Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Interview with Howard Vlieger on GMOs | Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

Interview with Howard Vlieger on GMOs

FARFA Board member and President of Verity Farms, Howard Vlieger, conducted a telephone interview to discuss the issues related to genetically modified (GM) crops. Verity family farmers do not feed livestock any crops that have been genetically modified and with good reason. In a 1998 experiment, Vlieger noticed firsthand that his cows avoided the genetically modified Bt corn that was on one side of their feed trough while totally consuming the natural corn on the other side. What do the cows instinctively understand about genetically modified foods that many humans don’t?


While other countries have either banned GM foods or mandated labeling, the U.S. has allowed GM crops to be widely fed to both animals and humans without informed consent or sufficient research on their safety. Below is the first section of the interview.

TRANSCRIPT:
Q: Are there any studies showing the effects of GMOs on the human body?
Not to my knowledge. This may be the biggest uncontrolled experiment that has ever been conducted. Genetically engineered crops were approved when George Herbert Walker Bush was president of the US. There is a video on the internet that shows him making the statement “I’m in the deregulation business.” The FDA did not require the bio-tech companies to submit independent studies proving the safety of genetically engineered crops. The biotech industry said that GMOs were substantially equivalent. A term was used: “GRAS,” or “generally recognized as safe.” Basically the FDA took the biotech industry’s word that the GMO crops were fine.

The industry claims there is no substantial difference between genetically engineered crop and a conventional crop. There is not independent research to proves this to be true. Michael Taylor who is now the food czar in the current administration was the head of the FDA during the first Bush administration. He has worked for Monsanto for most all of his legal career but he just kind of moves back and forth from one regulatory government agency to another.

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Interview with Howard Vlieger on GMOs | Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance

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