MONSANTO GETS A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS IN THE EA

Readers of this site have at times been offended by my statement that watching David Miliband run DEFRA is like wathcing a paedophile run a kindergarden. Other readers have just been offended at the fact that DEFRA is such a failure. The July 2007 issue of The Ecologist reveals some facts about the related EA (Environment Agency) which back up my not so pleasant assertions.

Jon Huges and Pat Thomas write:

"The EA is within weeks of letting Monsanto escape its liability for knowingly dumping thousands of tonnes of cancer-causing chemicals - including all the ingredients of the DDT defoliant Agent Orange - in two quarries in Wales. Unless a claim and 'adversary action' is lodged with the US bankruptcy courts within around four weeks, the UK taxpayer faces picking up a bill for hundreds of millions of pounds to safeguard teh environment and public health. Yet for the past few months the Agency has stonewalled teh one remaining eyewitness to events as they unfolded in 1967 onwards, and who is prepared to speak out. This man, who now carries a panic button at all times, also has a dedicated police protection officer supervising protective devices installed at his house because of the threats he has received".

A comment I posted on their site listed the Parliament number of David Miliband, which is: 020 7219 3000. The more you complaing, the better service you get. If you let them do what they want, you are going to lose.

REAPING WHAT WE SOW

Saint Paul believed that people reap what they sow; "be not deceived", he warned, "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap; he who sows to the spirit shall reap life, but he who sows to the flesh shall reap corruption."

A more recent warning about reaping corruption comes from a leading German zoologist, Hans-Heinrich Kaatz of the University of Jena. Kaatz talked to the Observer (UK) in May of 2000 and foretold the disaster that is now occuring with bees. He asserted: "I have found the herbicide-resistant genes in the rapeseed transferred across to the bacteria and yeast inside the intestines of young bees." [full report posted on rense.com]

At that time, the UK Agriculture Minister Nick Brown advised farmers to destroy all crops contaminated with GM. Two years later, the government was less active, as a report in the Sunday Times was to show. In that piece (15/9/02), it was revealed that GM crops tainted honey from 2 miles afield. UK government response then was to say they did not believe it was a source of concern. Five years on we have different faces in that office, and they are not much concerned either.

They might be, if they listened. A yet more recent report just might get their ear, that of organic beekeeper Sharon Labchuk, who states that among the 1,000 or so organic beekeepers who write in to her newsletter, none has had a case of CCD in their hives. Michael Bush, to whom she refers her readers, notes that the media does not tell us the real causes of this problem, and asks if media coverage will affect government response. Unfortunately, it may, the bullies in the media set the tone and the politicians dance to it.

At times, some do stand up to the bullies, and this month it was Senator Chuck Grassely, a Republican from Iowa who demanded that Big Oil explain why they are not producing ethanol. In his opinion, and in that of many others' as well, Big Oil is stalling on the issue to sell us more petrol. Ethanol could be produced from farm wastes, so obviously, Big Oil has little interest in it. However, the left is just as guilty here, as they went and supported the palm oil fraud that has destroyed so many habitats in poor countries the mainstream press can ignore. The likes of George Monbiot might want to take some responsibility for their nonsense along with Big Oil.

It is becoming more and more apparent that individuals have to act on issues rather than wait for governments, right, wrong or left, to do so. This week a farmer in California took on the pesticide companies by suing them for pesticide residues which blew on to his farm, destroying his dill to the tune of $500,000. Larry Jacobs of Jacobs Farms is suing Westerm Farm Services. While the whole case may take as long as the OJ case, there is at least an injunction issued by the Santa Cruz County Superior Court to stop spraying.

Some might call this litigation unusual, but there is precedent for it in that very state, where northern orchard growers sued to limit spraying and the state granted stricter ordinances against the use of herbicides. Indeed there is solid legal basis for both cases, as Jacobs' barrister, Austin Comstock, points out: "There's a traditional concept in Anglo-Saxon law that you use your property in a way not to damage mine...if you damage mine, there's some redress there."

Sounds almost Biblical there, Mr. Comstock.

BUZZING OFF

At least the Colony Collapse Disorder cannot be blamed on cannabis (which journalists are now reporting on much in the style of Hearst's 'Reefer Madness' campaign). Hemp pollen has been found in some honey jars, but very minimally, as it is an apetallous flower which only blooms for a week or two. Evidence points in a number of other directions, such as GM crops, mobile phones, pesticides and over-breeding.

The epidemic is spreading to Europe and South America, and anyone with a desire to live more than four years is worried, but that does not seem to include the Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the UK, which says that they are not worried. Today is election day in the UK, so I hope that voters are and that they are voting out Hard Labour in the local elections. Not sure who to get in, but when DEFRA is the joke that it is, it is time for a change.

For more info on the fate of hymonoptera and Homo sapiens, check out Peter Dearman's excellent article on the web. Then go call DEFRA or whatever government agency is appropriate for you, (in the US, the number is 1-800-DROP DEAD, ask to speak to the 'commander guy').

TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE

Albert Einstein gives Homo sapiens four years to live if the bees buzz off, and buzz off they may well be doing. A fellow blogger, Chris Sanders, writes on his schmoo site about them, with an image of one he took with his mobile phone...which item may be the cause of the bees' demise. Dangerous tools, even when not in the hands of Naomi Campbell.

Sanders writes from the vicinity of the Post Office Tower in London (which is as much as I can tell anyone about his secret location), and that edifice may itself be sending mixed signals to the hymonoptera...unless it was not a bee at all, but a guided drone sent to seek out the secret Schmoo HQ...

Conspiracy theories aside, there is a serious problem when beekeepers lose 23 out of 40 hives. As a good deal of our agriculture is pollinated by these nectiforous creatures, we could be down to four more years. America especially has a problem with loss of hives, and it has been thought that the problem there is due to the GM crops they cultivate without even warning the people who are eating them. It is hard to tell at this point whether it is GM crops, mobile phones, both of the above, or some other issue that is now threatening life on this planet. Just what is Defra doing about it? As this unfolds, David Miliband is fiddling...or at least his wife is, as he ponders whether or not to put his hat in the ring to be PM.

On a previous post there is mention of the role of hemp in the countryside, which is being turned over to crops such as rape, cotton and wheat. There is a monocrop culture going on that stifles diverstiy and allows for these problems to exist, but much of this is over the head of people like Miliband, who is not a farmer and does not have much experience with the soil. He is a politician and believes in doing something sometime. In the meantime, the bees have had enough.

HEMP IN PARLIAMENT SQUARE

Image below/right needs no introduction; it is the plant that could save the planet, with its long fibre, high cellullose content, edible seeds and leaves which containt medically important compounds. Image left is that of one of the men closest to Tony Blair on the planet. It is David Miliband, who is now Secretary for the Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. So, given his proximity to Blair, and thus his less than six degrees of seperation from Bush, we are not surprised to hear that hemp is not a priority with him. In fact, even though hemp could provide a replacement substance for wood pulp for paper and give us ethanol from its waste parts, there has not been much of an effort on Defra's part to do this. So what if a UK based paper industry and biofuel industry would provide jobs here in the UK? The Republican Party (formerly known as New Labour, formerly known as Labour) is spending a large amount of its time selling off UK defence companies for a fraction of their price to Bush...and drafting insulting legislation that would make UK citizens liable to Bush's laws, vulnerable for extradition and orange jump suits even when they have been law abiding citizens.

Watching this party handle Defra is like watching paedophiles teaching young kids. They smile a lot as they do, as anyone responsible cringes. The year started off with Miliband's gracious comments in the Guardian, (3/1/7), Society section, p. 6. In it Miliband opines that: "Environmental credibility will be a threshhold issue, alongside national security, economic policy and public service investment."

Those are encouraging words, and may well mean that the Republican party will be out of office soon. In fact, Miliaband, perhaps prophetically, asserts: "Flunk on any of these and you are unelectable."

The next day, that same newspaper reported a Miliband sighting in the countryside, where he was forced to admit that his party's policies had "brought woe to the industry" (speaking of farming). David Cameron, leader of the opposition party, pointed to present policies as ones which "ensure that farmers grow nothing but a crop of concrete."

But perhaps that is what Miliband would be happy with. One thing he was not too happy with was organic produce, which he said was a "lifestyle choice" a few days later; Matthew Fort, again in the Guardian, robustly rebutted him, closing his piece (8/1/7) p. 5 with the words: "He either knows very little about agricultural production, or he simply doesn't care about animal welfare or food produced to a price, not to a quality."

In the meantime, people here who are much more qualified that Miliband are working on increasing organic produce and biodiverstiy whilst decreasing the use of pesticides. Hemp is part of that overall agenda, especially as it is such an economically important crop. Businesses and politicians from other parties are working behind the scenes to bring this about. Ten years of hard labour have been wasted years in the 'great war for civilisation', but not all of it has gone to pot. Greater cooperation and the establishment of a British Isles hemp industries association this past year have pushed the campaign forward, and we look forward to seeing it bear much fruit in 2007. Maybe we can send Mr. Miliband some organic hemp seeds. In a moment of inspiration, he could plant them in Parliament Square.

UK HEMP REPORT

In July of 2005, Defra, the UK government agency charged with the environment, published a report they had commissioned to ADAS/The Centre for Sustainable Crop Management.

The 68 page work is titled: UK Flax and Hemp Production: The impact of changes in support measures on the competitiveness and future potential of UK fibre production and industrial use.

As a governemnt document, it is available on request from: Defra, Ergon House, Horseferry Road, London, SW1 2AL/Tel: 020 238 6166/ industrialcrops@defra.gsi.gov.uk

There is a claim that is is available on the defra website, but this may not be the case, or wasn't when last checked.

Contents of the report are as follows:

Executive Summary

Introduction and background

Change in support payments

Flax and hemp and the environment

Utilisation of flax and hemp and competition from other fibres

Agronomy of flax and hemp - scope for improvement

Future scenarios

Appendix 1: Flax Varieties approved under IACS

Appendix 2: Hemp Varieties approved under IACS

Appendx 3: Sturctural components of the hemp plant and their uses

Appendix 4: Approved used for flax and hemp

Appendix 5: Approved products for use on hemp

The report recommends hemp cultivation for the UK, asserting: "...the UK is arguably one of the best placed countries to develop industries based on the short flax and hemp markets." (p. 5)

A conclusion from the section in which that statement was made reads: "At current commercial yield, hemp is competitive with other common break crops after the removal of AAPS support and has a low environmental footprint." (p.9)

On the subject of biodiversity, hemp is found again to be beneficial (p.11); reference to the Linnet, Carduelis cannabinis, is made, as one of many seed eating birds that would benefit from hemp in the landscape. (It mentions the fact that the Linnet is one of the few birds whose young feed entirely from seeds).

Another reason stated for using hemp to increase biodiversity is the fact that this reduces the overall levels of pests and diseases associated with cereals and oilseeds. (p. 12)

An issue that the report touches on is the use of hemp in the paper industry: "Hemp fibre can replace wood fibre without changes to production equipment", is states (p. 23), and this has been borne out by individuals who have themselves made many tonnes of hemp paper in the UK, including John Hanson of Lyme Regis (whose paper is featured in Hemp for Victory).

When discussing paper there is always the mention of hurds, the inside part of the stems which by weight make up 70-80% of the plant. These have been used for paper in the US since at least 1915, when government testing proved them to be useful material, and in France, where they were sold off for medium grade paper pulp in the 1920s. The Defra report states: "The hemp hurds (short core fibres) may be processed into cellophane packing material or into low cost, compostable replacement for polystyrene." (p. 23)

The use of hurds as building material is also addressed, citing the cement made with them that is stronger than cement but five times lighter. (p. 23)

The textile market is looked at also, though there is littel infrastructure in the UK presently to weave and knit hemp cloth. Comparing hemp to cotton, it notes: "...hemp fibres are longer, stronger, more lustrous and absorbent and more mildew resistant." (p. 24)

Other application are also discussed, from seed oil to insulating material, and it is quite clear from the report that hemp is of economic value to the UK.

As Defra has commissioned this and has this information in its hands, it is only fair to query Defra ministers as to what they are doing about it. Further information on this agency and ministerial response will be available at the hemp for victory blogspot from time to time.

LETTER FROM GEORGINA DOWNS IN THE INDEPENDENT

In a previous post (8 June, 2006) there is mention of Georgina Downs, the woman who took on the government over the issue of pesticide spraying. For some reason, this was a very unlicensed business, and it was making people sick. Downs was persistent and got the Secretary of the Environment to take action. In today's letters section of the Independent she weighs in with her view of the legislation: "There are serious flaws throughout the existing regulations, particularly the lack of protection for people in the countryside from cropspraying."

Perhaps Downs expects the government to care for the people in the countryside, which has been ruled from London by a government that cares very much - for profits made by non-British corporations. Just ask the Carlyle Group about how kind Tony Blair has been to give them £335m worth of Quinetic stock for only £40. Someone made a mistake, accidentally on purpose, or was just very kind, but not to the people in the countryside who make our bread and butter. There are only so many hours in the day, and when they are spent in selling off British assets to George Bush, there is not a lot of time left for UK citizens.

Which, as Downs points out, can be illegal - as pesticides are not supposed to be approved for use until risk assessments have been undertaken to provide evidence that there will not be a health risk; her letter makes it clear that "there has never been an adequate risk assessment for the longterm exposure for those who live, work or go to school near sprayed fields."

She is not speaking out of her own opinion here, she goes on to note: "At least three official reports have heavily criticised the existing monitoring system for pesticides, the Select Committee on Agriculture report in 1987, the British Medical Association report in 1990 and more recently the Royal Commission report, all of which have concluded that none of the government agencies involved with pesticides had made any serious attempt to gather data on the chronic effects of pesticides on human health."

So what does the government say about it? That a 'robust system' is in place. Yeah, right. Translated into English that means "bugger off and leave us alone to suck up to pesticide companies." Which is what many ministers will do if left alone. That is why I do not leave them alone, I make it a point now to contact them every day. Some are responsive, some OK, some have hostile press secretaries who would really like me to go to hell. I will be posting the responses here in the near future and talking publicly about it as well.

Part of the way to alleviate pesticide spraying is to sow hemp, for which, according to a Defra report made in 2005, there are no listed pesticides. The photo above, (taken by Dru Lawson of The Hemp Trading Co.) is of a field harvested in Essex on 4 August, and it was then noted that no pesticides were used and neither were there any infestations. That same report, kindly sent to me by Mark Quinlan at Defra, recommended hemp for this reason and for reasons of biodiversity.

Continual pressure on Defra officials to get them to do their job will be of great benefit to everyone, and I encourage all to follow Downs' example. The switchboard number for Parliament is 020 7219 3000, which gets one through to Lords and Commons.

~you don't get what you expect, you get what you inspect~