A newly discovered pathogen, visible only under an electron microscope, is destroying plants and undermining the health of livestock -- thereby posing a deadly risk to the U.S. food supply, a senior plant pathologist warned USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
In a January 2010 letter to Vilsack, (a former Iowa governor and agribusiness champion, appointed by President Obama) Dr. Don Huber advised caution in introducing additional GMO crops. But just weeks later, the USDA approved expansion of GMO crops to include alfalfa, the most widespread animal feed crop. The unnamed bug already runs rampant in current GMO Roundup Ready baseline food crops (corn and soy), and spreads from there to the animals who feed on them, says Huber, a Professor Emeritus at Purdue University. In addition to his thirty-five years in academic science, Huber is also a retired Colonel, who evaluated natural and manmade biological threats, including germ warfare and disease outbreaks for the military.
The GMO Roundup Ready crops are designed to be used with the Monsanto herbicide, Roundup, a glyphosate that leads to severe micronutrient deficiencies in soil that scientists now say are leading to increased crop failure. Scientists have detected a higher prevalence of the opportunistic pathogen in the depleted glyphosate treated soil. It is also found in higher rates in the livestock that feed off of the Roundup crops. Infertility and spontaneous abortion are on the rise within these cattle and dairy populations, with infertility at 20% and a 45% abortion incidence in certain animals. "It's infectious to cattle, pigs, poultry and horses, and will kill a fertilized egg," says Huber in one of a series of video interviews posted on YouTube. "It can readily reproduce, and it's compatible with other organisms." Watch the video here.
In his January 2011 letter, Huber cautioned against expanding GMO into alfalfa, which he characterizes as "the number one forage crop" that nourishes livestock. "Why place it in jeopardy?" Huber asked in the series of videos, predicting that, "In five years you won't have anything but Roundup Ready alfalfa. If we see a new organism which makes it a hazard to animal survival -- what's the urgency?"
Organic farmers have sued Monsanto preemptively to protect themselves from legal action from the GMO producer when the GMO alfalfa contaminates organic seed, which cannot be prevented once GMO alfalfa is planted. Food Democracy Now is circulating a letter asking President Obama and Secretary Vilsack to "halt the sale and planting of Monsanto's recently approved Roundup Ready® GMO alfalfa and sugar beets until independent, peer-reviewed studies can be conducted to determine whether or not these products pose a threat to plant, animal and human health."
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> As scientists, we are equally concerned about the health of the environment and the sustainability of agricultural production.
> Despite the potential for herbicides to increase disease levels in certain plants, plant pathologists have NOT observed a widespread increase in susceptibility to plant diseases in glyphosate-resistant corn and soybean.
> Although some research indicates there is an increase in disease severity on plants in the presence of glyphosate, it does NOT necessarily mean that there is an impact on yield.
> The claim that plant disease has "skyrocketed" due to glyphosate usage is also unfounded. Many factors influence the level and type of disease present in any given year.
> The articles and websites state that fungi in the genus Fusarium cause not only plant diseases but also disease outbreaks in humans and animals. In fact, very few pathogens infect both plants and animals.
> Overall, the claims that glyphosate is having a widespread effect on plant health are largely unsubstantiated.
You should know that Dr. Huber's colleagues at Purdue have felt it necessary to say that they don't believe that his science is sound at all. That is a very unusual step within an academic faculty. I've read many of his "publications" and they are completely lacking in data, references and effectively everything one would use to judge the credibility of what he says. I would caution you that you can't just take one rogue scientist's word for thing if you want to be a journalist (as opposed to an activist). That would be like saying you found a scientist that does not believe in climate change or evolution.
http://www.alternet.org/food/150733/why_is_damning_new_evidence_about_monsanto's_most_widely_used_herbicide_being_silenced
The truth isn't coming out with this. I wish it would. I don't care for genetically modified food that has been genetically modified just so farmers can use Roundup. But this "evidence" isn't going to convince any responsible person. It's almost as if the people who say they want the ban are actually working for Monsanto. The real problem here isn't the Roundup, it's the genetic modification! And maybe I am not the person in this conversation who needs to extract head from sand.
And more about GMOs here http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Safety/gmo/gmo_foods_pose_higher_risks_for_children_0508110629.html