activism

The FDA has just proposed rules which would allow the sale of gene-altered milk or meat without requiring any labeling.

Genetically modified plants and animals have genes spliced into their DNA with the goal of producing some particular trait.

In contrast to selective breeding, this method allows scientists to cross species in ways that would not occur naturally (e.g., the splicing of a gene from a flounder into a tomato to make it more frost resistant, or genetic manipulation of cows to cause their cells to produce antibiotics and negate the need to inject them with these same substances).

The safety of these plants and animals for human consumption has not been determined, as appropriate studies have not yet been conducted.

Although the FDA itself admits that they should be tested for health risks, astonishingly they are now proposing that labels not be required on such foods.
 

“One of the key strategies of the large corporate interests has been to refuse to label products that contain GM [Genetically Modified, or Genetically Manipulated] materials, for they know that if people had the choice many would choose to avoid the manipulated foods. But without the choice, consumers have considerably less power. And without labeling, if something goes wrong, it will be hard to put the companies responsible on the legal hook.”^[1]

 
The FDA is still considering the safety of milk from cows genetically engineered to produce antibiotics, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now wants to let GM meat and milk from such animals be sold to you without your knowledge.

Whether your concern is over the health risks of consuming gene-altered food, the potential for ecological damage or contamination of the world’s food supply, or the ethics of animal research, you and consumers everywhere have the right to know what you are purchasing and eating.

Demand Labeling of Gene-Altered Food!

Sign the petition to the FDA demanding that the agency label genetically engineered food.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/314188001?z00m=17539690

Please note: This is a time sensitive issue. Please sign the petition today!
Consumers’ Union needs to receive all responses today in order to have them in time to present to the FDA.^[*]

The 2008 Wild Horse and Burro Summit is to be held this weekend in Nevada. (Want to attend? Click here.)

The gathering of wild horse advocates hosted by the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, a non-profit group, will meet to discuss what can be done to prevent horses and burros from being killed by lethal injections.

The summit is intended to be a learning experience and will bring together leading experts in the world of equine behavior, genetics, research, and range management. Equine scientists, range experts, and wild horse advocacy groups will discuss and bring forth proposed solutions to the problems facing wild horses in America. Focus will be on the current crisis facing America’s wild horses’ threatened existence on public lands.

However, the main goal is to address solutions for the present and
very urgent wild horse emergency - the impending euthanasia of approximately 33,000 wild horses now in federal holding facilities.

Officials from the BLM will also be attending the summit.

During the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board meeting this June, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its potential inability to financially support over 30,000 wild horses the agency currently has in its short- and long-term holding facilities due to a “budget crisis”. The BLM proposed a plan to “euthanize” many of these horses as a “solution”.

If a viable plan is not found and implemented soon, this situation could result in the euthanasia of thousands of wild horses.

or contact Karen Sussman (president of the ISPMB) at (605) 964-6866.
 

See our post “Save the Wild Mustangs - important petition” for more information and please sign the petition to stop the BLM’s outrageous plan to kill these wild beauties.

Majestic wild mustangs have roamed the American West with a history that predates modern land use. They are part of our national heritage symbolizing our country’s freedom and independent spirit. Today, there are less than 30,000 wild horses on the range.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has announced an outrageous plan to kill these wild horses, potentially driving them to extinction, claiming that it can no longer afford to round up wild horses and confine them until it finds people to adopt them. The government agency wants to euthanize or sell these wild beauties to the highest bidder “without limitation” - i.e., sell them to anyone, even if the bidder also plans to kill these horses.

Why do they need to round them up in the first place? Good question. The BLM states that it can’t “allow horses to multiply unchecked on the range without causing an environmental disaster.” But, there are at least 3 million grazing cattle vs. 30,000 wild horses.

These wild horses have a right to inhabit the public lands they have roamed for centuries. The BLM should manage the land effectively to preserve these free-roaming beauties, rather than killing them. Instead, the BLM would seemingly rather placate corporate cattle ranchers who view these horses as foraging competition - despite the environmental damage being caused by cattle overgrazing.

Please oppose this outrageous plan and stand up for our wild horses today. Remind the government to abide by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971.

- You can make a difference. -

Send a comment to the BLM today, call or write your government representatives, &
« Sign the petition to save our wild horses! »^*

[*] - Thus far, Care2’s petition has garnered 7,141 35,443 signatures with a goal of 50,000.

Related links:

Animal Welfare Institute Press Release
Willie Nelson’s Peace Research Institute
WildHorsePreservation.org
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign Petition
The Cloud Foundation
The American Horse Defense Fund
The Humane Society of the United States
The BLM’s feedback form

Related Posts:

Wild Horses & The BLM - a selection of videos about wild horses and the current crisis.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Environmental Working Group has recently conducted the most expansive study of its kind published to date on the extent of exposures to contaminants pets face in the home and outdoor environments. This biomonitoring investigation measured the chemical body burden in pets.

The results were alarming: Of the 70 industrial chemicals tested, dogs and cats were contaminated with 48 of the 70. 43 of those chemicals occurred at levels higher than those typically found in people.

The study looked for toxic chemicals such as plastics and food packaging chemicals, heavy metals, fire retardants, and stain-proofing chemicals. Among other results, it found that:

(1) Teflon chemicals (PFCs - perfluorochemicals) occurred in dogs at a level 2.4 times that found in people;

(2) Fire retardants (PBDE - polybrominated diphenyl ethers) occurred in cats at levels 23.4 times that found in people;

(3) Mercury occurred in cats at levels 5.9 times that found in people.

For cats there were 46 toxins detected - 96% at higher levels than in people. Dogs had 35 toxins detected - 40% at levels higher than that for people. “For certain fire retardant chemicals, stain and grease resistant chemicals, and plastic chemicals called phthalates, dogs and cats had higher rates than 80-100% of all the humans that have been tested.” These are of particular concern because they are of a class of chemicals that are carcinogenic and have been linked to reproductive and developmental risks, and thyroid problems. Cancer kills 20-25% of dogs making it the second leading cause of death in dogs^[1], with certain types of cancer occurring several times more frequently in dogs than in people^[2]. Hyperthyroidism is a leading cause of illness in older cats.

Pets, much like children, ingest pollutants from tap water, lawns with pesticide residue, and indoor air contaminants. Higher exposure to some contaminants in pets and children may be partially attributed to the fact that they both spend more time closer to the floor where contaminants can exist at higher concentrations. However, pets also develop health problems from exposures much more rapidly due to their physiologically compressed lifespans.

Pets also have some unique sources of exposure. As an example, one source of the PFCs mentioned earlier is the greaseproof lining of dry pet-food bags. Unfortunately, products made specifically for pets are mostly unregulated: the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine lets products go to market with untested ingredients and additives even though they have the authority to require manufacturers to submit their ingredient list beforehand, while the Consumer Product Safety Association isn’t even *allowed* to label products which may pose risks.

As such, the EWG notes that pets are unwittingly acting “as involuntary sentinels of the widespread chemical contamination that scientists increasingly link to a growing array of health problems”.

If you would like to find out more about the study specifics, including further results, you may follow the link below:
http://www.ewg.org/reports/pets

In response to this alarming problem and the lack of requirements that chemicals introduced into pets’ food & toys - as well as our household products - be tested for safety, the Environmental Working Group has started a site called “Pets for the Environment”. It is hosted by a very cute furry crusader named Eddie and posts healthy pet tips, information, and provides a voice for action on behalf of our beloved companions.

We encourage you to check them out at PetsForTheEnvironment.org. There is a “wall of cute” and you can sign up for their pet newsletter, if you so choose.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a $76 billion Farm Bill at the end of July. In the bill’s current form less than 1% of the $76 billion in farm subsidies would go to organic farmers.

(To see the previous post on this bill visit this permalink. - Interested in who is getting all that money? We recommend you visit the Farm Subsidy Database.)

The Environmental Working Group’s Action Fund has created a petition asking Congress to include fair funding for organics in the Farm Bill. They aim to “level the playing field for organic farmers and expand access to safe, healthy organic food”. They’re seeking 30,000 signatures by July 15th, and, on July 17th, will deliver the petition to Congress to let them know that we want them to vote for organics.

This is important legislation and will have a large impact on organic farming. (Farm bills generally last 5 years.) It is especially significant to those farmers who are currently in the process of or considering transitioning to organic methods.

Please sign the petition! You can also help by spreading the word and inviting friends and family to sign as well. If so inclined, writing, e-mailing, or otherwise contacting your Congressman couldn’t hurt either!

buzz about the Farm Bill
Environmental Defense’s blog updates on the Farm Bill debates

Organic farmers are working hard to grow more organic food and want to keep prices reasonable… However, Congress is failing them. Despite the growing scientific consensus that even small amounts of pesticides are harmful - especially to children, big agribusinesses and their allies in Congress are trying to strip funding for organic farming. In this year’s $76 billion Farm Bill, less than 1% is going to organic farmers! This would mean fewer organic farmers and fewer healthy options for us all.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) Action Fund is working to help level the playing field by securing the funding organic farmers need and supporting those thousands of farmers transitioning to organic agriculture.

Your help is crucial and right now you can double your impact! From now until June 30, 2007, thanks to matching grants from several of their very generous donors, any donation you make to their fund will automatically be doubled, up to $20,000.

Donations will help fund the EWG Action Fund’s campaign in Congress to shift subsidies away from pesticide-ridden, chemical agriculture and towards organics and environmentally sustainable agriculture. Help secure a rightful place for organics in this year’s Farm Bill! Donate if you can, but definitely sign the petition to “Help Grow Organics.”

Visit their website at http://www.ewg.org, which serves as the home for both the Environmental Working Group and the EWG’s Action Fund. There you can learn much more about this and other issues, or make a donation. Their website has a wealth of information and access to informative and useful databases. I’d strongly recommend visiting even if you are not interested in donating.
To link directly to the donation page for this issue you can link to their page at https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1144/t/661/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2516.

Blue-Green Marble is not affiliated with EWG, but appreciates their invaluable efforts to promote the organics movement and their championing of safety for and disclosure to consumers as regards food, product ingredients, and environmental toxins & hazards through their legislative advocacy, research, and publications. We have chosen to relate this information as we believe it to be a timely and important issue our readers can help to impact.