Food was bad enough. Let’s not genetically modify the environment.
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Bayer/Monsanto, Syngenta, BASF, et al., creating genetically engineered soil microbes for massive release. What could go wrong?
Let’s not genetically engineer soil microbes. Just … No.
A fantastic - yet alarming - new report from our colleagues at Friends of the Earth details the current state of biotech giants creating GE microbes to be released into the soil as part of their sales package to farmers. More of the same empty promises but this time around “biologicals.”
Biologicals differ from chemicals and even traditional GMOs in that they are living gene edited (GE) microorganisms applied to soil that can reproduce, spread, and interact with other microbes and other species. “Releasing GE microbes in agriculture represents an unprecedented open-air experiment,” the report states, “that may have irreversible consequences.” These consequences go well beyond the soil to risks to human, plant, and animal health as well as the greater environment.
These biotech giants are attempting to market these biologicals as their answer to regenerative agriculture. But farmers have to buy into the whole system of chemicals, seeds, and traditional GMOs to have access to these further insults to the Earth.
“We can’t replace a jug of chemicals with a jug of biologicals and think we’re going to have a sustainable farming system — a holistic approach achieves better, more consistent results than ‘silver bullet’ microbes that can be isolated, produced and marketed.”
–Genetically Engineered Soil Microbes: Risks and Concerns, pg.11.
We call this new era of genetic modification GMO 2.0 as it goes well beyond food. Anything with DNA is in play.
The full report can be found HERE and an article on the findings can be found HERE for further reading.
In the meantime, keep reading below to see a short reel on IRT’s take on the risks and how you can help make our voice heard for meaningful regulation of GMO 2.0 in agriculture.
Did you catch our popular reel on social media about this very subject? GMOs don’t belong in the soil.
As genetically engineered (GE) microbes proliferate — and unless we stop them — they have the power to devastate our forests. ? In addition to introducing new elements, they also have the ability to change existing elements — whether these GE microbes are in the air or under the ground. It’s our responsibility to preserve these beautiful and important places as biotech companies attempt to release GE microbes into our ecosystems. To hear more from Jeffrey click HERE.
And go HERE to learn about our new Self-Care Advocate Community and how joining can be a first step towards educating yourself on the dangers of GMOs, and help guide you toward what you can do to lead a healthier and GMO-free lifestyle.
Please see below to sign on to a letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack about regulating GMO 2.0.
Want to Take Action? Sign On to Our Letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack.
He’s in Charge of This Type of Thing
Join us in demanding stronger regulations and mandatory labeling for gene-edited GMOs. Our right to know what’s in our food and make informed choices is at stake.
In our letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, we invite him to watch our thought-provoking six-minute animated film titled, Seven Reasons Why Gene Editing is Dangerous and Unpredictable. This film encapsulates key insights and findings, compelling us to urgently call for robust regulation and mandatory labeling of these potentially hazardous gene edited products.
Jeffrey Sightings in the Wild: Getting the Word Out
IRT’s Founder Jeffrey Smith continues our relentless work spreading the word on the dangers of not only traditional GMOs but also of this new era of genetic modification we call GMO 2.0. Here’s a sampling of past and future presentations.
The National Heirloom Expo which starts today, September 12 - 14th. Jeffrey will be speaking on Wednesday at 2:00 pm at this three-day event celebrating the history, preservation and cultivation of heirloom varieties free from genetic modification. It’s the 10th anniversary of an exposition that’s been called “The World’s Fair of Pure Food” so if you’re in or around the Ventura, CA area check it out!
Soil and Health Forum coming up on September 18th Jeffrey is co-emceeing this conference celebrating holistic agricultural principles and their profound positive impacts on human health, the environment, and the interconnectedness of all living creatures. It’s an offspring of the rural farm movement inspired by Soil not Oil, a Bay Area tradition spanning eight years. The forum will be livestreamed for remote participants, so even if you’re not near the Petaluma, CA area you can enjoy it from afar.
How Not to Get Sick and Die podcast aired on August 23rd. Jeffrey had a great informative conversation with Australian nutritionist, Matty Landown about what you need to know about glyphosate causing disease. You can view the episode HERE or listen on your favorite podcast platform. Jeffrey is on episode #281.
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