Avery states:
<"Recently the Codex Aliment arius in Rome, which is the referee for the
World Trade Organization, said "Since you haven't given us any proof of
danger, you're going to have to lift the trade barrier." All of this
rhetoric about Americans having bad food is a reaction to Europe having it's
feet held to the fire on scientific proof of danger. Either put up or shut
up, and they can't put up.">
So says I: They haven't proven that the hormones are harmful, so let's force
them to import the stuff into their food supply... and yet...
Avery: I, also, am in favor of irradiation. I am particularly in favor of
it for organic food that is grown when it is grown with the assistance of
manure, because that involves a serious bacterial risk, and the irradiation
would eliminate that. To me, irradiation is the one big, obvious thing we
can do to make what is already the safest food supply in world history
significantly safer. But, so far, the public doesn't want it, and we live in
a democracy.
First I'm going to ignore for the moment his comment that implies that
organic foods pose a more serious risk of contamination than over-populated
industrial agricultural production, and therefore need irradiation, and
focus on the last part of his statement: "But, so far, the public doesn't
want it (irradiation), and we live in a democracy."
If we're so democratic, why are we shoving our hormone treated beef at
Europe?
When I hear the words "has no proven harmful effects" I get real nervous;
remember how Pen-phen (sp.) was released by the FDA for weight-loss, and
then after the public was used as Guinea pigs to prove its harmful effects
it was then pulled off the shelves?
So maybe the EU hasn't been able to find enough proof to support their ban,
I myself don't see too much harm in the hormones (of course I graduated from
a land-grant college that was doing such studies and have in the past popped
many a Ralgro into the ear of a steer), but if they don't want it , so be
it.
Another thing that gets me riled is a newsreport on NPR the other day- (may
have been 2 separate reports) that Clinton and Glickman are trying to find
ways to open up export markets to help the farmer and also how they want to
find more uses for agricultural products as an energy source (ethanol,
methane, etc.).
Oh yeah, a lot of help to FARMERS!!! When's the last time you heard a
farmer talk about filling a barge to send to another country? Or build a
methane collector on his small family farm!?
<sanet-mg-digest Monday, August 9 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1206
<From: Andy Clark
<Subject: NY Times: "It's Raining Farm Subsidies"
<And much of the market for those commodities is controlled by corporations
like Cargill, the nation's largest privately held company, and
Archer-Daniels-Midland, the politically connected conglomerate recently
fined $100 million for price-fixing. These two companies control 60 percent
of the export market for American grain.>
The average farmer takes his grain down to the grain elevator where he takes
what ever he can get for his grain, he's not happy about it but since most
of the smaller grain elevators close enough for him to transport his product
to have been bought up/closed down by the same folk(ADM, Cargill) that own
the elevator he's at now, there's not much he can do about it. Unless of
course he becomes a "price maker" instead of a "price taker" by value adding
or finding a niche market, and most traditional farmers won't/can't do that.
What's my solution? Heck if I know! I guess those small
alternative/sustainable farmers that can make a go of farming keep up the
good fight and try to get the media interested? You know, the underdog
versus the indusrtial giant kind of thing? We need more Greg Gunthorps, Joel
Salatins, CSA's etc. to pave the way. Hope one day I too can say "I'm a
successful farmer". I'm compiling a little booklet of farming enterprises
that if not at least successful, are keeping afloat amidst the sea of
agricultural naysayers in order to inform my friends and other contacts (not
to mention inspire myself) that there is hope!
Amy
Amy
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