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# What Has Monsanto Done to Argentina's Children? Newsletter 092916 from Organic Consumers Association
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/monsanto_done_to_argentina_s_children_0929160115/
- Published: 2016-09-29T14:08:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T18:11:38.000Z
- Description: An Organic Consumers Association newsletter about “Transgenic Wars,” a film on the Argentine village of Avia Terai, where residents blame Roundup sprayed on surrounding GMO soy for birth defects and illness, plus an alert on EPA's handling of atrazine.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Politics, #vivvo-import

#### VIDEO OF THE WEEK

# 'People Must Know'

The village of Avia Terai in Argentina is surrounded by GMO soy crops.

Here, children are born with birth defects and degenerative diseases of unknown origin. One little girl has large brownish-black spots all over her face and body—marks she's had since birth. Another is slowly wasting away from an undiagnosed degenerative disease thought to be genetic, aggravated by exposure to herbicides. Many of the children are deformed in one way or another. Many of the elders are dying from cancer.

When the people in Avia Terai hear a tractor, they lock themselves inside their homes. They never know if the tractor is spraying water, to irrigate the fields, or Monsanto’s Roundup.

**But this much they know: Roundup is making them sick, and those responsible keep spraying it—even though, as one mother said, “People must know” that they are poisoning this village, and the people who live here.**

"Transgenic Wars" is an award-winning film by French journalist Paul Moreira. The film looks at the effects of GMO crops on livestock and human health, in Europe and Argentina. **Through September 30, you can watch the entire film without purchasing it by** [**clicking here**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=l%2FJBTI%2BV6wj8TCi1sHp60kiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)**.**

On October 15, Maria Liz Robledo, one of Monsanto’s victims in Argentina, and Damian Verzenassi, a public health doctor in Argentina, will tell the world how Argentinians have suffered from Monsanto’s Roundup. They are among the witnesses and experts who will testify before a panel of international judges at the International Monsanto Tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. [**Please endorse the Monsanto Tribunal**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ev0RIGVd1XMva00OoEKYg49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)**.**

[**Read the article and watch ‘Transgenic Wars’**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zmvt2yruRCvr6ECt%2FkDlGI9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### ACTION ALERT

# Long Overdue

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long ignored evidence that Syngenta’s atrazine endangers human health as a likely contributor to [infertility](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dPXafnOxdrWqC4rRnyuutY9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org), [birth defects](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=s%2BBwTGeSaVDPqlO7pjTFn49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) and[breast cancer](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2pAZCADxeUIwv7ZNEqxpjUiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org).

Fortunately, the EPA *is* taking seriously the threat that atrazine poses to wildlife. ThroughOctober 5, 2016, the EPA is accepting [public comments](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DRdYZgdDVAcJgNNlfGWAq49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) on a draft ecological [risk assessment](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8p8ApJp%2FEzEm8g6aOmZhe49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) that finds atrazine poses unacceptable risks to fish, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates, as well as birds, reptiles and mammals. (Thanks to the [Center for Biological Diversity](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ArqC32onGpYY%2BCd3tMBY5o9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) for suing the EPA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to force them to analyze the impacts of atrazine on more than 1,500 endangered plants and animals.)

**Atrazine was** [**banned**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6buklz8bfwkFDjeB6QS5149gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) **in the European Union in 2004\. Here in the U.S.? After Monsanto’s Roundup (glyphosate), Syngenta’s atrazine is the nation’s number-two pesticide, with** [**80 to 90 million pounds**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=DydgfHJ3%2FfWI3HLUXpHP1o9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) **applied to crops, golf courses and lawns each year.**

A [recent investigation](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Fi9E9iC7%2FlZg3txlCxiDWo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) into pesticide use in Vermont’s dairy industry found atrazine to be one of the most commonly used pesticides.

In July, California listed [atrazine](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bT1w2716OZsv%2FjX6Fgxpn49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) as a “reproductive toxicant.” Why? Because, the Center for Biological Diversity found [evidence](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=169v8PIB%2BP1Ji4lutAYWkI9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) that atrazine is linked to birth defects, reduced male fertility and reproductive toxicities in women. Products containing atrazine will now require a warning label before they can be sold in California.

**A ban on atrazine is long overdue. You would think this poison should be banned because of the risks it poses to human health. But hey, if the EPA wants to ban it because it harms wildlife, we’ll take it.**

[**TAKE ACTION BY OCTOBER 5: Tell EPA to #BanAtrazine, Syngenta’s Birth-Defect-Linked Pesticide**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uDHGFr26jZMS%2BGsgSHPKBo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO

# It's Personal

To indigenous beekeepers in Mexico, whose livelihoods have been destroyed, Monsanto’s crimes are personal.

To the farmer in [Australia](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2qJDjTC9E99NvN4Rh0mwsI9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) who lost more than $80,000 in certified organic crops, Monsanto’s crimes are personal.

To the mother of a child born in [Argentina](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Qu%2BQoMdNL4qf%2ByF%2BpQrXHY9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)with a birth defect, Monsanto’s crimes are personal.

To the families of tens of thousands of farmers in India who have committed suicide, Monsanto’s crimes are personal.

**On October 15-16, Mexico’s beekeepers, Australia’s farmers, Argentina’s mothers, India’s cotton farmer families and more—30 witnesses in all—will stand before a panel of five international judges who will preside over the International Monsanto Tribunal. They will recount the damage Monsanto has caused to their health, their livelihoods, their lives.**

They will speak for millions of people directly affected by Monsanto’s poisons. But they will also speak for all of us, who directly or indirectly, are victims of Monsanto’s reckless attack on our food and environment.

**Please show solidarity with the witnesses who will represent all of us who have been harmed by Monsanto, by organizing a World Food Day protest and adding your signature to the 50,000-and-growing number of supporters of this historic citizens’ initiative.**

[**Sign on as a supporter of the Monsanto Tribunal**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZqNJj5x5HUPA%2B5uWgserg49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) **(no donation required)**

[**Make a donation to the Monsanto Tribunal**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=RjgKaaw1hw3AJ1v572UggEiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Share this post on Facebook.**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=meg3dXUmY%2Bsw76MxP2KZ0o9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) **Post on social media using hashtags #ExposeMonsantosCrimes and #MonsantoTribunal**

**Email** [**campaigns@organicconsumers.org**](mailto:campaigns@organicconsumers.org) **for help organizing a World Food Day protest or house party**

**Email** [**campaigns@organicconsumers.org**](mailto:campaigns@organicconsumers.org) **for your free packet of Tribunal/ Monsanto Makes Us Sick leaflets, posters and stickers**

[**Learn more about the People’s Assembly**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f8Q9sfjaFcySYjXlrbWjI49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Register to attend the Tribunal**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bnRR4veo922f6KRYbnKWMUiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Download the MonsantoTribunal leaflet**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kY7BR82sqMRv%2Bhu5aZ7%2BLEiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Download the Monsanto Tribunal poster**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BchzOy%2FnwxOXGqCLEePerkiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Like Monsanto Tribunal on Facebook**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=kFMmGoPOVOcsD5IeBUOU%2BI9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Follow Monsanto Tribunal on twitter**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Bi23XOUKcG806AHFpHaSQo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

**More on the Monsanto Tribunal** [**here**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GJyX9aUXucFqgF2zkoPT9Y9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) **and** [**here**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=eW5a5k4FKrHGjw2uldIKFI9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)**.**

#### SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF

# Remembering Bill

“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” - Bill Mollison

When Bill Mollison, author and co-inventor of Permaculture, died last weekend we were reminded of a couple important ideas that sometimes get lost in the ongoing battle to clean up our food system, and our environment.

First, nature has provided everything humans need to feed ourselves. When we turn our backs on nature, when we destroy what sustains us, when we spin our wheels looking for technological solutions to undo the damage we’ve wrought, we’re in trouble.

Second, just as we know what we’re against, we have to be clear about what we are *for*. As a writer for the Ecologist wrote:

His time in the Tasmanian rainforests gave him the founding structure for what became his life's passion, Permaculture. The idea that we could consciously design sustainable systems which enabled human beings to live within their means and for all wildlife to flourish with us.

**Good reminders. That the path to a healthy, regenerative food and farming system requires working with, not against, nature. And though that path is paved with battles against corporate greed and political corruption, we must never lose sight of the fact that we are working *for* something.**

[**Donate to the Organic Consumers Association**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=CkXlbTp8jpNKgtbPjgqhEI9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) *(tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)*

[**Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xGgshtPq5Ov7aiFjWDF8N49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) *(non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)*

[**Support OCA's Regeneration International Project**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YDPnGU0W5c%2BYzEQX7xVAt49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) *(tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic, regenerative agriculture and climate change)*

#### BLOG POST OF THE WEEK

# Bimbo Gets Buzzed

On Sunday, September 25, OCA activists joined Greenpeace teams in the U.S. and Mexico to participate in [Bimbo’s Global Energy Race](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=UWN9rQMgGxb3itXyAXpOsUiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org). We dressed as bees and crossed the finish lines in Long Beach, Calif., Mexico City and Philadelphia with banners that read: “Bimbo, Cut the Pesticides!”

If we had been protesting a Monsanto or Bayer event, people immediately would have understood the bee costumes. Most people who have paid attention to the news about disappearing bees know that pesticides manufactured by these agro-chemical companies are contributing to bee deaths.

But we were targeting Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company. So spectators and fellow runners wondered what was up with the bee outfits. (Our Mexico City team got a lot more than questions. They were tackled to the ground as they crossed the finish line with their banners. [You can watch it here.)](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1AT6IuwdZUXnG8L7FLA5so9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

**We explained that, agro-chemical companies like Monsanto & Bayer aren’t going to stop making bee-killing pesticides unless food companies like Bimbo stop driving their use. If a company like Bimbo were to clean up its supply chain and stop using ingredients from crops raised with bee-killing pesticides, it would go a long way to addressing colony collapse disorder (not to mention environmental pollution and human health problems).**

[**Read the blog post**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8uUyhC3ik%2Flg4e0%2FWU6Axo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**TAKE ACTION: Tell Daniel Servitje, CEO of Grupo Bimbo, do something really great for the world! Take the lead in ending the use of pesticides in the world food supply.**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qDXg4Wh6bmUGAhJ8Map0xo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### NEW STUDY

# Got Allergies?

Do certain fragrances make your eyes water? Find yourself sniffling or sneezing around a detergent brand?

**You could be reacting to genetically engineered (GE) enzymes, which according to a** [**study**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mvPgsTf94JgkXVUyuCtUgo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org) **published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, may increase your susceptibility to allergies.**

GE enzymes are in food, too. They’re common in artificial flavorings. They’re used to make cheese ripen faster and to speed up the baking process. Products that contain GE enzymes are allowed to be called “natural.” And—big surprise—GE enzymes aren’t required to be safety tested.

(Not sure what an enzyme is? This [explanation](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=dU120TCIobgb%2Bml7Il0l349gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org), written for kids, compares them to “assembly line robots).”

German and British scientists studied blood samples from 813 workers, employed in the food, drinks, chemicals, detergents and pharmaceutical industries (yes, GE enzymes are in medicines, too). Conducting the study wasn’t easy—the biotech industry played its standard “proprietary information” card. But they learned enough to conclude:

Genetically engineered enzymes are potent allergens eliciting immediate-type sensitization ... The assessment of allergenicity should be mandatory for all new products ... Enzymes should be tested like any other potentially hazardous chemical.”

**How would you know if your detergent or cheese contained a GE enzyme that could trigger allergies? You wouldn’t—thanks to the herculean efforts of Monsanto and its minions in Congress to keep labels off all things genetically engineered.**

[**Learn more**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jsaxnVFJ7wGxMSN5XBgLU0iVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Read the full study**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8A1OzwpBLkrPm8clsRprYY9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### ECO TOURS

# Deadline Extended

There’s still time to experience Mexico’s Día de los Muertos? Join our October-November Vía Orgánica Eco Tour!

Día de los Muertos —Day of the Dead—is one of Mexico’s most important cultural events, a traditional celebration in which the living remember and honor their departed relatives with festivals and lively celebrations. **You can experience this cultural phenomenon if you sign up for our October 27 – November 3 Eco Tour. Registration deadline for the October-November tour is September 30.**

Vía Orgánica eco tours also include side trips to San Miguel de Allende and other World Heritage sites, trail rides and nature walks, horseback riding, and organic farming and cooking workshops—and of course, the opportunity to join in lively discussions with OCA and Vía Orgánica staff and other tour participants.

Participants stay at Vía Orgánica’s eco ranch and farm school, which serves as an educational farm and training center for farmers, students and activists in the organic food movement. The ranch includes a natural retreat center with adobe buildings, walking trails, solar power, rainwater catchment, and greywater and composting systems.   
Cost for accommodations and all-organic meals is $1250 per person.

**Can’t make the October tour? Other tour dates are also available:**  
• November 22-29 (Register by October 22)  
• December 6-13 (Register by November 6)  
• January 17-24 (Register by December 17)  
• February 15-22 (Register by January 15)  
• March 19-26 (Register by February 19)

[**Watch a Vía Orgánica Eco Tour video**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=eK3LgrwCCahn%2F%2F4cTF5UxY9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Learn more**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=JBXd6tGg4Lcc7amrs%2BS70UiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)

**For more information or to register contact:** [**tour@organicconsumers.org**](mailto:tour@organicconsumers.org)

#### LITTLE BYTES

# Essential Reading for the Week

[**Living in a Resistant World**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=YNxufdKyESvwwyq767VeD49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Fire Safety Chemicals 'Threaten' Public Health, Alliance Warns**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2WEpAVoDBdzDEP1lG9dp949gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Recalculating the Climate Math**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=pq5%2F6pDeJ1wcmP5PN8GJJo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**10 Reasons You Should Start Foraging for Your Own Food**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=geEYCSkPFvUys3lT5NXFCo9gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**The Case against Veganism Health Claims**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3hOnQLsqv8%2BZN3weXMk%2Bg49gZ3T6agBF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Miami-Dade Should Stop Using Naled to Fight Zika**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wjFc5dQjqJDjPzc4dtxSvUiVbHogpRFp&ref=foodconsumer.org)