GreenWatch

B. McPherson   This past week saw prosecutors in Utah first charge, then drop the charges is what is seen as the first attempt to criminalize someone under the little known Ag-Gag laws being enacted in many states. This incident involved a woman who had heard cruelty stories about a slaughterhouse in Draper City. She went to look for herself, remaining on the road allowance, but could clearly see some of the activity. She was repulsed by what she saw, activated the camera on her cell phone and starting recording. The plant manager ordered her to stop and she refused, stating that she was on public land. Cops were called and they backed up the woman. Later she was charged under the Utah legislation that prohibits the filming of animal abuse of farmed animals. Many of us have seen the videos on PETA ’s site of animals in factory farms living in horrendous conditions. Gratuitous violence against animals from chickens to milk cows has been uncovered. Evidence presented of s...

B. McPherson A French court ruled today that Monsanto is guilty of chemical poisoning. In a landmark ruling the court ruled that farmer Paul Francois was harmed by inhaling Monsanto’s weedkiller Lasso. Lasso is now banned in France. The incident took place in 2004. Francois maintained that there were inadequate warnings on the Lasso container. He suffers from neurological damage – memory loss, headaches, stammering. This weedkiller also goes by the name of Alachlor,Lasagrin, Lassagrin, Lazo, Metachlor, Pillarzo, Alanox, Alanex, Chimichlor. According to the Environmental Protection Agency this plant poison is the second most widely used plant poison in the US. “ Alachlor is the second most widely used herbicide in the United States, with particularly heavy use on corn and soybeans in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. ” EPA The EPA allows for a maximum of 2 parts per billion in drinking water. It also lists damage to humans exposed...

By B. McPherson This is the time of year when avid gardeners are pouring over seed catalogues planning for the summer’s bounty. Few people who are not gardeners and farmers are aware of the diminishing variety and number of seed houses. Regulations enacted by the US government now prevent seed suppliers from sending specialty seeds from Canada to the US, further restricting the supply of specialty and heritage seeds. Some gardeners are dealing with the dwindling varieties by saving seeds from open pollinated(plants that will breed true) varieties and activists have arranged for seed exchange days. There are small companies that offer heritage seeds over the internet. Some of the older seed houses in Canada still cater to the farmer who is planting fields, but the really big industrial farms are increasingly turning to the big seed producing corporations. These large seed manufacturing corporations have in a few decades come to dominate the commercial seed industry. Mo...