The much awaited showdown is upon the People of Vermont as they fight to have their vote and voice heard. In 2014 the People of Vermont voted and won mandatory labeling of all genetically modified food. Shortly after, as amplified by Neil Young and others, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) challenged the law with an appeal. The GMA consists of Starbucks, Monsanto, and other corporations which is the reason Neil Young publicly stated he would boycott Starbucks and shortly after, wrote and toured on his album titled The Monsanto Years.
The appeals case, taking place during "non-GMO month", is set to hear arguments on October 8th, 2015 at the Thurgood Marshall Court House in New York City. The eventual ruling has far reaching consequences for individual state powers regarding GMO labeling. During the run-up to the trial, public interest groups and several other organizations have filed a flurry of amicus briefs. These briefs are designed to educate the court on points of law that are in doubt and/or raises awareness about some aspect of the case that the court might otherwise miss.
To date, The Center for Food Safety, the Public Good Law Center, Public Citizen Inc., the Public Interest Research Group, eight state attorney generals and other organizations have went on record supporting the voice of the Vermont people in GMO labeling laws to take effect July 2016.
Since Vermont’s 2014 vote to label GMO’s statewide, major movement has occurred regarding food safety. Glyphosate, Monsanto’s flagship product/chemical has been named a 2A Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has announced that it too will label glyphosate a carcinogen. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich recently announced “…we have made the decision not to use any GMO in food productions.” U.S. imports of non-GMO food soared to $85.4 million in 2015. Several European nations have opted for a full ban on GM crops (Poland, Italy, Austria, Northern Ireland, Greece, France, Scotland, Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia.) Finally, the link between glyphosate and many diseases and health issues has come into further focus in the process damning an entire agrochemical food industry.
The elephant in the room is the newly passed Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 or DARK act. This bill may serve to trump, eliminate, and sidestep all states (and country’s) rights making what is currently happening in Vermont a non-issue. Yet this does not change the fact that a mass migration away from GMO food has been underway years now. Many believe the tipping point has come and gone as agrochemical companies have been reduced to corruption, secrecy and simply lies to keep a hold of their declining marketshare.
“I do not trust self serving misinformation coming from corporations and their media trolls. I do not trust politicians who are taking millions from those corporations either. I trust people. So I make my music for people not for candidates.
Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.” -Neil Young
The appeals case, taking place during "non-GMO month", is set to hear arguments on October 8th, 2015 at the Thurgood Marshall Court House in New York City. The eventual ruling has far reaching consequences for individual state powers regarding GMO labeling. During the run-up to the trial, public interest groups and several other organizations have filed a flurry of amicus briefs. These briefs are designed to educate the court on points of law that are in doubt and/or raises awareness about some aspect of the case that the court might otherwise miss.
To date, The Center for Food Safety, the Public Good Law Center, Public Citizen Inc., the Public Interest Research Group, eight state attorney generals and other organizations have went on record supporting the voice of the Vermont people in GMO labeling laws to take effect July 2016.
Since Vermont’s 2014 vote to label GMO’s statewide, major movement has occurred regarding food safety. Glyphosate, Monsanto’s flagship product/chemical has been named a 2A Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has announced that it too will label glyphosate a carcinogen. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich recently announced “…we have made the decision not to use any GMO in food productions.” U.S. imports of non-GMO food soared to $85.4 million in 2015. Several European nations have opted for a full ban on GM crops (Poland, Italy, Austria, Northern Ireland, Greece, France, Scotland, Germany, Lithuania, and Latvia.) Finally, the link between glyphosate and many diseases and health issues has come into further focus in the process damning an entire agrochemical food industry.
The elephant in the room is the newly passed Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015 or DARK act. This bill may serve to trump, eliminate, and sidestep all states (and country’s) rights making what is currently happening in Vermont a non-issue. Yet this does not change the fact that a mass migration away from GMO food has been underway years now. Many believe the tipping point has come and gone as agrochemical companies have been reduced to corruption, secrecy and simply lies to keep a hold of their declining marketshare.
“I do not trust self serving misinformation coming from corporations and their media trolls. I do not trust politicians who are taking millions from those corporations either. I trust people. So I make my music for people not for candidates.
Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.” -Neil Young
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