National Organic Program’s (NOP) latest power grab by USDA bureaucrats and corporate profiteers. USDA calls for arrest of organic activists in San Antonio
“When a government agency, the National Organic Program that pretends to represent the organic community, instead represents USDA bureaucrats and corporate profiteers - it’s time for organic consumers and our allies to rise up and take back control over organic standards and practices.” – Ronnie Cummins, national director, Organic Consumers Association.
On April 29th, the director of Organic Consumer Association (OCA), Alexis Baden-Mayer was handcuffed by police officers when she refused to put an end to OCA protest against illegal changes that is to be made to USDA National Organic Program (NOP). Alexis Baden-Mayer was forced and carried away by few officers when she refused to leave the room where she was protesting against new rules that could undermine the wholesomeness of USDA organic produce.
Doesn’t the US constitution say ‘we the People’ instead of ‘we the government’?
Apparently, the control of organic food supply has fallen into the hands of greedy corporations and corrupt politicians in USDA and FDA.
The recent arrest of OCA director for just protesting against the illegal changes in USDA organic is an indication that we don’t even have freedom of speech against corporations who are in business of mass chemical poisoning. The recent arrest of ACO director was well-intended and well-calculated since USDA had called San Antonio Police few days earlier and told them to arrest vocal activists who wanted to be heard at a National Organic Standards Board Meeting (NOSB).
The NOSB meeting was held to discuss how the integrity of organic food supply are being undermined by USDA and FDA Obama’s appointees’ Mike Taylor and Tom Vilsack (both big dogs who have been working and lobbying for giant biotech and chemical companies).
It’s shameful that under the Obama admin, both USDA and FDA are trying to corrupt over 20 years of congressionally-mandated standards for keeping organic foods safe.
The NOSB meeting was expected to be transparent and cover a diverse crowd of organic food community including consumer activists, organic farmers and food watch groups. The arrest of OCA director Alexis Baden Mayer was the imminent watering down of organic standards by the USDA. According to naturalsociety, what’s even more disturbing is the fact that USDA representative, Miles McEvoy, had illegally taken over the meeting, underhandedly calling himself ‘co-chair’ in an effort to establish his dominancy over the vocal organic supporters. That’s when NOSB is allegedly an independent organization who helped to pen the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990. Here is the video of the arrest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpKH11T48cQ&feature=youtu.be
USDA bureaucrats and giant food corporations are fighting harder to allow certain synthetic ingredients and chemicals (currently used in production of non-organic foods) inside USDA organic:
The new sets of rules proposed by FDA can cost us transparency of organic foods and change organic food policies from what’s demanded by the public to a set of rules controlled by FDA and USDA.
The new rules will also limit the public participation on how new policies and procedures could affect our food supply. They would also prevent participation of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and organic community on organic issues that affect everyone, not just corporate bottom lines. Find out how recent actions by USDA could significantly change the organic standards and weaken the public trust in the wholesomeness of organic foods: http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/dont-let-USDA-organic-labels-be-corrupted-organic-labels-are-worth-fighting-for.php
USDA under the Obama administration has miserably failed to act based on public interest:
The whole purpose of having a government in the first place is to solve the problems that we as individuals can’t solve alone. But what happens when the governmental regulatory agencies like FDA and USDA become a part of the problem by putting the interests of giant chemical and Frankenfood companies ahead of public interests?
Keep in mind that it was Tom Vilsack (secretly of agriculture and former pro-biotechnology governor of Iowa who was awarded as governor of the year by biotech companies) who ignored countless letters of concerned scientists including Dr. Huber about the toxicity of Roundup.
In his letter Dr Huber writes “For the past 40 years, I have been a scientist in the professional and military agencies that evaluate and prepare for natural and manmade biological threats, including germ warfare and disease outbreaks. Based on this experience, I believe the threat we are facing from this pathogen (inside Roundup) is unique and of a high risk status. In layman’s terms, it should be treated as an emergency”.
We can all kiss and say Goodbye to wholesomeness of organic foods if we are not all willing to stand up and fight for organic labels:
The battle to overturn NOP’s recent takeover by giant food companies is far from over but we have few members of Congress in our side.
According to organicconsumers.org, ‘Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), both of whom were principal authors of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, have written to USDA Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, to voice their disapproval of the NOP’s latest power grab’.
One would wonder how many other arrests NOP has to make in order to force the illegal changes to USDA organic food supply? If more activists and consumers don’t take a stand against USDA new policies, we could very well end up eating organic foods sprayed with toxic chemicals and engineered by a mad scientist in a lab.
Resources:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob423.html
http://naturalsociety.com/usda-calls-police-arrest-organic-activist-san-antonio/
