Spinwatch.org, By: Jonathan Matthews, 08/06/2013

Jonathan Matthews of GMWatch lifts the lid on the US-and-industry-backed lobbyists driving the latest wave of corporate colonialism in Africa. Back in May 2013, a controversial PR operative headed for Africa. He even tweeted a picture of the hotel where he was staying in Dar es Salaam.

Credited with running some of Monsanto's most dubious PR operations, Jay Byrne was in Tanzania to attend a regional planning meeting of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB). The OFAB is a collaboration between two of the key lobby groups promoting GM in Africa - the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

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By: Realfarmacy.com, 08/08/2013

“We are lead Plaintiff in OSGATA et al v. Monsanto, a landmark federal lawsuit filed in March 2011 which challenges the validity of Monsanto’s transgenic seed patents and seeks Court protection for family farmers who through no fault of their own may become contaminated by Monsanto’s patented seed technology and then – perversely – be accused of patent infringement.”

Justice Begins with Seeds: A letter from organic farmer Jim Gerritsen

Dear Friends Attending the Justice Begins with Seeds Conference,

The demands of our farming in Maine prevent me from being with you today. We do join you in the belief that justice is necessary for lasting change, most especially as it relates to seed. We make our living growing organic seed. We have been farming organically on our Wood Prairie Farm in Maine for 37 years. We live and follow the belief that everyone in the organic community has an obligation to help grow and protect our community.

Organicconsumers.org, By: Ronnie Cummins, 07/18/2013

After enjoying a year of maximum profits, record stock prices, the defeat of a major GMO labeling campaign in California, pro-industry court decisions, and a formidable display of political power in Washington, D.C. – including slipping the controversial Monsanto Protection Act  into the Federal Appropriations bill in March - the Biotech Bully from St. Louis now finds itself on the defensive. It is no exaggeration to say that Monsanto has now become the most hated corporation in the world.

Plagued by a growing army of Roundup-resistant superweeds and Bt-resistant superpests spreading across the country, a full 49 percent of American farmers are now frantically trying to kill these superweeds and pests with ever-larger quantities of toxic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides including glyphosate (Roundup), glufosinate, 2,4D (“Agent Orange’), dicamba, and neonicotinoids (insecticides linked to massive deaths of honey bees). Reacting to this dangerous escalation of chemical farming, toxic residues on foods and environmental pollution, over a million consumers and organic farmers have pressed the Obama administration to reject a new generation of GE “Agent Orange” and dicamba-resistant crops, forcing the USDA to postpone commercialization of these crops, at least temporarily.

Naturalsociety, By: Anthony Gucciardi, 06/26/2013

I write a lot about the dangers of processed foods when it comes to wreaking havoc on our health, but even I was surprised to find that 80% of pre-packaged foods sold in the United States are actually banned in other nations. And for good reason.

Whether it’s toxic soda brands like Mountain Dew, or sugary artificial cereals and carcinogenic ‘potato’ chips, around 80% of the processed food variety within the US actually contains ingredients that are banned around the world in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom. As a matter of fact, sometimes they’re banned throughout the entire European Union. The FDA, however, seems quite alright with these disease-linked substances lurking within the food supply.

For more on this story visit www.naturalsociety.com