CONTENTS
1) Editorial
2) HANS in the News
3) Feature: Dangers Facing Our Seed Supply
4) Issue Updates
--Protect Canadian Farmers Rights
--GM “Terminator” Seeds a New Threat?
--Send Your Comment on 2,4-D
--PEI Considering GE-Free
5) Media Watch
--Acupuncture Relieves Pelvic Pregnancy Pain
--Mercury Pollution, Autism Link Found – U.S. Study
--Caffeine Impairs Sugar Function
--Improper Medication Use Varies Widely in Europe
--Brazil Approves GM Seeds
--Protests Halt GM Test Trials
--North American Activists Urge Lindane Ban
6) Calendar of Events
7) HANS Contact Info
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1) EDITORIAL
Hello HANS Members and Friends;
Your positive feedback about our first e-News is encouraging! If you ever miss an issue, back issues will be posted on our new website at www.hans.org.
Another website feature is the “News” section. I was quite fascinated to find out that Woody Harrelson, popular from the hit TV series Cheers, is a raw-food lover, yogi, and promoter of organic food and sustainable living. Whoever would’ve thought? A great story – have a look!
Thank you, Sandra Tonn, for “News” - an interesting and soon-to-be regularly viewed area of our website. Another big thanks to our e-News volunteer team, Michelle and Graham.
YOU, e-News subscribers, are our trend trackers, too. If you have a good story that might be of interest to other members, by all means e-mail us at hans@hans.org.
HANS, like the phoenix, is rising from the ashes. Can you feel it? This year, in 2005, we are launching initiatives that have taken over a year to develop. “HOW to Get Well” is one of them.
HOW is short for HANS ON Wellness Insurance, available initially to members who run a business (even self-employed) and their staff. Imagine health insurance that allows you to visit a wide range of traditional or complementary health practitioners at a reasonable price. Details on this coverage, including rates, are available at www.hans.org.
What else have been working on? CODEX Alimentarius. One of the biggest issues right now is what’s happening to natural products globally. A number of European countries have lost most vitamins and natural products already, and we at HANS are spending hundreds of hours reviewing how international CODEX recommendations might affect Canada.
CODEX is a complex issue with many different views and vested interests. How, for instance, is it linked with Health Canada’s reclassification of supplements into drugs? And is private member’s Bill C-420, which would return supplements to the “food” portion of our Food and Drugs Act, a viable option that will protect our right to natural health products? What about this third “not food not drug” category that some interests are encouraging? All good questions.
As soon as HANS has an irrefutable opinion and plan that cuts to the heart of this issue, YOU will be the first to know.
All the best,
Lorna J Hancock
Founding Member and Director
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2) HANS IN THE NEWS
This March, “The Vancouver Sun” ran two meaty articles in which HANS had a strong presence.
“Electricity that is dirty” featuring Milt Bowling, chair of our Electromagnetic (EMF) Task Force, appeared Tuesday, March 8, B2. The article discussed Bowling’s long campaign against the hidden dangers of EMF radiation and considered the benefits of Graham Stetzer EMF filters.
“Vitamin Vanguard,” profiling many of BC’s natural health pioneers, hit stands March 23, B2. The spread included HANS founding member and director Lorna Hancock amongst its who’s who, along with Dominion Herbal College, Kripps Pharmacy, Abram Hoffer, and Croft Woodruff, to name a few.
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3) FEATURE: DANGERS FACING OUR SEED SUPPLY
By Trudy Peskett
What’s happening to Canada’s seed supply? The business of farming has undergone an arguably ominous shift and the commodity most at risk is our seeds.
Twenty years ago, farmers controlled almost 100 per cent of their seed supply by saving it year after year. Now 80 per cent of Canada’s seed supply is under corporate control.
Only two per cent of North Americans are involved in some aspect of food production, down from 85 per cent in the 1950s. At the same time as mass-production farms have replaced the traditional homestead, seed biodiversity has also shrunk.
Our ancestors regularly ate more than 200 varieties of fruits and vegetables; nowadays, 20 plants provide an estimated 90 per cent of our grain, fruits, and vegetables.
Many proven seed varieties have fallen to the wayside. For example, since 1900, about 86 per cent of thousands of apple varieties once commonly found have gone extinct. Nowadays it’s usual to see fewer, ubiquitous varieties, e.g., Red Delicious, Gala, McIntosh, and Granny Smith, on supermarket shelves. An estimated 4,000 varieties of vegetables are currently considered endangered in Canada and the United States.
Meanwhile, the seed industry has been transformed. During the 1990s, about half of all small, independent seed companies either went out of business or were bought out. A December 2003 report, “Oligopoly, Inc.,” by the ETC Group (www.etcgroup.org) reveals how the world’s top ten seed companies now control one-third of the $23,300 million commercial seed market.
World’s Top 10 Seed Companies
Company 2002 Seed Sales, in US millions
1. Dupont (Pioneer) US $2,000
2. Monsanto (US) $1,600
3. Syngenta (Switzerland) $937
4. Seminis (US) $453
5. Advanta (Netherlands) $435
6. Groupe Limagrain (Vilmorin Clause) France $433
7. KWS AG (Germany) $391
8. Sakata (Japan) $376
9. Delta and Pine Land (US) $258
10. Bayer Crop Science (Germany) $250
Many of these multinational companies invest heavily in genetic modification (GM), a process of considerable controversy. We can expect to see more GM seeds infiltrating the market in the future. Dupont, for instance, released biotech varieties of 28 new corn hybrids and 19 new soybean varieties in 2003.
Similarly, Monsanto allocated 80 per cent of its 2003 research and development budget to biotech seeds. Its GM products alone are estimated at $26 billion.
There’s also considerable overlap between the GM and agrochemical (i.e., pesticide, herbicide, etc.) industries. Syngenta is the world’s third largest seed company and also the biggest agrochemical firm. Monsanto, second on the seed company list, is the third largest agrochemical company, with 2002 sales at $3,088 million.
Do we want to support these industry giants, or seed companies who stand for seed diversity and against corporate control?
Ask your seed vendor where the seeds were grown and gathered. Otherwise, you may be inadvertently filling unexpected coffers, as some seemingly independent seed outlets merely purchase seed from the above sources and add their own labels.
Springtime events such as Seedy Saturdays and local farmers markets are good places to find rarer seed varieties that are both delicious and well-suited to your area.
Equally important is to support heritage seed preservation programs (see resources below). With some effort, our diverse plant and food biodiversity can be saved for future generations.
Seeds of Diversity Canada, www.seeds.ca, 905-623-0353. Salt Spring Sanctuary Society, www.seedsanctuary.com, 250-537-5269. National Farmers Union Seed Saver Campaign, www.nfu.ca, 306-652-9465. Organic Seed Alliance (Port Townsend, WA), www.seedalliance.org, 360-385-7192.
Reprinted and updated with author’s permission from alive Magazine, May 2004.
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4) ISSUE UPDATES
Protect Canadian Farmers Rights
The Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) wants to introduce legislative amendments that threaten seed saving in Canada, farmers’ rights and overall biodiversity.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) held a press conference March 7th to present the federal government with hundreds of letters opposing changes to our Plant Breeders Rights Act, the Seed Act, and Bill C-27 (the CFIA Enforcement Act).
“These interrelated initiatives will lead to a food system with increased corporate controls over the varieties and quality of seed available to farmers,” said NFU spokesperson Peter Dowling, an Ontario farmer, in a press release. “Seeds are the foundation of the food system. Any initiatives by the government that give more rights to corporations and take options away from farmers will inevitably affect our food choices.”
The CFIA published the changes on their website November 8, 2004, and set a deadline for public comment of March 8, 2005. The National Farmers Union has pointed out how little time has been allowed for public comment.
Though the official deadline has passed, go to www.organics.bc.ca. Click on Campaigns: Changes to the Plant Breeders Rights Act for a sample letter and key contact list.
Click here for a look at the proposed amendments.
www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/pbrpov/ammende.shtml
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GM “Terminator” Seeds a New Threat?
In February 2005, the Canadian government challenged a seven-year-old international ban on Terminator seeds at a United Nations (UN) meeting in Bangkok.
Terminator seeds have been genetically modified to produce sterile crops, meaning their offspring won’t produce seeds, thus preventing farmers from re-gathering for next season.
A document leaked to the environmental ETC Group (www.etc.org) revealed that Canada promoted the testing and commercialization of this controversial technology.
The result of accepting Terminator seeds would be a great dependency on biotech companies, and a massive threat to food and environmental security, as well as the farmer’s centuries-old right to gather seeds.
Perhaps at greatest risk from technology are the 1.4 billion people who depend on farm-saved seed worldwide.
The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods (Seattle, WA) has set up an ACTION ALERT that allows you to send an instant
e-mail to voice your opinion on Terminator seeds:
Go to www.thecampaign.org/alert_terminator.php to send an instant e-mail to:
1) Prime Minister Paul Martin
2) Hon. Andy Mitchell, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
3) F.B. Fadden, President, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Or send comments snail mail (no postage required) to:
Prime Minister Paul Martin
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Phone: 613-941-6888
Your MP can also be written to at the House of Commons. Also send copies of your letter (postage required) to:
Plant Breeders’ Rights Office
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
59 Camelot Drive
Ottawa, ON K1A 0Y9
Phone: 613-225-2342
AND
Secratariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity
413 St-Jacques Street, 8th floor, Office 800
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2Y 1N9
Tel: 514-288-2220
Fax: 1-514-288-6588
E-mail: secretariat@biodiv.org
Web: www.biodiv.org
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Send Your Comments on 2,4-D Before April 22, 2005
The federal government wants public comment on its recent decision to keep 2,4-D, a toxic pest killer, on the market.
Despite objections by environmental and citizen groups that the herbicide is linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia, and brain and bladder cancers, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency says 2,4-D is “safe” when used according to the label.
For more on this issue, visit Canadian Coalition for Health and Environment www.cche-info.com/index.shtml and Beyond Pesticides at www.beyondpesticides.org.
Then voice your concerns BEFORE APRIL 22, 2005, to Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency:
Publications Coordinator, PMRA
Health Canada
2720 Riverside Drive
A.L. 6605C
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
E-mail: pmra_publications@hc.sc.gc.ca
Phone: 1-800-267-6315, 613-736-3799
Fax: 613-736-3758
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is also re-evaluating this herbicide. To send an e-mail to the EPA, visit PANNA’s action center at: http://ga4.org/campaign/_weednfeed .
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PEI Considering GE-Free
Will Prince Edward Island be the first province to become GE-free? This decision is under discussion according to a statement by PEI’s Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Environment.
“We are pleased that PEI is taking consumer concerns around genetically engineered foods seriously,” said Eric Darier on Greenpeace Canada’s website. “We hope they will take this historic step and ban all GE foods including produce and fish.”
Visit www.assembly.pe.ca/consult/biotech.php for more info. To show your support, send a message of support to the assembly and cc your comments to eric.darier@yto.greenpeace.org.
Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Environment,
Province House,
P.O. Box 2000,
Charlottetown, PEI, C1A 7N8
Fax: 902-368-5175
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5) MEDIA WATCH
Acupuncture Shown to Relieve Pelvic Pregnancy Pain
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&...
Mercury Pollution, Autism Link Found – U.S. Study
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&...
Caffeine Impairs Sugar Function
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&...
Improper Medication Use Varies Widely in Europe
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&...
Household Mold Doubles Child’s Asthma Risk
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=97&e...
Brazil Approves GM Seeds
www.foodingredientsfirst.com/newsmaker_article.asp?idNewsMaker=7702&fSite=AO545&next=8
Protests Halt GM Test Trials
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news...
North American Activists Urge Lindane Ban
http://www.panna.org/resources/panups/panup_20050317...
For more current titles, check out “News” at www.hans.org.
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6) CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Seedy Saturday Stewart Farm
When: 10am-3pm, April 2, 2005
Where: 12723 Crescent Road, Stewart Farm, Surrey, BC
Contact: 604-502-6456
Vendors of organic garden products and heritage, rare and native seeds, plants and fruit trees; Seeds of Diversity Canada display, Master gardeners; Heirloom gardens to visit; Tours of the Victorian farmhouse.
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AIMS 6th Annual Nutrition Conference
When: April 3, 2005
Where: Vancouver, BC, BC Children’s Hospital
Who: AIMS, Alternative & Integrative Medical Society of UBC
Cost: $10-$40
Contact: www.aims.ubc.ca, 604-822-7604
TOPICS COVERED
- Evolutionary Eating
- Vegetarianism
- GMO/Consumer Awareness
- Soy Foods
- Glycemic Index/Weight management
- Fad Diets
- Role of Nutrition in Primary Care
- Early First Nation’s Plant Diet
- Cooking Demo
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Free Herbal Consultations
When: Thursdays 5-9pm, Saturdays 10am-5pm
Where: Dominion Herbal College Clinic, Burnaby, BC
Contact: for appointment, 604-526-8835
A clinic intensive will be held April 4-9, April 11-16, during which clinic hours are 10am-5pm.
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Seedy Saturday in Hillsburgh
When: 10am-3pm, April 30, 2005
Where: Everdale Environmental Learning Centre,
Hillsburgh, ON
Contact: www.everdale.org, Joanne@harmonymarket.com
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7) HANS CONTACT INFO
Founded in 1984, Health Action Network Society is a membership-based, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to gathering and disseminating health promotion information.
HANS - Health Action Network Society
#202-5262 Rumble Street
Burnaby, BC V5J 2B6
Phone: 604-435-0512
Fax: 604-435-1561
Web: www.hans.org
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