ESSAY OF THE WEEK
Avian Flu: A Chicken & Egg Story?
Avian Flu has ravaged industrial poultry farms this year, especially in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. In all, about 200 farms in 15 states were affected by this year’s outbreak, costing U.S. egg and poultry exporters more than $380 million, said the Poultry & Egg Export Council, as reported by Associated Press.
The outbreak was no picnic for the birds, either. In Iowa, 30 million hens and 1.5 million turkeys were euthanized because of the H5N2 virus. Nationwide, the flu killed about 50 million birds
Avian Flu affects poultry farm workers, who lose their jobs. And consumers, who pay more for eggs.
Is the solution to develop and use more vaccines?
Definitely not, says Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, COO of the Main Street Project, a large-scale organic regenerative poultry project under way in Minnesota, Mexico and Guatamala. Haslett-Marroquin argues that we should focus more on prevention, and less on a cure. That means replacing today’s poultry factory farms with an alternative organic, regenerative model, where healthier birds, with healthier immune systems are—unlike their unfortunate feathered friends in factory farms—able to resist disease.
It turns out that when it comes to Avian Flu, we haven’t been asking the right question, which is: Which came first? The diseased chicken? Or the chicken disease?
ACTION ALERT
Don't Do It!
Now that the House has passed H.R. 1599, the so-called “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act,” we’re waiting to see who introduces a Senate version of the bill, and what that bill will look like.
But before anything can happen in the Senate, Monsanto and Big Food need to find a Democrat and a Republican willing to introduce the Senate version of H.R. 1599, or as we prefer to call it, the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act.
On the Republican side, word on the street is that Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) may step up to the plate as soon as Congress returns from its August recess—that is, unless ananti-H.R. 1599 editorial in his home state newspaper, the Bismarck Tribune, causes him to think twice.
Whether it’s Hoeven who does the deed, or another Republican, Monsanto and Big Food will still need a Senate Democrat to also cosponsor the bill. Anything less than a bipartisan effort will fail.
So who are the likely suspects on the Dem side of the aisle? We’ve identified 12 Democratic Senators who we think might be willing to carry the water for Monsanto. We need your help to convince them that going against the will of nine out of 10 voters could spell political suicide.
Email us if you want to attend or organize a meeting with your Senators
Keep track of scheduled meetings
Download these DARK Act talking points
Call 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to your Senator’s staff, and let them know you want them to oppose H.R. 1599. Don’t forget to post on your Senator’s Facebook page!
ACTION ALERT
66,000 and Counting
We recently launched a petition to President Obama, asking him to veto H.R. 1599 or any federal bill that would preempt state or federal laws requiring labels on GMO foods.
Why ask the President to veto a bill well before it lands on his desk?
Several reasons. First, we want to let Obama know that the vast majority of Americans—more than 90 percent, according to recent polls—want GMO foods labeled.
And we want to remind him that he promisedto support labeling, way back when, on the campaign trail.
We also want to remind Obama that early on in his Presidency, he issued an Executive Order against passing federal laws that, “without sufficient legal basis,” preempt state laws.
In just under a week, more than 66,000 people have signed on to this petition. We need at least 100,000 total, before we can deliver the petition, and get the press to cover our delivery.
If you’ve already signed, thank you! Could you please forward the petition to at least five others? Post it on Facebook? Tweet it?
We think we can do this. It may not be the only way to stop the DARK Act—but it’s one important tool in the toolbox. Thank you!
TAKE ACTION: Ask President Obama to Pledge to Veto the DARK Act!
SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF
Do You Smell Something?
In his final episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart closed with this:
The good news is this. Bullshitters have gotten pretty lazy, and their work is easily detected. And looking for it is a kind of pleasant way to pass the time… So I say to you tonight, friends, the best defense against bullshit is vigilance. If you smell something, say something.
We’re not sure that looking for the bullshit is necessarily a pleasant way to pass the time. We’d much rather talk about the good things. Like healthy food, healthy soil, and regenerative, as opposed to degenerative, farming practices—practices that lead to healthy people, and a healthy planet.
But Stewart is right on when he says the best defense against bullshit is vigilance. And there’s sure as heck no shortage of bullshitters, lazy and otherwise, inundating Congress, the media and the public with lies and obfuscation, whether it’s about the health and safety of GMOs, or the truth about what the so-called “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act” really is—an attack on consumers and democracy.
Vigilance takes time and energy, knowledge and passion. And, when you’re up against multi-million-dollar corporations like Monsanto, vigilance requires funding. Thank you for both being vigilant, and for helping to fund the vigilance.
Donate to the Organic Consumers Association (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)
Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Harvesting Light
Global warming has made “carbon” a dirty word. But the problem isn’t carbon. The problem is that the carbon cycle, which for thousands of years has been in balance, is now out of balance, according to soil scientist Dr. Christine Jones.
What disturbed the balance? To a large extent, human activity.
Fortunately, humans, with a lot of help from our farmers, can rebalance the carbon cycle by putting the carbon back where it belongs. In the soil.
I think the fundamental shift in thinking that we have to make is that farming is about harvesting light. Through the process of photosynthesis we’re going to change light energy into biochemical energy, and that biochemical energy becomes our plants, our animals, the carbon compounds that are made by that process. We are fundamentally light farmers and when we make that realization, the sky’s the limit.
BOOK PROMO
Well Worth the Read
What does a former high-level biotech researcher do when he becomes disenchanted with the biotech industry?
Toby Hemenway turned to permaculture. And writing. Now, his latest book, "The Permaculture City," is not only available for purchase, but available to Organic Bytes readers at a 35-percent discount.
We love this book because it isn’t just about permaculture techniques (which are great, by the way). “The Permaculture City” is about so much more. Hemenway connects the dots between growing healthy food, and strengthening communities, economies and cultures.
“The Permaculture City” provides a new way of thinking about urban living, with practical examples for creating abundant food, energy security, close-knit communities, local and meaningful livelihoods, and sustainable policies in our cities and towns. The same nature-based approach that works so beautifully for growing food—connecting the pieces of the landscape together in harmonious ways—applies perfectly to many of our other needs.
Hemenway’s new book is well worth the read. And thanks to this exclusive offer from the publisher, Chelsea Green, you can pay 35 percent less for your copy of “The Permaculture City.” Just plug in this code—OCA35—in the box titled “Discount Codes.”
Order the book and get 35 percent off with this code: OCA35
LITTLE BYTES
Essential Reading for the Week
New Monsanto Spray Kills Bugs by Messing With Their Genes
The Essential Oil Benefits That Make Your Life Better
Amid Debate over Labeling GM Foods, Most Americans Believe They're Unsafe
Vandana Shiva: There Is No Reason Why India Should Face Hunger and Farmers Should Commit Suicide
Blumenthal Joins Advocates in Push to Label Genetically Engineered Food
Agroecology as a Tool for Liberation: Transforming Industrial Agriculture in El Salvador
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