Speaking at the World Social Forum in Nairobi this week, the ETC Group says abuses of synthetic biology have the potential to threaten humankind in just 5-10 years. Synthetic biology is the practice of building life from scratch. "Genetic engineering is passé," said Pat Mooney, Executive Director of ETC Group. "Today, scientists aren't just mapping genomes and manipulating genes, they're building life from scratch – and they're doing it in the absence of societal debate and regulatory oversight," said Mooney. With synthetic biology, just about anyone can have the ability to build dangerous viruses and pathogens from scratch. It's as simple as obtaining published gene sequence information on the internet and purchasing mail-order synthetic DNA. Scientists predict that within 2-5 years it will be possible to synthesize any virus. Learn more:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3825.cfm
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“2007-2-0″,”USDA "natural" label meaningless, misleading”,”Animal Rights & Environment,Issue Number,Feb 2007,Farm Sanctuary,Year”,””,”
On January 11, Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal shelter and advocacy organization criticized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) "natural" label as misleading and meaningless. The organization submitted comments to the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) of the USDA opposing the "natural" label on products from animals raised on industrialized factory farms or "derived from animals whose lives have been otherwise altered and manipulated in blatantly unnatural ways." These comments, submitted in reference to USDA Docket No. FSIS 2006-0040, also challenge the USDA for allowing meat from animals given growth hormones and antibiotics to be labeled as "natural."
"Most people are shocked to find that the ‘natural' label is essentially meaningless and has nothing to do with the way animals are raised. It only pertains to the handling of meat after slaughter," said Gene Baur, president of Farm Sanctuary. "Certainly, meat from animals who are raised completely indoors and deprived of living space and stimulation appropriate to their species, does not fit most consumers' expectations of a ‘natural' product."
A nationwide Zogby International poll of 1,013 likely voters, conducted from January 5 through January 9, 2007, found that 73 percent consider it "inappropriate" to label meat, milk or eggs from animals kept confined indoors, crowded in cages, and standing on metal or concrete floors as "natural." In addition, the poll showed that consumers prefer to purchase foods labeled as "natural" over those without such a label.
As industrialized animal farming proliferates, public concern mounts for the welfare of animals subjected to these systems. This growing popular opposition was evident last November, when 62 percent of Arizona voters approved Proposition 204 to prohibit the use of veal crates and gestation crates, 2-foot-wide enclosures that confine calves raised for veal and sows used for breeding. The public's growing interest and opinions in such matters dictates that the treatment of animals during their lives trumps narrower perspectives of post-slaughter meat processing as the sole basis for considering what defines "natural."
Currently, chickens and turkeys sold as "natural" have been genetically altered to grow twice as fast and twice as large as normal, which causes the birds to suffer health problems related to the inability of their hearts and lungs to support their extreme growth rates. They also suffer leg and joint disorders because their legs are unable to support their abnormal weight. In the case of turkeys, the birds have been so profoundly altered that they cannot mount and reproduce naturally. The birds are packed by the thousands in warehouse-like factories, unable to experience natural outdoor environments or fulfill their basic instincts.
Pigs, like poultry, are crowded into unnatural indoor environments for the duration of their lives. They stand on slatted metal or concrete floors in warehouse-like factory farms. Cattle raised for beef also spend much of their lives confined in overcrowded feedlots, and they are given growth promoting hormones. All are fed unnaturally rich diets designed to maximize production and economic profitability, and they are routinely given antibiotics to ward off disease, as well as to increase growth rates. All of these practices are common in industrialized animal agriculture today and currently allowed under the "natural" label.
For the full Zogby poll, a copy of the comments and recommendations submitted to FSIS USDA, a 20-page summary booklet, "The Facts About Farm Animal Welfare Standards" and/or the full 105-page research report "Farm Animal Welfare: An Assessment of Product Labeling Claims, Industry Quality Assurance Guidelines and Third-Party Certification Programs," as well as photos and videos of industrialized farming systems are available by contacting media@farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225 ext. 233. Additional information can be found at http://www.factoryfarming.com/.
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