1. WORLDWATCH REPORT ABOUT FACTORY FARMING AROUND THE GLOBE The paradigm of increasingly concentrated, genetically engineered agriculture birthed in the United States is spreading world wide. At the forefront of these technologies are concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO's) that have significant social and environmental costs. With opposition in the US solidifying against their expansion, CAFO's or factory farms are spreading across the globe in developing countries where government oversight does not regulate the effects. This month's edition of WorldWatch magazine features an article about this subject entitled "Factory Farming in the Developing World." Composed by Danielle Nierenberg, the article explores how these mass-producing facilities threaten the survival of indigenous livestock and are contributing to groundwater pollution, the spread of food-borne illnesses, and antibiotic resistance. For example, in the Philippines, annual production of poultry has increased five-fold since 1980. This has nearly wiped out the stock of native Filipino chickens and forced most family farmers out of business or into adopting factory farming methods themselves. To download a copy of the article go to: http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/mag/2003/163/2. DIVERSE GROUPS SOUND WARNING ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES When Defenders of Wildlife, the California Farm Bureau Federation and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association are all in agreement about an environmental problem, you can bet that it's a serious one. This week, representatives of these groups joined spokesmen for the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, state wildlife agencies, state foresters, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to inform members of Congress of the dire economic and environmental impacts of invasive species. Leafy spurge, purple loosestrife, tamarisk, zebra mussels and gypsy moths are just a few of the hundreds of species that have entered the United States and wreaked havoc. Freed from the environmental constraints (like parasites and predators) of their home ranges, invasive species compete with or devour agricultural crops, diminish the value of rangelands, destroy native forests, suck up precious fresh water, degrade habitats, and even drive native species to extinction. All told, they cost the U.S. over $130 billion per year. Many of these species arrive unnoticed on our shores as hitchikers on commercial goods, ship ballast water, and travelers. Congress this year will contemplate ways to stem this tide and to combat existing invaders in an environmentally sensitive way. For details on Tuesday's hearing, visit htttp://resourcescommittee.house.gov/108cong/fish/2003apr29/agenda.htm For more information on invasive species, go to http://www.defenders.org/habitat/invasive.html3. FARMER HIGHEST RISK FOR PROSTATE CANCER The federal government yesterday released a report that farmers who use certain pesticides face a higher risk of prostate cancer than the average citizen. The researchers, who published their study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, confirmed other findings that show farmers have an unusually high risk of prostate cancer. Michael Alavanja of the National Cancer Institute, who helped lead the study, said, "farming is the most consistent occupational risk factor for prostate cancer." The researchers studied 55,332 farmers or nursery workers who worked with pesticides. Between 1993 and 1999, 566 new prostate cancers developed among the men, compared to 495 that developed within the general population of the study group area.. The risk of developing prostate cancer was 14 percent greater for the pesticide applicators compared to the general population. One pesticide, methyl bromide, increased the risk of prostate cancer in all men. Six others raised the risk in men with a family history of prostate cancer. They are chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, fonofos, phorate, permethrin, and butylate. 4. PROTESTORS FAST OVER BT CORN IN THE PHILIPPINES Outside the Ministry of Agriculture building in Manila, activists are on a hunger fast protesting the introduction of GM crops into the Philippines. Now in the eleventh day of fasting, the four protestors are enduring heat, mosquitoes and smog in a call for a moratorium on the introduction of Bt corn into the Philippines. According to ABS-CBN NEWS, the activists maintain "that genetically modified corn poses a potential risk to people's health, native corn crops and the environment, and should therefore be subjected to a moratorium until all its safety, environmental, health and economic concerns are resolved." Apparently there is great suspicion surrounding the government's issuance of a permit of the Bt corn. A local priest involved with the group said that the opposition to GM crops in the Philippines enjoys "wide support," and lauded the strikers for building up the movement against GMOs and "inspiring others to intensify their opposition to it." Originally, there were nine people fasting but several had to drop out for health concerns. The group is expected to grow over the next few days. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this list,
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5/2/03