{"id":20561,"date":"2017-05-16T00:00:16","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T04:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=20561"},"modified":"2017-05-16T09:40:21","modified_gmt":"2017-05-16T13:40:21","slug":"spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/","title":{"rendered":"Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(Beyond Pesticides, May 16, 2017) Buried in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/115th-congress\/house-bill\/244\/text?format=txt\">spending bill<\/a> passed earlier this month to avert a government shutdown is a provision that allots $3 million for a federal outreach campaign promoting agricultural biotechnology and genetically engineered (GE) crops. The bill tasks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to use these funds, \u201cfor consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural biotechnology and biotechnology-derived food products and animal feed\u2026\u201d According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2017\/05\/03\/the-government-is-going-to-try-to-convince-you-to-like-gmo-foods\/?tid=sm_tw&amp;utm_term=.27abd4bc779a\">the Washington Post<\/a>, Democrats in Congress made a failed bid to move the funding towards FDA-run pediatric medical projects, but faced unanimous Republican opposition.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-18397\" src=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/corn-label-300x111-300x111.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"111\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Under the provision, FDA and USDA will spend taxpayer money to create, \u201cscience-based educational information on the environmental, nutritional, food safety, economic, and humanitarian impacts of such biotechnology, food products, and feed.\u201d If such an endeavor were made truly in the public interest, educational materials produced by these agencies would reveal significant adverse effects in every listed topic.<\/p>\n<p>GE crops, particularly those engineered to tolerate continuous applications of herbicides like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beyondpesticides.org\/resources\/pesticide-gateway?pesticideid=37\">glyphosate<\/a>, are damaging to the environment. Significant increases in herbicide use as a result of these crops has been linked to the loss of <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/02\/herbicide-use-contributes-declines-monarch-populations\/\">milkweed habitat for Monarch butterflies<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/05\/study-finds-low-levels-of-roundup-cause-adverse-effects-to-soil-health\/\">effects on soil health<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/08\/roundup-damages-earthworms-and-soil-biota-contributes-to-nutrient-pollution\/\">soil organisms<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/foodfreedom.files.wordpress.com\/2011\/08\/coupe_2011_glyphosate-in-streams.pdf\">water contamination<\/a>. There is no evidence GE foods are more nutritious than other foods in any way, and in fact studies consistently find organic products to have <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/07\/comprehensive-review-finds-clear-health-benefits-of-organic-food\/\">greater health benefits<\/a>, with <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/02\/organic-dairy-and-meat-higher-in-essential-nutrients\/\">higher levels of essential nutrients<\/a> than conventional foods. Food safety is no way enhanced with GE crops, as concerning levels of GE-dependent <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/11\/fda-stops-testing-glyphosate-new-report-finds-high-levels-found-food\/\">glyphosate herbicides have been found in the U.S. food supply<\/a>, and studies find people who <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/02\/people-who-eat-organic-have-lower-pesticide-levels-in-their-bodies\/\">eat organic have lower pesticide levels<\/a> in their body compared to those who eat conventional food.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the professions of the chemical industry, the economic impacts of GE crop production over the past two decades have not been a boon for American farmers, but instead have taken a considerable economic toll on their livelihood. Some farmers have had their <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/09\/cargill-sues-syngenta-after-china-forbids-the-sale-of-its-ge-corn\/\">crops rejected from export markets<\/a> as a <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2013\/06\/multiple-lawsuits-filed-against-monsanto-for-transgene-contamination-of-wheat\/\">result of genetic contamination<\/a>, others have <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/12\/bader-farms-v-monsanto-epic-duel-illegal-spraying-herbicide-dicamba\/\">lost their harvest due to herbicide drift<\/a>, or found that the increased expense of <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/01\/declines-in-corn-pest-populations-reduces-the-need-for-genetically-engineered-corn-research-says\/\">planting pricier GE seeds provides no real economic benefits.<\/a> A recent United Nations report specifically cited <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/03\/un-report-finds-pesticide-use-negatively-impacts-human-rights\/\">human rights concerns regarding pesticide-dependent agriculture<\/a>, and in <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2013\/10\/investigative-report-finds-soaring-pesticide-use-and-poisoning-linked-to-ge-crop-production\/\">low-income farming areas in Argentina,<\/a> as well as in the <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2015\/11\/california-study-links-glyphosate-use-and-environmental-injustice\/\">U.S. in California\u2019s Central Valley<\/a>, proximity to glyphosate use and GE crops are considered an issue of environmental justice due to disproportionate health impacts on these communities.<\/p>\n<p>As the Washington Post indicates, several members of Congress who sit on the <a href=\"http:\/\/appropriations.house.gov\/about\/members\/agricultureruralfda.htm\">House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee<\/a> received funding from the agrichemical industry. Subcommittee chair Bob Aderholt (R-AL), a strong proponent of the measure, received $10,000 in campaign funds from Monsanto last year. Four of the seven Republican members (Aderholt, Yoder, Valadao, Young), and one of the four Democrats (Bishop) on the subcommittee also received contributions from Monsanto, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/pacs\/pacgot.php?cycle=2016&amp;cmte=C00042069\">OpenSecrets.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Although the program has yet to be established, it will be important for those in the U.S. to keep a close eye on its development, to ensure it does not become a propaganda tool for the agrichemical industry. Those wishing to push back against the growth of GE crops and subsequent increases in <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/09\/ge-crops-leading-to-increase-in-toxic-herbicide-use\/\">herbicide<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2013\/05\/insecticide-sales-rise-with-failure-of-ge-corn\/\">insecticide<\/a> use can begin today by <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/programs\/organic-agriculture\/why-organic\/health-benefits\">supporting organic foods<\/a>, which never allow toxic synthetic herbicides or GE crops in products under the USDA Organic Certified seal. Change can also be made at the local level by following the lead of successful campaigns like those in <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/03\/boulder-county-colorado-to-phase-out-ge-crops-on-public-land\/\">Boulder County, Colorado<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2014\/05\/oregon-counties-ban-planting-of-genetically-engineered-crops\/\">Jackson County, Oregon<\/a>, where GE crop plantings were restricted or banned. Lastly, residents can contact their <a href=\"http:\/\/www.house.gov\/representatives\/find\/\">Representative<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/senators\/contact\/\">Senator<\/a> and question them if they have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/pacs\/sector.php?txt=A01&amp;cycle=2016\">campaign contributions and ties to the agrichemical industry<\/a> (use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/politicians\/\">Opensecrets.org<\/a> to investigate), asking how they\u2019ll fight for a safer, healthier and more sustainable food system based on organic principles.<\/p>\n<p><em>All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/wonk\/wp\/2017\/05\/03\/the-government-is-going-to-try-to-convince-you-to-like-gmo-foods\/?tid=sm_tw&amp;utm_term=.4745657f75b6\">Washington Post<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/115th-congress\/house-bill\/244\/text?format=txt\">HR 244<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Beyond Pesticides, May 16, 2017) Buried in the spending bill passed earlier this month to avert a government shutdown is a provision that allots $3 million for a federal outreach campaign promoting agricultural biotechnology and genetically engineered (GE) crops. The bill tasks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to use these funds, \u201cfor consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural biotechnology and biotechnology-derived food products and animal feed\u2026\u201d According to the Washington Post, Democrats in Congress made a failed bid to move the funding towards FDA-run pediatric medical projects, but faced unanimous Republican opposition. Under the provision, FDA and USDA will spend taxpayer money to create, \u201cscience-based educational information on the environmental, nutritional, food safety, economic, and humanitarian impacts of such biotechnology, food products, and feed.\u201d If such an endeavor were made truly in the public interest, educational materials produced by these agencies would reveal significant adverse effects in every listed topic. GE crops, particularly those engineered to tolerate continuous applications of herbicides like glyphosate, are damaging to the environment. Significant increases in herbicide use as a result of these crops has been linked to the loss of milkweed habitat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,363,5,68,9,276,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-corporations","category-federal-agencies","category-genetic-engineering","category-monsanto","category-national-politics","category-take-action","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs - Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(Beyond Pesticides, May 16, 2017) Buried in the spending bill passed earlier this month to avert a government shutdown is a provision that allots $3 million for a federal outreach campaign promoting agricultural biotechnology and genetically engineered (GE) crops. The bill tasks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to use these funds, \u201cfor consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural biotechnology and biotechnology-derived food products and animal feed\u2026\u201d According to the Washington Post, Democrats in Congress made a failed bid to move the funding towards FDA-run pediatric medical projects, but faced unanimous Republican opposition. Under the provision, FDA and USDA will spend taxpayer money to create, \u201cscience-based educational information on the environmental, nutritional, food safety, economic, and humanitarian impacts of such biotechnology, food products, and feed.\u201d If such an endeavor were made truly in the public interest, educational materials produced by these agencies would reveal significant adverse effects in every listed topic. GE crops, particularly those engineered to tolerate continuous applications of herbicides like glyphosate, are damaging to the environment. Significant increases in herbicide use as a result of these crops has been linked to the loss of milkweed habitat [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-05-16T04:00:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-05-16T13:40:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/corn-label-300x111-300x111.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ByondPesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ByondPesticides\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Beyond Pesticides\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Beyond Pesticides\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4\"},\"headline\":\"Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-05-16T04:00:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-05-16T13:40:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/\"},\"wordCount\":688,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/corn-label-300x111-300x111.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Corporations\",\"Federal Agencies\",\"Genetic Engineering\",\"Monsanto\",\"National Politics\",\"Take Action\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/\",\"name\":\"Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs - 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The bill tasks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to use these funds, \u201cfor consumer outreach and education regarding agricultural biotechnology and biotechnology-derived food products and animal feed\u2026\u201d According to the Washington Post, Democrats in Congress made a failed bid to move the funding towards FDA-run pediatric medical projects, but faced unanimous Republican opposition. Under the provision, FDA and USDA will spend taxpayer money to create, \u201cscience-based educational information on the environmental, nutritional, food safety, economic, and humanitarian impacts of such biotechnology, food products, and feed.\u201d If such an endeavor were made truly in the public interest, educational materials produced by these agencies would reveal significant adverse effects in every listed topic. GE crops, particularly those engineered to tolerate continuous applications of herbicides like glyphosate, are damaging to the environment. Significant increases in herbicide use as a result of these crops has been linked to the loss of milkweed habitat [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/","og_site_name":"Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/beyondpesticides\/","article_published_time":"2017-05-16T04:00:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-05-16T13:40:21+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/corn-label-300x111-300x111.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Beyond Pesticides","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_site":"@ByondPesticides","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Beyond Pesticides","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/"},"author":{"name":"Beyond Pesticides","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#\/schema\/person\/1b5c0a0981b549cc5b628770073031f4"},"headline":"Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs","datePublished":"2017-05-16T04:00:16+00:00","dateModified":"2017-05-16T13:40:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/"},"wordCount":688,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/corn-label-300x111-300x111.jpg","articleSection":["Corporations","Federal Agencies","Genetic Engineering","Monsanto","National Politics","Take Action"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/","url":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2017\/05\/spending-bill-found-include-taxpayer-funded-program-promote-gmos\/","name":"Spending Bill Found to Include Taxpayer-Funded Program to Promote GMOs - 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By forging ties with governments, nonprofits, and people who rely on these natural resources, we reduce the need for unnecessary pesticide use and protect public health and the environment. Beyond Pesticides provides hands-on services to the public and supports local action by: identifying and interpreting hazards; and, designing safe pest management programs. With the information provided by Beyond Pesticides, people may not only be able to make informed choices and adopt practices that protect themselves and their families from unnecessary exposure to pesticides, but they will be able to effect changes on community-wide pest management decisions and policies that govern pesticide use, such as pesticide uses in parks, schools, for community insect control and along roadsides. 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