Source: PNASH, Flickr EPA management first approved the organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos for use in conventional agriculture based on data from the pesticide industry declaring its safety. EPA scientists later determined chlorpyrifos is linked to lower IQs and levels of gray matter in children exposed prenatally, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the EPA… Read more »
Big Win for the Bees!
Source: Bob Peterson, Flickr Center for Food Safety’s (CFS) recent legal victory has made the United States safer for bees! A federal court found the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of many neonicotinoid pesticides illegal. These pesticides must now be pulled off the market and re-assessed. Neonicotinoids are linked to colony collapse in honey bees,… Read more »
Is Corporate Organic a Problem? It Depends on Who You Ask
As consumer demand for organic food continues to rise, many corporations that previously only marketed conventional food have thrown their hats into the ring. While they claim to be making organic food more widely available, the effects of their vertically integrated supply chains and lobbying efforts to stretch the organic regulations have had catastrophic effects… Read more »
Monsanto/Bayer Loses for the Third Time
Thousands of lawsuits against Monsanto are pending in state and federal courts alleging the company failed to warn consumers that glyphosate causes cancer. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world. Source: Corey Templeton, Flickr Monsanto continues to cite statements from the EPA that glyphosate poses “no risk to public… Read more »
The Power of the Pesticide Industry
The article from the Washington Post, below, highlights how much sway the pesticide industry has in the U.S. government, regardless of the administration in power. Not only do chemical companies hold lobbying power, they also have had a role in drafting the laws that are supposed to regulate their actions and protect consumers. This is… Read more »
Cornucopia’s Investigative Findings on Import Fraud Confirmed
Cornucopia’s Take: Last year, Cornucopia publicized the identity of multi-billion dollar agribusinesses and their affiliates, located in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which have been connected to grain imports of questionable organic status. The article from Organic-Market, below, credits Cornucopia with uncovering organic grain fraud and chronicles the ongoing problems related to imports originating… Read more »
NOP Allows Glyphosate in “Organic” Hydroponic Production
Cornucopia’s Take: The Real Organic Project has brought to light a shocking practice in large-scale, “organic,” hydroponic production. Many of these facilities are being built on land that has been compacted and doused with herbicides, including glyphosate. While the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) uncomfortably insists that this practice is legal because the prohibited substances… Read more »
Who Certifies Livestock Factories and Hydroponic Operations and What Does It Pay?
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia has heard from organic farmers and businesses who have asked their certifiers for a moratorium on hydroponics and to identify fraudulent dairies and egg operations. Cornucopia’s infographic, A Perfect Picture of Corruption, shows an example of the some of these conflicts of interest. The organic food industry is booming, and that may… Read more »
One Organic Dairy Diversifies to Remain Afloat
Cornucopia’s Take: Creativity and diversification may help some organic dairy farmers keep their doors open. The farm in the story below has been able to take advantage of its proximity to major cities. While urban sprawl has meant the death of many farm operations, it seems to be saving this one. Pinke: A grass-fed organic… Read more »
Farm Bill Contains Funding Boost for Organic Integrity
Cornucopia’s Take: The article by OFARM’s John Bobbe below was originally published in The Milkweed. Bobbe is a strong ally in stopping the flow of fraudulent organic imports into the U.S. He has recently retired from OFARM, but he assures us he will continue to work on these important issues. 2018 Farm Law Boosts Funds… Read more »
