{"id":1257,"date":"2011-11-22T16:41:06","date_gmt":"2011-11-22T22:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/realfoodhouston.com\/?p=1257"},"modified":"2014-08-05T14:08:18","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T19:08:18","slug":"its-not-pretty-behind-the-biotech-veil-an-interview-with-howard-vlieger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/2011\/11\/22\/its-not-pretty-behind-the-biotech-veil-an-interview-with-howard-vlieger\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s Not Pretty Behind the Biotech Veil, an Interview with Howard Vlieger"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Howard_Vlieger<\/a>Howard Vlieger and I talked during\u00a0the Weston A.\u00a0Price <\/a>Wise Traditions conference in Dallas, Texas, November 11-14.\u00a0\u00a0Why did I want to talk with Howard and write about GMOs (genetically\u00a0modified organisms, also described as genetically engineered)? I\u00a0am passionate<\/em> about\u00a0food rights and access to raw milk; I want my family to be healthy\u00a0and remain healthy; and I want to help everyone have convenient,\u00a0 affordable\u00a0access to wonderful, nutritious foods. However, I’m very concerned\u00a0about\u00a0how genetically engineered crops are contaminating our food\u00a0supply. Think a minute–what if we win the battle for food rights?\u00a0 What if we have the right to buy whatever foods we believe are healthy\u00a0for our families, including raw milk, grass-fed beef, and organic produce?\u00a0And then, when we finally have the right of access, we can\u2019t get those\u00a0wonderful foods because we\u2019ve allowed our farmland to be destroyed,\u00a0our organic crops have been contaminated with GMOs, and we can\u2019t find\u00a0a way to recover our wholesome natural foods? Do you think that\u2019s impossible?\u00a0Maybe it is impossible, but what if it’s not? Do you know how many acres\u00a0of farmland around the world have already<\/em> been\u00a0converted to GMO crops? In 2010, 365 million acres in 29 countries,\u00a0about 10% of global cropland, were planted with GMOs, and the U.S.\u00a0leads the world in GMO crop production\u2014165 million acres, almost half\u00a0of the world\u2019s GMO crop production. Do you know how many acres of farmland\u00a0the biotech industry (it\u2019s a high-tech industry, not earth-based growers\u00a0and farmers) wants<\/em> to\u00a0have converted to GMOs? Yes, that\u2019s right, 100%. Why? Profit of course!\u00a0Billions and billions of dollars are at stake, more than enough money\u00a0to pressure the governments of countries around the world to approve\u00a0cultivation of GMO crops with little or no testing for their safety\u00a0to humans. No country has as yet proven completely resistant to being\u00a0persuaded with biotech money and false promises.<\/p>\n

Biotech companies want complete control of the seed supply so that farmers\u00a0will only be able to buy and use seed that\u2019s been patented by the biotech\u00a0companies; the farmers will not be allowed to save the seed to plant\u00a0the next year as farmers have been doing for thousands of years. In\u00a0fact, biotech companies will, and have, filed lawsuits against farmers\u00a0claiming they have planted patented seeds, while\u00a0in many cases the suspected
\nviolation is the result of contamination from nearby fields\u00a0and not deliberate theft by the farmer. Biotech companies make billions\u00a0of dollars on GMO seed sales each year, and not only from the sale\u00a0of the seed but also billions from technology fees\u2014the required fees\u00a0they charge per bag to farmers for using the patented seeds\u2014and\u00a0they would love to see those billions grow. However, not enough people understand what GMOs are all about, and\u00a0they don’t realize\u00a0the the very real dangers and risks. I am committed to helping others understand\u00a0what\u2019s really going on so that we can all work together to prevent\u00a0this devastation. That\u2019s<\/em> why\u00a0I wanted to talk with Howard about GMOs.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a little background on Howard–who is he, what he stands\u00a0for, and why he campaigns so hard against GMOs. He is the president\u00a0and co-founder of
\nVerity Farms<\/a> which\u00a0had its beginnings in the 1970\u2019s when a South Dakota farmer wanted
\nto reduce his use of chemicals and fertilizers. Other farmers joined\u00a0the commitment and have developed a protocol that recognizes \u201cthe importance\u00a0of life and balance in the soil and the complete food chain.\u201d Verity\u00a0Farms works with family farmers in 8 states. The Verity farmers have\u00a0a NEVER EVER policy to not use \u201cantibiotics, artificial hormones, growth\u00a0promotants, and animal by-products while raising livestock.\u201d They never\u00a0ever use GMO seeds. They cleanse the soil and test it initially and\u00a0regularly for chemical residues. The mission of Verity Farms is the\u00a0\u201creestablishment and prosperity of the \u201cFamily Farmer.\u201d Howard joined\u00a0the chemical\/GE free practice in 1989. He began studying GMO crops\u00a0in 1994 and works with many of the leading scientists in the world
\non research projects involving GMO crops.<\/p>\n

Howard’s subject at the 2011 Weston A. Price conference was\u00a0GMOs and Mammal Health<\/em>. He is a well-informed and interesting\u00a0speaker, but the room should have been much larger and, if the conference\u00a0attendees had really grasped the importance of\u00a0GMOs, it would have\u00a0been overflowing–standing room only. He spoke about how livestock\u00a0are affected by eating GMOs, the prevalence of GMOs around the world,\u00a0the failed promises of GMOs, the contamination of our air and water\u00a0supply by glyphosate [more to come on glyphosate in\u00a0future posts],\u00a0and the studies showing the dangers of GMOs to humans and animals.\u00a0 It is very important\u00a0to understand exactly what GMOs do to the animals and to us because we are being forced to eat GMO contaminated foods and eat the milk, eggs, and\u00a0meat from animals which are fed with GMO grains.\u00a0 Howard\u00a0is a tireless champion for educating people about the risks and dangers\u00a0of GMOs and his mission is education, not promoting himself, or even\u00a0Verity Farms.<\/p>\n

In order to understand\u00a0the significance of the dangers we’re facing, we now\u00a0have to dig a little bit into the nitty-gritty\u00a0about the difficulties facing scientists trying to study the effects of GMO crops on mammals, including\u00a0humans.<\/p>\n

Howard has worked with many\u00a0scientists around the world who have extensively studied GMOs, and\u00a0he spoke about the risks these scientists encounter when they speak\u00a0out\u00a0 about GMOs. Some scientists have been willing to expose the dangers\u00a0documented in their studies on GMOs, and, as a result have been punished\u00a0for doing so. Dr. Arpad Pusztai, the lead scientist on a project to develop protocols for studying GMO safety,\u00a0released the damaging\u00a0results of his research\u00a0on\u00a0the GMO Bt<\/em> potato in 1998 and\u00a0had his career\u00a0destroyed because he dared to tell the truth. However, he\u00a0 was\u00a0successful in stopping the approval of the GMO potato, which was found to damage the intestines and immune systems of rats.\u00a0We owe him\u00a0our gratitude for his bravery and honesty. Many other scientists\u00a0and researchers are prohibited from telling the truth for fear of\u00a0losing their reputations and careers. The biotech industry has put\u00a0another roadblock in the path of discovering the truth about GMOs.\u00a0\u00a0They have made it almost impossible for scientists to perform independent\u00a0tests on their GMO crops by restricting access to their patented genetically\u00a0engineered seeds. One biotech foray into the consumer food market,\u00a0the use of rBGH, rBST, a GMO growth hormone, which causes unhealthy\u00a0increased milk production in dairy cows, was largely defeated by consumers’\u00a0refusal to buy milk produced by these cows. Many common foods containing\u00a0GMO ingredients have not been equally rejected, probably because\u00a0most people\u00a0don’t have\u00a0any idea how much GMO contamination is already in the food\u00a0they are\u00a0eating. Attempts to label foods containing GMO crops\u00a0have been blocked by the biotech industry. The FDA has consistently\u00a0discouraged food makers from labeling their products as GMO-free, claiming\u00a0that such labels are confusing and misleading.<\/p>\n

The most common commercially grown GMO crops are corn, canola, cotton,\u00a0soybeans, and recently added alfalfa and sugar beets. Over 75% of all\u00a0grocery store processed foods contain at least one ingredient from\u00a0GMO crops in some form, such as corn oil, corn syrup, cornstarch, soybean\u00a0or canola oil. GMO crops have been engineered to perform in several\u00a0ways. Among the most common attributes are resistance to\u00a0herbicides and in plant insecticides. Some GMO crops have been modified\u00a0to add desired qualities. For example, genetically engineered “Golden\u00a0Rice”\u00a0has supposedly been enhanced with beta carotene, which is intended\u00a0to address vitamin A deficiencies in the developing countries; GMO\u00a0canola and soybean oils have lower polyunsaturated fatty acids and\u00a0higher monunsaturated fatty acids; other GMOs have alterations for\u00a0the energy industry. The submission for approval of GMO salmon\u00a0is the first major entry of the biotech industries in GMO animal production.<\/p>\n

Howard explained that GMOs have been promoted to farmers, and also to\u00a0consumers, with promises of greater crop yields and lowered costs due\u00a0to less need for added chemicals such as herbicides–usually glyphosate–and\u00a0pesticides. However, studies have shown that these promises have not\u00a0been fulfilled. Crop yields have either not increased since conversion\u00a0to GMO seeds or they have actually decreased. The herbicide resistance has also not lived up to its promise. Glyphosate, the main chemical\u00a0in herbicide-resistant GMO crops, has caused the development of ‘superweeds’\u00a0that cannot be killed by glyphosate even when three times the normal\u00a0rate of chemical is applied. There are 21 weeds confirmed world-wide\u00a0that are now resistant to glyphosate.\u00a0 GMO Corn, called Bt<\/em> corn,\u00a0has been genetically engineered to contain an insecticide to kill the\u00a0corn borer and corn rootworm, but it’s also showing signs of losing\u00a0its effectiveness.\u00a0Bt<\/em> corn\u00a0crops in the midwest are now heavily infested with rootworms that\u00a0have apparently become resistant to the embedded insecticide. The Bt<\/em> corn\u00a0farmer must now use more pesticide to try to control the\u00a0rootworm\u00a0infestation. A researcher has found that the corn rootworm can pass\u00a0the Bt<\/em> resistance\u00a0to its offspring. The farmer incurs increased costs because of the increased chemicals needed as well as the increased cost of the seed.\u00a0GMO crops raised with the use of glyphosate require twice the\u00a0amount of water as required for non GMO crops. Among other GMO\u00a0crop promises that have yet to be proven are drought tolerance and\u00a0increased nutrient content.<\/p>\n

Howard provided solid information about the dangers\u00a0and risks of GMO crops to humans and mammals. Resistance to glyphosate\u00a0is the most common herbicide resistance genetically engineered into\u00a0plants. Howard explained that glyphosate is a systemic herbicide and\u00a0will be take up into all parts of the plant. 20% of the glyphosate applied to the plant goes\u00a0into the soil and can affect subsequent crops. Scientific studies have also documented\u00a0infertility and endocrine cellular damage as a result of glyphosate residue.\u00a0 Rats fed GMO potatoes had severe organ damage and damage to the digestive system. A Canadian\u00a0study found a Bt<\/em> toxin in 93% of the pregnant women tested. 80% passed this toxin\u00a0on to their babies. Bt<\/em> toxins have been found in the intestinal contents of livestock fed\u00a0on Bt<\/em> corn implying a risk of exposure from eating GMO contaminated meat.<\/p>\n

Four GMO crops, brassica, bentgrass, cotton, and canola, have been found growing outside\u00a0of their supposed contained boundaries, sometimes hundreds of miles from the nearest known\u00a0location. Examples have been found of GMO\u00a0crops that are now cross-pollinating with other plants in the wild. The questions we need to\u00a0ask about GMOs are:<\/p>\n

(1) Can GMO crops be contained as promised?<\/p>\n

(2) What damage can the GMO crops do to us?<\/p>\n

(3) What can we do to ensure our food is safe?<\/p>\n

I will have many more posts on the subject of GMOs and what they are\u00a0doing to our food supply, because new information is continually being revealed about the dangers and risks of this sprawling,\u00a0creeping, spreading world infestation. The veil of secrecy with which the biotech industry has been covering their engineered\u00a0organisms is being pulled back, and what’s behind that veil is not pretty.<\/p>\n

Resources:<\/p>\n

Food & Water Watch,\u00a0 Genetically Engineered Food An Overview<\/em><\/a>
\nCarrasco, Andres E.,\u00a0 Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing\u00a0Retinoic Acid Signaling<\/em><\/a>
\nAziz, A, Leblanc, S.,\u00a0Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated
\nto genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec,Canada.<\/em><\/a> Reprod
\nToxicol(2011),doi:10.1016\/j.reprotox.2011.02.004
\nSeralini, G.E., Time- and Dose- Dependent Effects of Roundup on Human Embryonic and Placental\u00a0Cells<\/em><\/a>
\nFarm and Ranch Freedom Alliance\/GMOs<\/em><\/a>
\nOrganic Consumers Association, Interview with Dr. Arpad Pusztai<\/a><\/p>\n

Real Food Houston Posts:<\/p>\n

What Does Genetically Engineered (or GMO) Mean?<\/em><\/a>
\nWhy Was an Antibiotic-Resistant GE Potato Approved?<\/em><\/a>
\nBiotech Industry Group Looks for Influential \u2018Ambassadors’<\/em> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Howard Vlieger and I talked during\u00a0the Weston A.\u00a0Price Wise Traditions conference in Dallas, Texas, November 11-14.\u00a0\u00a0Why did I want to talk with Howard and write about GMOs (genetically\u00a0modified organisms, also described as genetically engineered)? I\u00a0am passionate about\u00a0food rights and access …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,14,63,59,19],"tags":[48,25,64,405,30],"class_list":["post-1257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-access-to-good-food","category-access-to-real-food","category-food-safety","category-gmos","category-real-food","tag-farfa","tag-food-rights-2","tag-food-safety-2","tag-gmos","tag-wapf-2011-conference"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p70SEj-kh","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1257"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1296,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1257\/revisions\/1296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.realfoodhouston.com\/wp-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}