GMO Labeling Bill Shot Down In Senate Just Days Before March Against Monsanto

Just days before the massive worldwide event know as March Against Monsanto, the Senate has once again sided with Monsanto by overwhelmingly voting against a bill that would have allowed individual states to choose whether or not to label GMO foods.

With a vote count of 71 to 27, the Senate denied the right of the people to know what is in the food they eat. The Senate also took a direct shot at the 10th Amendment in denying individual states the right to make their own decision in regards to GMO labeling.

Shortly before the vote, sponsor Senator Bernie Sanders said that, “the concept we’re talking about today is a fairly commonsense and non-radical idea.

“All over the world, in the European Union, in many other countries around the world, dozens and dozens of countries, people are able to look at the food that they are buying and determine through labeling whether or not that product contains genetically modified organisms.”

Sanders also noted that in the past he has helped pass laws in his home state of Vermont that would require GMO labeling but hasn’t seen those laws actually be enacted over fears that Monsanto would sue the state. This bill would allow states to do what they want without fear that the company that brought us agent orange could end up having more power than an entire state government.

Opponents of the bill were also vocal, with one Senator claiming that there was no evidence that there is any difference between GMO and non GMO despite known facts that point to the exact opposite.

The Huffington Post reported:

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the chair of the Agriculture Committee, argued that the measure “is not germane to the farm bill” in the first place. She also said the labels run counter to science and the public interest in healthy food.

“This particular amendment would interfere with the FDA’s science-based process to determine what food labeling is necessary for consumers,” Stabenow said.

“It’s also important to note that around the world now we are seeing genetically modified crops that have the ability to resist crop diseases and improve nutritional content and survive drought conditions in many developing countries,” she added.

“We see wonderful work being done by foundations like the Gates Foundation and others, that are using new techniques to be able to feed hungry people,” she said, although it was not clear how labeling would affect such efforts.

Either Stabenow is so naive she is literally just repeating Gate Foundation/Monsanto talking points or she is (like many in Congress) in the pockets of big agriculture.

At this point it seems that attempting to make GMO labeling a reality by going through Congress may be impossible and a more grassroots type of movement is needed. Luckily, that may actually be happening.

The vote against GMO labeling came just two days before the worldwide event known as March Against Monsanto. While the mainstream media has largely stayed quiet about the now viral worldwide movement against GMO’s and Monsanto, tens of thousands of people are planning to rally across the country.

March Against Monsanto has announced that on May 25, tens of thousands of activists around the world will “March Against Monsanto.”

Currently, marches are being planned on six continents, in 36 countries, totaling events in over 250 cities, and in the US, events are slated to occur simultaneously at 11 a.m. Pacific in 47 states.

Many have questioned what the overall goals of the movement are and spoke about the need for a clear message as to why they are marching. The official March Against Monsanto website has outlined this.

On May 25, activists around the world will unite to March Against Monsanto.

Why do we march?

• Research studies have shown that Monsanto’s genetically-modified foods can lead to serious health conditions such as the development of cancer tumors, infertility and birth defects.

• In the United States, the FDA, the agency tasked with ensuring food safety for the population, is steered by ex-Monsanto executives, and we feel that’s a questionable conflict of interests and explains the lack of government-led research on the long-term effects of GM products.

• Recently, the U.S. Congress and president collectively passed the nicknamed “Monsanto Protection Act” that, among other things, bans courts from halting the sale of Monsanto’s genetically-modified seeds.

• For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup.

• Monsanto’s GM seeds are harmful to the environment; for example, scientists have indicated they have contributed to Colony Collapse Disorder among the world’s bee population.

What are solutions we advocate?

• Voting with your dollar by buying organic and boycotting Monsanto-owned companies that use GMOs in their products.

• Labeling of GMOs so that consumers can make those informed decisions easier.

• Repealing relevant provisions of the US’s “Monsanto Protection Act.”

• Calling for further scientific research on the health effects of GMOs.

• Holding Monsanto executives and Monsanto-supporting politicians accountable through direct communication, grassroots journalism, social media, etc.

• Continuing to inform the public about Monsanto’s secrets.

• Taking to the streets to show the world and Monsanto that we won’t take these injustices quietly.

We will not stand for cronyism. We will not stand for poison. That’s why we March Against Monsanto.

For more information you can visit the March Against Monsanto Website.