Written by Allison Prater |
Round-up weed-killing spray and Genetically Modified Round-up Ready seeds are quite possibly the most threatening substances to the world’s ability to continue growing healthy food. While Monsanto, the makers of Round-up, claim that any damage caused by Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Round-up, is primarily sustained by the weeds it is intended to kill; with any remaining chemicals breaking down quickly in the soil, there is emerging evidence to suggest that the consequences of using Round-up may be devastating to plants, animals and humans alike.
“Round up-Ready” seeds have been genetically modified to resist the weed killer. This means, if you plant a field of “Round-up Ready Corn” you can spray the whole field down with Round-up, and everything that is not corn, i.e. weeds, will die. As usual, there is a cost to this conscience-less convenience. Round-up essentially attacks the immune system of the plant, similar to how the AIDS virus affects humans. It makes the plant unable to protect itself against certain micronutrients in the soil. The overuse of Glyphosate created severe deficiencies in micronutrients normally present in healthy soil, and an over abundance of new organisms previously unknown to science.
Recently, a team of US scientists discovered an organism associated with a rise in plant diseases in Round-up Ready corn and soybean crops, which are commonly used for animal feed as well. On January 17th of this year, internationally recognized plant pathologist Dr. Don Huber, a retired Colonel with over 50 years of experience studying plant diseases and who spent 35 years as a Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, wrote a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsak. In this letter, Dr. Huber warned Vilsak of the discovery of a new pathogen and a possible link between Round-up, Round-up Ready Seeds (RR), and severe reproductive problems in live stock and widespread crop failure. It is rare for an infectious agent to promote diseases in both plants and mammals. The pathogen was found in high concentrations in RR soybean meal and corn, fermentation feed products, distillers meal, pig stomach contents and pig and cattle placentas. The organism is prolific in failed crops in many US Midwestern farm lands that have been treated with the herbicide, or were planted with RR seed. Diseases such as Goss’ wilt for corn, and sudden death syndrome of soybeans were light-to-non-existent in non-GMO crops in the same area, but commonly observed in RR crops. Livestock that fed on the GMO RR corn and soy also saw an increase in infertility, miscarriage, still birth and other fertility issues. As a startling example, 450 of 1,000 heifers who were fed wheat grown and treated with Round-up experienced spontaneous abortions. Over that same period another 1,000 heifers from that same herd, who were raised on hay and not exposed to Glyphosate, had zero abortions–ZERO. Remember that humans are mammals too; meaning that exposure to Glyphosate is not any less dangerous for us.
In his letter, Dr. Huber charges, “It is urgent to examine whether the side-effects of Glyphosate use may have facilitated the growth of this pathogen, or allowed it to cause greater harm to weakened plant and animal hosts. It is well-documented that Glyphosate promotes soil pathogens and is already implicated with the increase of more than 40 plant diseases; it dismantles plant defenses by chelating vital nutrients; and it reduces the bioavailability of nutrients in feed, which in turn can cause animal disorders…We are now seeing an unprecedented trend of increasing plant and animal diseases and disorders. This pathogen may be instrumental to understanding and solving this problem. It deserves immediate attention with significant resources to avoid a general collapse of our critical agricultural infrastructure.”
Dr. Huber requested a moratorium on the deregulation of further RR crops. These requests were ignored, and Round-up Ready Sugar beets and Alfalfa were approved by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture (USDA) a few months later. Instead of taking Huber’s concern’s seriously, they were ignored and attempts were made by the mainstream media to discredit and distort his research. Since then, Huber has released further evidence that was not yet complete or published, which support his claims, as well as research from other studies on GMO crops that have already been published in peer review journals.
If the USDA and our own government refuse to take Dr. Huber’s claims seriously, we as conscious consumers still have the ability to vote against GMO crops and poisonous Monsanto products, every time we go to the store. Every time we purchase organic produce, we are eating food that has not been exposed to Glyphosate. When we purchase grass or pasture fed, organic meat and dairy, we are eating food that has not been exposed to Glyphosate. When we refuse to purchase or use Round-up in our own back yards, we not only protect ourselves and our loved ones from Glyphosate, but we protect our neighbors from exposure as well. If we as business owners refuse to carry Monsanto’s products, we are doing a great service to our community. As responsible citizens, we must declare that Round-up and Round-up Ready crops can have no place in our gardens until we can be satisfied that they do not pose such dangerous risks on our food system. For more information about what you can do to aid the effort to ensure a more sustainable food system, see the links below.
References:
1.http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/dr_hubers_warning/?akid=314.257217.t1iP73&rd=1&t=6#research
2. Dr. Huber’s Letter: http://www.lavidalocavore.org/showDiary.do?diaryId=4523
3.http:/alternet.org/story/150733/why_is_damning_new_evidence_about_monsanto%27s_most_widely_used_herbicide_being_silenced?page=1
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