The US House of Representatives quietly passed a last-minute addition to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill for 2013 last week - including a provision protecting genetically modified seeds from litigation in the face of health risks.
RT is running a piece about how this biotech corporation protection clause was slipped in anonymously on the back of vital short term funding legislation as a "rider" on it's path through the Senate.
".. the provision’s success is viewed by many as a victory by companies like Syngenta Corp, Cargill, Monsanto and affiliated PACs that have donated $7.5 million to members of Congress since 2009, and $372,000 to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee."
In light of the new alfalfa GMO, this is a worrying development for opponents of GMO's and the biotech companies pushing them.
watch out for similar developments this side of the pond.
Many more details on the Euro GMO situation in attached PDF (things are worse than you think!)
The following gives you some idea of what these Corporations are up to:
http://ec.europa.eu/food/dyna/gm_register/index_en.cfm [just hit "search" to get list]]
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/petitions_table...shtml
The following gives you some idea how these GMO's are seeping into the processed food industry in the states.
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/fact-sheets/1974/tru...-gmos
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=44805
You'll recognise quite a few of the products. It's only a matter of time before our European labelling laws are weakened / eviscerated by lobbying from biotech corporate vested interests, as was the case in the US.
Full story on the "Monsanto protection act" rider bill here:
http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-congress-silently-slips-830/
And here:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/1906/...-bill
more info on GMO's with an Irish slant here:
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/
[ Much useful info on Euro GMO situation outlined in attached PDF including list of GMO "products" in the pipeline and corporations pushing them. ]
eur20680en.pdf
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