Legislation That Kills Us

Earlier this year I spent some time in Orlando Florida where I was delighted to find good quality organic food aplenty in the whole food store. This meant for the two weeks my companions and I could eat unadulterated fresh and nutritious produce without having to ingest over-packaged food items that had been chemicalized, pasteurised, sanitised and pack full of corn syrup and other addictive sweeteners. This is something that is very noticeable for those of us who have embraced an organic of way life.

So it was with complete dismay and disbelief that I read about a plan to pass legislation against organic farming in USA in an email sent by a friend. According to this source Bill HR875 Food Safety Modernisation Act 2009 requires the use of chemicals on food crops and outlaws organic farming. Could this madness really be true?

It stated, “The main backer and lobbyist is Monsanto – giant chemical and genetic engineering corporation, as well as Cargill, ADM, and about 35 other related agri-giants. This bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays dictated by a newly formed agency to "make sure there is no danger to the public food supply". This will include backyard gardens that grow food only for a family and not for sales. If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds will be allowed, but only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now showing up with unexpected diseases in humans.”

I am wary of the potential for overdramatising with assertions that are made on some mass emails as at times they prove to be inaccurate, untrue or been in circulation for so long that they are out of date. Through just a little research however, I have discovered that the bill definitely exists and is current. One issue appears to be that the wording is ambiguous and can leave open the interpretation as described above. I am by no means an expert here, but it is worth checking out on the tracking site http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875

The ramifications for the USA, as well as Australia are extremely disturbing. A role of government is to protect the wellbeing of all the community. It is hard to believe that our legislators can have such a myopic view of what is safe, or are they truly and entirely in the pocket of the giant corporations? It is important to be an active participant in the decisions that affect our lives.