Everytime you go to the supermarket or bottle shop you can make a stand against the annual Antarctic whale slaughter

 

As the Government of Japan and the Japanese people appear unwilling to listen to the Government of Australia when it asks that the Japanese whaling fleet cease its Antarctic commercial whaling (cynically conducted under the guise of lethal research), perhaps it will listen to its own overseas business interests when they complain that Australian consumers are beginning to pass over their products.

 

It is easy to spot products imported directly from Japan, however that is not the true extent of the Japanese presence on supermarket and liquor store shelves.

 

If you would like to protest the ongoing Southern Ocean whale slaughter you can easily make your mark - here is a list of some Japanese-owned brands currently available:

 

Nippon Meat Packers Australia (NMPA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Meat Packers, Inc., a Japanese publicly listed company and a leader in the Japanese fresh meat, ham, sausage, and processed foods industries. Brands are: OAKEY ANGUS RESERVE, OAKEY RESERVE, CPB GRAIN FED, BORTHWICKS AUSTRALIA PREMIUM BEEF, WINGHAM BEEF EXPORTS, WINGHAM RESERVE, OAKEY ABATTOIR'S "BLUE" BRAND, OAKEY ABATTOIR'S, "OLIVE" BRAND, WINGHAM GOLD.

Lion Nathan National Foods a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin Holdings Company Limited, a Japanese corporation specialising in beer, wine and dairy products. Brands are: XXXX GOLD, TOOHEYS NEW, JAMES BOAG’S PREMIUM, WITHER HILLS CHARDONNAY, ST HALLETT FAITH SHIRAZ, DAIRY FARMERS, YOPLAIT, COON, BERRI, DARE, FARMERS UNION, PURA, BIB M, MOOVE, TASMANIAN HERITAGE, and possibly KING ISLAND DAIRY.
 

Schweppes Australia a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd of Japan. Brands: SCHWEPPES BRAND SOFT DRINKS & MIXERS, SOLO, SPRING VALLEY, COTTEE'S CORDIALS, COOL RIDGE SPRING WATER, EXTRA JUICY, POP TOPS, GLO, FRANTELLE, PEPSI, MOUNTAIN DEW (under licence), GATORADE (under licence).

 

Independent Distillers a subsidiary owned by Asahi Group Holdings of Japan. Brands: ASAHAI BEER, WOODSTOCK BOURBON, WOODSTOCK BOURBON & COLA, PULSE, HIGHLAND SCOTCH WHISKY, RED BEER, CS COWBOY, VODKA MUDSHAKE, VODKA CRUISER, CRUISER BLACK, CRUISER FREE, CRUISER APPARELLA, LADY LUCK, EVERGLADES, TWISTEE SHOTS, HUMMINGBIRD BLONDE LAGER,KINGKISHER BEER, BALTIKA BEER, HAAGEN PREMUIM MALT.

Yamba versus McDonalds revisited

[Tiley, Dr. Ian (2012) Divided We Fall: An Insider’s Perspective on Local Government Amalgamations]

Click on image to enlarge text

Foodie Quote of the Week

From the 2012 Causley Fresh Gate to Plate event at the Grafton Showground

“Having moved to the Valley recently from the Granite Belt, a significant food bowl in Queensland, I was overwhelmed by not only the produce on offer in this region but the entrepreneurial ingenuity of some of our locals creating great products, delivering great service and telling great stories.”
{Jenna Cairney, Editor The Daily Examiner, on the subject of the Clarence Valley, 17th September 2012}

The Australian Commonwealth Ombudman's opinion on the matter of the AFMA-Seafish Tasmania alleged conflict of interest concerning allocated fishing quotas

Letter from Commonwealth Ombudsman to Andrew Wilkie MP concerning the matter of Seafish Tasmania's fish quo...

Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al. v Monsanto: the fight continues

OSGATA July 18 2012:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 17, 2012 – Eleven prominent law professors and fourteen renowned organic, Biodynamic®, food safety and consumer non-profit organizations have filed separate briefs with the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit arguing farmers have the right to protect themselves from being accused of patent infringement by agricultural giant Monsanto. The brief by the law professors and the brief by the non-profit organizations were filed in support of the seventy-five family farmers, seed businesses, and agricultural organizations representing over 300,000 individuals and 4,500 farms that last year brought a protective legal action seeking a ruling that Monsanto could never sue them for patent infringement if they became contaminated by Monsanto’s genetically modified seed. The case was dismissed by the district court in February and that dismissal is now pending review by the Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs recently filed their opening appeal brief with the appeals court……..

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

Be very wary of Brumby's Bakeries

According to media reports Brumby’s franchises have all received a head office memo suggesting that Consumer Price Index related price rises be implemented in June-July 2012 and that stores should; Let the carbon tax take the blame.

On the NSW Mid and Far North Coast Brumby’s outlets can be found at Ballina, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Lismore, Murwillumbah, Port Macquarie and Tweed Heads.

Having been outed so publicly, the head of the Retail Food Group, Brumby's parent company, Tony Alford issued his own statement to the the stock exchange saying the comments ‘‘were not sanctioned and are of significant concern to the board’’.

The company also ordered its stores to remove Liberal Party posters and placards about the carbon tax, warning them they could face fines of up to $1.1 million if they engage in false or misleading conduct.

Brumby's prices are due to rise on 16 July and I suggest that Northern Rivers shoppers pay special attention to the amount of that rise.

Let's hear it for the chickens! Greens urge Stoner to show leadership for free-range egg farmers

Media Alert: 5 June 2012

Greens NSW MP John Kaye will be joining local community members in Bellingen this Saturday to urge local member and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner to stop the large industrial producers exploiting the label "free-range."

John will be distributing action kits designed to help community members outraged by the misuse of free-range label to lobby Mr Stoner to assert some leadership within the O'Farrell government to safeguard the future of genuine free-range egg farmers.

With the Egg Corporation pushing ahead with their plans to increase the free-range stocking density from 1,500 to 20,000 birds per hectare, the only way to ensure "free-range" means free-range is through legislation.

When: Saturday, 9 June 2012, 9am

Where: Bellingen Growers Markets, The Bellingen Showground Corner of Hammond and Black Streets

Who: Greens NSW MP John Kaye

For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455

Photograph from Free Range Eggs

Maccas not winning hearts, minds or money in 2012

In April 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald showed that the McDonalds fast food behemoth is living in hope in southern climes:

AUSTRALIA'S love affair with Big Macs and french fries may be waning, with McDonald's growth in the region sliced by more than half.

The fast food giant's global chief operating officer, Donald Thompson, described the local market as ''challenging'' and getting worse.

To counter the sales downturn across Australian stores, McDonald's has introduced initiatives including the launch last month of its Loose Change menu, which offers a range of items under $2 and its Value Lunch deal.

Releasing its first-quarter earnings results in the US on the weekend, McDonald's said sales at its US stores were up 8.9 per cent for the quarter, while comparable-store sales rose 5.5 per cent in its Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa region (APMEA), which takes in Australia………………….

Only a few years ago, following the global financial crisis, Australia was one of the best-performing regions for the restaurant chain. In 2009 the local operation posted sales growth of 6 per cent, nearly double the global rate of 3.8 per cent.

The stronger performance was driven by an image overhaul, including a revamp of its menu to offer healthier alternatives as well as gourmet-style burgers, such as the Angus Burger, which proved a big hit.

The Australian spokeswoman said the local business had improved in the past two months and managers expected it to match global growth rates as the year continued. McDonald's is estimated to have a 46 per cent share of the quick-service restaurant category in Australia. It is planning to open 35 stores this year to take its Australian portfolio to 900.

One could speculate that its ongoing heavy-handed site development tactics in the face of community opposition contribute to the sales down-turn it is experiencing.
However, customer dissatisfaction, as well as health and safety issues, also may play their part in this marked decline.

A McDonald's social media promotional campaign at the beginning of the year was pulled after two hours  and Twitter 'sanitised' because the company's hashtag #McDStoriese produced tweets like these. While its televised advertorial in the same month fell flat.

Again in January, Perth Now reported that McDonalds was being fined for more convictions concerning food quality and preparation. In NSW the company was fined in August 2011 for Fail to maintain the food premises to the required standard of cleanliness - accumulation of rubbish, food debris, grease and dirt on floor  and in March 2012 for Fail to maintain the food premises to the required standard of cleanliness - accumulation of dirt, grease and food waste, previous warnings given  at two of the fast food outlets it manages itself.

ABC News on 11 January 2012 also indicated that customers were being systematically defrauded by staff:

A 33-year-old man is on trial in the District Court in Perth accused of involvement in a multi-million-dollar card skimming scheme involving customers of fast food company McDonald's.

The scheme led to a total of $3.5 million being taken out of the accounts of thousands of West Australians.
It is alleged Navaneeth Ponnabalam was one of many people who took part in the scheme, which involved swapping EFTPOS pin pads at McDonald's stores with ones that could record the bank details of customers.
The court was told customers who used the drive-through had details of their accounts copied by the machines and then money was withdrawn from their accounts interstate and overseas.

In 2012 McDonalds outlets continue to attract antisocial and criminal behaviour, such as stabbings, robbery, violent confrontation with police and assault.

On the subject of unequal consumption

A family’s food for one week in photographs from The Hungry Planet (courtesy of TimePhotos) showing apects of unequal resource consumption around the world.

Europe - Italy

North America – U.S.A.

South America – Ecuador

Asia – Bhutan

Africa – Chad

One in the eye for Monsanto & Co

The Australian 12 March 2010:

A SALT-RESISTANT wheat variety developed by an Australian team through old-fashioned cross-breeding rather than genetic modification is increasing crop yields by up to 25 per cent in salinity-prone areas, and could help counter food security concerns.

Researchers from Adelaide University's Waite Institute, the CSIRO and the NSW government first isolated the gene in an ancient relative of durum wheat -- used to make couscous and pasta flour -- 15 years ago.

The breakthrough was published in the international journal Nature Biotechnology overnight…..researchers had spent more than a decade using traditional cross-breeding techniques to blend the 10,000-year-old durum with its modern cousin to increase its salt resistance without genetic modification…..

Rana Munns, Richard A James &  Bo Xu, Asmini Athman, Simon J Conn, Charlotte Jordans, Caitlin S Byrt,  Ray A Hare, Stephen D Tyerman, Mark Tester, Darren Plett and Matthew Gilliham are to be congratulated for the research behind Wheat grain yield on saline soils is improved by an ancestral Na+ transporter gene in the March issue of  Nature Biotechnology (R.M., R.A.J., R.A.H., M.T., D.P. and M.G. conceived the project and planned experiments. R.M. and M.G. supervised the research. B.X. performed all Xenopus, yeast and protoplast experiments and R.A.J. performed field research. C.S.B. performed wheat genotyping. S.D.T. assisted with electrophysiology experiments. S.J.C., A.A. and C.J. performed in situ PCR and qPCR. M.G., D.P., R.A.J. and R.M. wrote the manuscript. All authors commented on the manuscript).

Dr. Rana Munns is Chief Research Scientist at the C.S.I.R.O. and began her investigations many years ago - her profile is here.
 
The C.S.I.R.O. is reported to have conducted field trials of durum wheat varieties containing new salt tolerant genes in northern NSW in 2009-10.

This is science which seeks  to improve cereal crops but does not risk contaminating wild grass populations with novel genetically modified organisms which never existed before in nature. It potentially does not have the same exploitative limitations imposed on farmers by biotech industry giants like Monsanto & Co.

As there are 12 types of groundwater flow systems contributing to dryland salinity across Australia, research into salt resistant food crops is also very relevant to national food security.

National Report by Australia on Measures Taken to Support Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Commonwealth Intergovernmental Working Group for the UNCCD, April 2002

So it is more than a pity that the C.S.I.R.O. is looking at an additional use for this ancient gene - adding it into the GMO research it already conducts on wheat and other food crops. [ABC AM 12 March 2012]

It appears that once an Australian scientific agency gets into bed with Monsanto it is for life.

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

Things go better with Coke! Or do they?

This turned up in the mainstream meeja last week: 

“COCA-Cola and Pepsi say they have lowered levels of a chemical in caramel colouring which has been found to cause cancer in lab tests.

The move allows the companies to avoid having to label products with a cancer warning due to a California law setting safe levels of 4-methylimidazole.

Both drinkmakers said their popular and highly secretive recipes will not be altered but that caramel suppliers have been asked to reduce 4-MEI levels in California, a change that will eventually spread across the United States and - at least in Coke's case - around the world.

"We are NOT changing our recipe; or our formula," Coca-Cola Company spokesman Ben Sheidler said in an email.

"What we did do is direct our caramel suppliers to make a manufacturing process modification in order to reduce the level of 4-MEI in our caramel so as to meet the requirement set by the state of California's Proposition 65."

For its part, PepsiCo said its beverages "are and always will be safe for consumption."

"Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns. There is no scientific evidence that 4-MEI in foods and beverages is a threat to human health," it added.” {new.com.au 10^th March 2012}

This is what Coca Cola South Pacific is still saying about caramel colouring at livepositively.com.au:

"Colours are added to enhance the appearance of processed foods and beverages.
For example, 'Coca-Cola' contains caramel colouring, which is a widely used food and beverage colouring found in many kinds of processed food and beverages including: brown bread, buns, and chocolate. Although made from sugar, the amount present is not physiologically significant and contributes only a trace amount of kilojoules to a can of 'Coca-Cola'."
And here's Coca Cola's global press centre denying there's any problem.
While over at US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health this is what you find on mice fed with 4-Methylimidazole (4MI) :
"Clonic seizures, excitability, hyperactivity, and impaired gait were observed primarily in 2,500- and 5,000 ppm females. The incidence of mononuclear cell leukemia in the 5,000 ppm females was significantly greater than that in the controls. The incidences of hepatic histiocytosis, chronic inflammation, and focal fatty change were significantly increased in all exposed groups of male and female rats. The incidences of hepatocellular eosinophilic and mixed cell foci were significantly increased in 2,500 ppm males and 5,000 ppm females. Groups of 50 male and 50 female B6C3F1 mice were fed diets containing 0-, 312-, 625-, or 1,250 ppm 4MI for 106 weeks. Based on the food consumption the calculated average daily doses were approximately 40, 80, or 170 mg 4MI/kg body weight to males and females. Survival of all exposed groups of males and females was similar to that of the control groups. Mean body weights of males and females in the 1,250 ppm groups and that in the 312- and 625 ppm females were less than those of the control groups. Feed consumption by exposed groups of male and female mice was similar to that by the controls. The incidences of alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma in all exposed groups of females, alveolar/bronchiolar carcinoma in 1,250 ppm males, and alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma or carcinoma (combined) in 1,250 ppm males and 625- and 1,250 ppm females were significantly greater than those in the control groups. The incidence of alveolar epithelial hyperplasia was significantly increased in the 1,250 ppm females. 4MI is carcinogenic inducing alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma and carcinoma in male and female mice. 4MI may also induce mononuclear cell leukemia in female rats."

Pic from Google Images

How quickly the story changes once animal cruelty is exposed *WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES & SOUNDS*

http://youtu.be/Zp-8PpA4upM

This week various media outlets reported that; The NSW Food Authority ordered the immediate halt yesterday to slaughter at the Hawkesbury Valley Meat Processors at Wilberforce, in Sydney's west, after seeing undercover footage apparently taken by a worker at the abattoir.

Since the animal cruelty allegations surfaced there have been professions of innocence or ignorance and, suggestions that what was shown on the video was rogue behaviour on the part of either individual abattoir workers or this one particular business
.

Although these are comforting sentiments for the general meat-eating public, they are unlikely to be based on verifiable fact. The number of workers shown in the video and the relaxed body language suggests that the actions shown were probably commonplace and acceptable within company culture.

A number of local businessess are attempting to deny seeing or hearing anything, however one cannot exclude the possibility that it was common local knowledge that the abattoir was operating in an inapproriate manner.

This morning further allegations emerged in The Australian:

The Weekend Australian viewed a cache of documents dating back to the late 1990s, including correspondence with council and local MPs, detailing alleged ammonia leaks, poisoning and pieces of animal carcass carried by birds on to adjacent properties. Although one case went to court, no prosecution was recorded.

Neither the Federal Labor Government nor the NSW Coalition Government can spin this away and both should act on the matter. The Gillard Government by looking into the possibility of a national abattoir monitoring policy and, the O'Farrell Government by creating legislation which mandates CCTV on all abattoir killing floors and by vigorously prosecuting any wrongdoing.

According to information available on the Internet, HAWKESBURY VALLEY MEAT PROCESSORS PTY LTD,  R W LANGLEY WHOLESALE MEAT PTY LTD and M & A BUTCHERY all share the same physical address at 62 King Road, Wilberforce, New South Wales.

The first two business appear to be connected with Ken and Glenn Langley and the third with Michael and Angela Diasinos along with their sons.

This is M & A BUTCHERY featured in a local food blog in November 2009:

Whilst the family still run the butchery and own the abattoir, the abattoir itself is leased to another party. The meat in the shop though still comes from the abattoir which is only 200 metres away…. A typical day lasts from 6.00am to 6.00pm. The head butcher will set up in the morning whilst Dean goes to the abattoir and works out what to bring into the shop.  

This is the same business in February 2012:

Click on images to enlarge

Previous post concerning the Hawkesbury abattoir.

It's time to ask Australian butchers and supermarkets where they are sourcing the meat you buy

 

As the NSW abattoir currently in the news for alleged animal cruelty apparently slaughters for domestic consumption only, here is a brief outline for ethical consumers.

The Sydney Morning Herald 10 February 2012:

A SYDNEY abattoir has stopped slaughtering and faces closure and prosecution after hidden-camera footage of chilling animal cruelty emerged.

The NSW Food Authority ordered the immediate halt yesterday to slaughter at the Hawkesbury Valley Meat Processors at Wilberforce, in Sydney's west, after seeing undercover footage apparently taken by a worker at the abattoir.

''This is one of the worst cases I've seen in an abattoir of animal cruelty,'' said Peter Day, a spokesman for the authority. The footage, recorded over six days at the end of last month, shows workers mistreating sheep, cattle, pigs and goats….

The Telegraph 10 February 2012:

It is believed Hawkesbury Valley Meat Processors provided the footage to authorities after becoming aware animal rights activists had provided it to a media outlet.

Department of Primary Industries NSW Food Authority 9 February 2012 media release Slaughtering at Sydney abattoir stopped:  

Action by the NSW Food Authority today has led to the shut down of slaughtering at a Sydney abattoir. This follows the Authority examining disturbing video footage of acts of gross animal mistreatment.

The video shows the slaughter of sheep, cattle, goats and pigs that allegedly breaches the Food Regulation 2010 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979.

Australian standards under the Food Regulation 2010 require that "animals are slaughtered in a way that prevents unnecessary injury, pain and suffering to them and causes them the least practical disturbance."

A full investigation of slaughter practices at the site is now underway, which involves the RSPCA.

Non compliance of food and animal welfare laws is taken extremely seriously.

The welfare of animals in NSW is protected under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTA) 1979 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation which are overseen by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Under POCTA fines of up to $110,000 or two years imprisonment apply for acts of aggravated acts of cruelty to animals.

The NSW Food Authority regulates abattoirs in NSW.

All abattoirs operating in NSW are required to hold a licence and operate in accordance with the Food Regulation 2010. Abattoirs are required to comply with the NSW Standard for the Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption.

https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/07-183

Extracted from ASIC's database at AEST 06:45:33 on 10/02/2012

 

Name	HAWKESBURY VALLEY MEAT PROCESSORS PTY LTD
ACN	119 318 295
ABN	53 119 318 295
Type	Australian Proprietary Company, Limited By Shares
Registration Date	19/04/2006
Next Review Date	19/04/2012
Status	Registered
Locality of Registered Office	Mona Vale NSW 2103
Jurisdiction	Australian Securities & Investments Commission

Directors of this company appear to include Glenn Langley and Ronald Winston Langley of R W Langley Wholesale Meat Pty Ltd

Label says "organic" and "non genetically modified"? Buyer beware!

Like many people over the Christmas-New Year holiday season, I had occasion to hunt for items which met the dietary preferences of visitors. In this case a vegetable cheese made from non-genetically modified produce.

With limited time at my disposal I failed to practice what I preach (and actually do adhere to) for the rest of the year – I only read the front label and put the so-called organic non-GM soy cheese in my shopping basket.

Silly me. On arriving home and reading the back of the cheese packet this is what I found:

Omega 3 Soycheese

Product Specifications

Unit Weight: 200g

Pack Size: 70mm wide x 105mm long x 30mm deep

Ingredients

Water, Vegetable Oil (Canola 70%), Soy Extract (18%), Casein (Dairy Protein), Mineral Salts (339, 511), Salt, Food Acids (320,260), Flavour, Colour (Annatto Extract).

So what I had purchased was only 18 per cent soy ingredient, contained an unspecified amount of animal product and, possibly up to 17 per cent of GMO sourced, non-organic canola oil - because the labelling makes no claims at all about this oil.

Australian Eatwell Pty Ltd  (sometimes called DALICH PTY LTD) using the label Simply Better Foods should be ashamed of themselves for a front label that is misleading at best.

Eat well indeed! I won’t get caught like that again.

Queensland genetically modified bananas anyone?

Is Genetically modified becoming something of a dirty term with the Australian general public?

Putting two and two together it is obvious that the Queensland University of Technology tried very hard to avoid both the GMO acronym and again naming its funding source as the Grand Challenges in Global Health (GCGH) Initiative - which was launched as a health initiative by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is in turn is associated with Monsanto & Co through its shareholdings in that notorious biotech giant.

ABC NEWS 22 December 2011:

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has met Queensland scientists who are trying to develop better bananas for Africa's sub-Saharan region.

The philanthropist has invested $10 million in banana research in recent years through his foundation's global health program.

Successful field trials have been carried out at Innisfail, south of Cairns, in the state's far north.

Professor James Dale, from the Queensland University of Technology, says he was pleased to update Mr Gates and his wife during their visit to Cairns last week…….

Unfortunately for UTS the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator reveals what is was hoping to cover with a little bit of verbal smoke:

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

The CSIRO today - sometimes the threat to Australian water and food security is found in unexpected places

The commercially-driven Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Earth Science and Resource Engineering division reveals that ‘fracking’ is now considered mainstream mining technology which it supports:

* Hydraulic fracturing is a core technology in conventional petroleum production and in fast growing areas of unconventional gas, geothermal energy and carbon capture and storage.

It is also a cornerstone of innovative new methods in mining.

The CSIRO hydraulic fracture group combines theoretical development and experimental investigations with application-ready capabilities to provide basic research and novel technologies aligned with the needs of an expanding range of industries.

* Outcomes from our fundamental mechanics studies provide building blocks for a new generation of commercial and research hydraulic fracturing simulators that account for multi-scale processes in hydraulic fracturing and the interaction of hydraulic fractures with natural fractures in the reservoir rock.

We are actively pioneering new applications of hydraulic fracturing to:

·         pre-condition ore bodies for caving-type mining operations

·         enhanced gas drainage from coal seams

·         geothermal reservoir development

·         carbon capture and storage operations.  

It's World Food Day Today, 16 October 2011

It is World Food Day today and it’s no surprise to find that this event is supported by the multinational biotech industry and agricultural sectors which promote GMO crops.

To counteract this I suggest……………………...

Send an email of support to Millions Against Monsanto here.

Sign up for Mothers Against Monsanto weekly newsletter here and join the network here.

Contact your Federal MP and tell him or her that you demand a review of the Australian Government’s position on GMO labelling. Contact details here and here.

Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper stating how you feel about genetically modified crops and foods.

* This post is part of North Coast Voices' effort to keep Monsanto's blog monitor (affectionately known as Mr. Monsanto) in long-term employment.

Biosecurity: a lesson begging to be learned

With free trade agreements placing so much pressure on Australia’s biosecurity regimes, it is well to remember that failure to stop the introduction and spread of agricultural pests and diseases is often the norm elsewhere.

CBS News 10 October 2011:

FRESNO, Calif. - Dozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.

At the time, hundreds of agricultural scientists responsible for stopping invasive species at the border were reassigned to anti-terrorism duties in the newly formed Homeland Security Department — a move that scientists say cost billions of dollars in crop damage and eradication efforts from California vineyards to Florida citrus groves.

The consequences come home to consumers in the form of higher grocery prices, substandard produce and the risk of environmental damage from chemicals needed to combat the pests.

An Associated Press analysis of inspection records found that border-protection officials were so engrossed in stopping terrorists that they all but ignored the country's exposure to destructive new insects and infections — a quietly growing menace that has been attacking fruits and vegetables and even prized forests ever since.

"Whether they know it or not, every person in the country is affected by this, whether by the quality or cost of their food, the pesticide residue on food or not being able to enjoy the outdoors because beetles are killing off the trees," said Mark Hoddle, an entomologist specializing in invasive species at the University of California, Riverside.

Homeland Security officials acknowledge making mistakes and say they are now working to step up agricultural inspections at border checkpoints, airports and seaports.

U.S. organic seed growers find friends in their fight against self-replicating GM technology

In the matter of ORGANIC SEED GROWERS AND TRADE ASSOCIATION, et al v MONSANTO COMPANY AND MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC; the summary from the amicus brief lodged by Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Ecological Famers of Ontario, Fair Food Matters, International Organic Inspectors Association, Michigan Land Trustees, Natural Environment Ecological Management, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Association, Organic Council of Ontario, Slow Food USA, and Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association.

Case 1:11-cv-02163-NRB Document 39 Filed 08/10/11 Page 9 of 23

SUMMARY

Monsanto has a track record of aggressive enforcement of its patent rights. Monsanto has sued or settled with hundreds of farmers, and investigated unknown numbers more. Because of the nature of Monsanto’s patented seeds, the individual Plaintiffs and the farmer members of Plaintiff organizations (hereinafter collectively “Plaintiff farmers”) cannot avoid infringing on Monsanto’s patents unless they entirely abandon growing corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugar beets, and, as of this year, alfalfa. While Monsanto tries to downplay the threat of enforcement by pointing to its “commitment” not to sue farmers for “trace” infringement, this provides no enforceable protections for Plaintiffs. Because of the nature of the patented seeds and the realities of farming, it is certain that at least some of the Plaintiff farmers already have more than trace contamination, and the number of such affected farmers will only grow over time. While many of the Plaintiff farmers are certified organic, not all are, so the simple fact that Monsanto has yet to sue a certified organic farmer has no impact on their standing.

Not only does Monsanto’s patented technology inevitably lead to infringement through no fault of the Plaintiffs, but, by their design, the majority of Monsanto’s patented crops only

provide the alleged benefits if a farmer applies herbicides, specifically Roundup®, directly to the crop. Monsanto could easily protect its patent rights by agreeing not to sue for unintentional contamination absent an affirmative action by the farmer to make use of the patented traits. By failing to do so, and instead offering an ambiguous and ultimately meaningless commitment, Monsanto has made it clear that it intends to maintain the threat of patent infringement lawsuits against Plaintiff farmers and those similarly situated.

Plaintiff farmers have, by the simple act of farming corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugar beets, or alfalfa crops, undertaken meaningful steps towards infringement. Due to Monsanto’s

decision to release patented seeds and market them for widespread planting, it is now impossible for farmers to remain 100% free of genetically modified crops because of the multitude of ways that contamination can occur.

Given the difficulties in minimizing GM contamination, farmers must make numerous decisions about which steps are worthwhile for them and which steps are not. They are not able

to make these decisions based on their own and their customers’ interests, but must instead make these decisions with the threat of litigation against a giant corporation looming over their heads. The constant threat of a patent infringement suit by Monsanto creates significant, unquantifiable costs for the Plaintiff farmers and similarly situated farmers. Unless this Court allows this case to proceed, the Plaintiff farmers will face the choice of abandoning growing such crops or risking prosecution whenever Monsanto chooses.

More on OSGATA here.