The Vermont House of Representatives has just taken up H.112, a bill regarding the mandatory labeling of Genetically Modified food (GMOs). I write to urge people to ask their representatives to please support H.112!
H.112 has wide support from both the public and private sector. It is clearly a bill that puts David (the state of Vermont) up against Goliath (big agribusinesses such as Monsanto, Dow Chemical and DuPont to name a few). It is never easy being “David,” but Vermonters can do this!
Corn, soy, rice and wheat that come from a GMO seed, systemically have the chemical pesticides within the plant. Washing the plant does not rid these foods of these chemicals. Furthermore, these seeds ultimately destroy the integrity of the soil in which they are planted. It takes years before these soils can be amended to a healthy form.
One does not need to be a food scientist to understand that GMO seeds (that systemically have the chemical pesticides within the plants) cannot be good for human consumption. Honey bees that pollinate GMO plants are often unable to find their way back to their hives and die – not a good omen for humans. (big agribusiness would prefer the people to think it is due to a honey bee virus; have you heard of the mysterious “colony collapse disorder”?) Vermonters should have the choice as to whether they wish to purchase food produced with GMO seeds or not.
The mere patentability of GMO seeds demonstrates that they are novel and, therefore, should be labeled. Sixty-four countries have mandatory labeling policies of GMO foods: the European Union, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, China, South Africa, Australia to name a few. Yet the U.S. is one of the only developed countries that does not require labeling!
As early as the 1940s, the U.S. government and big agribusiness have been in collusion with the goal to ultimately gain control of food production worldwide. Foundations sponsored by the politically elite, such as The Rockefeller Foundation, have been funding genetic manipulation and the patenting of life forms through their nonprofits since then. “Control the food and you control the people” (per Henry Kissinger 1970s).
The fox is watching the henhouse with the FDA by big agribusinesses. “Public relations fabrications” such as the Green Revolution and Food for Peace have been created along the way for years. Vermonters need to say “enough is enough” and get H.112 passed.
Vermonters have a fundamental “right to know” rooted in individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and Common Law. The FDA currently has over 300 ingredients, additives and processes that must be labeled. Mandatory labeling of GMO foods would increase Vermonters’ knowledge about the foods they choose to purchase and feed their families. Please urge your representative to vote yes to H.112.
Gayle Brown, Fayston, is co-owner of Cold Hollow Cider Mill.
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