100 years ago people could eat fish from any lake in the entire world with gusto, and now we cannot- NOW - even here in Minnesota - we have restriction reccomendations of the number of fish it is safe to eat and pregnant women should not consume any.... I find that fact beyond my understanding.... How did anyone ever come to the conclusion that posioning their own enviroment was reasonable choice? What was the logic? Was the trade off of higher imeadiate profits deemed acceptable in exchange for generations of poisoned food consumtion or did people not know the kind of effect they were having or did they just not care?
This especially bothers when it comes to explaining this reality to children- Sorry, you can only eat two of the fish you caught because you can only eat that much posion per year.... and when your Grandma was a little girl the fish were safe to eat... beyond my comprehension............
Attempts to silence opposition to factory farming in Minnesota has reached new levels at our state's capitol. Senator Steve Dille of Dassel is attempting to pass legislation that disqualifies people who have opposed factory farming from receiving organic funding from the MN Department of Agriculture.
In other words - no organic funding if you have tried to stop feedlot expansion, the growing of biotech crops, the application of farming chemicals or ANY industrial agriculture practice in MN during the past 3 years.
This bill is now headed for the Senate floor for a vote and is expected to happen very soon. Please call Senator Steve Dille (651-296-4131) and contact your Senator and tell them to remove lines 8.6 - 8.11 in SF 990. Tell them that people have the right to protect the environment without fear of being singled out. You can find your Senator's contact info here:
Below is the wording that has been inserted into SF 990.
7.34 (d) For the purposes of expanding, improving, and
7.35 developing production and marketing of the organic products of
7.36 Minnesota agriculture, the commissioner may receive funds from
8.1 state and federal sources and spend them, including through
8.2 grants or contracts, to assist producers and processors to
8.3 achieve certification, to conduct education or marketing
8.4 activities, to enter into research and development partnerships,
8.5 or to address production or marketing obstacles to the growth
8.6 and well-being of the industry. The commissioner may not
8.7 provide a grant to or contract with an individual or
8.8 organization that in the previous 36 months has taken, or
8.9 participated financially in, an action to prevent a person from
8.10 engaging in agricultural activities or expanding an agricultural
8.11 operation.
Make those calls and please spread the word.
Tom Taylor
Midwest and Southeast Field Organizer
Organic Consumers Association
Tel: 612-331-7309
Fax: 612-331-7483
tom@organicconsumers.org
