatican newspaper. 
Yesterday, USDA’s Sec. Tom Vilsack announced that genetically engineered alfalfa, that has been modified to withstand repeated application of Monsanto’s RoundUp herbicide, will be completely deregulated nation-wide, without any restrictions. |
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