The Monsanto Protection Act – “Farmer Assurance Provision, Section 735” – Promotes the Growth and Engineering of GMO Foods and Seeds Without Any Judicial Oversight or Regulation

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

The Monsanto Protection Act & What It Means For YOU

"Free from Any Judicial Litigation" – WAIT WHAT?!?!?!

The “Farmer Assurance Provision, Section 735”, known as the Monsanto Protection Act, is a provision that was slipped into the "Continuing Resolution" spending bill.  This spending bill is designed to prevent the government shutdown and sequester.  The Continuing Resolution bill, including the Farmer Assurance Provision, passed the house and was signed by President Obama on March 29, 2013.  A sub-committee slipped the provision into the bill anonymously.  However, news has spread that Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt (R) drafted the provision in direct conjunction with Monsanto.  His reasoning for supporting such a provision: "it is only a one-year protection.”

So, What Does this Do?

In short, the Farmer Assurance Provision, Section 735 "allows agribusiness giant Monsanto to promote and plant genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) seeds, free from any judicial litigation that might decide the crops are unsafe".

It stipulates that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) “ignore any court ruling that would otherwise halt the planting of new genetically-engineered crops.”  Typically, the USDA approves GMO products and seeds as long as they pass certain filing regulations and conditions.  Unfortunately, the USDA does not conduct thorough reviews or tests of the many submitted food products it receives.  To speed up the process, the USDA typically approves products without performing tests that study long term effects.

Tests of these controversial products are usually performed much later by independent groups.  Some are sponsored by Monsanto and conclude that these products are safe.  Others are sanctioned by independent groups funded by "the people" who are protecting their health interests.  Typically, results from studies not financed by Monsanto show that GMO products can increase the risk of cancer and cause adverse health issues.

GE and GMOs can damage the environment and introduce additional pesticides into the food supply endangering the health of all consumers.  The unfortunate truth is that 80% of the food supply is already contaminated by GMOs.  The effects to our health are unknown.  

Do you really want to be a guinea pig?

What can we do?

Fight this by mandating the labeling of GMO products on food labels:

http://justlabelit.org/

Spread the news on Facebook.  

Read these articles to find out why GMOs and GE seeds are bad for you, your neighbors, and the environment.

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/04/02/gmos-monsanto-protection-act/
http://www.safe-food.org/-issue/dangers.html
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/ge_vs_organic.cfm
http://www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/eight-reasons-gmos-are-bad-for-you.html
http://www.badseed.info/
http://dailybail.com/home/jon-stewart-exposes-the-monsanto-protection-act.html

Main Sources:

http://www.workers.org/2013/04/07/monsanto-protection-act-chemical-monopoly-writes-its-own-law/
http://dailybail.com/home/jon-stewart-exposes-the-monsanto-protection-act.html