21 May

March Against Monsanto (MAM)is a global form of action aimed at informing the public, calling into question the long term health risks of genetically modified foods and Roundup ready crops.Today Waikato people rally, at the Bunnings intersection Te Rapa 11am to show our distaste for Monsanto, the agribusiness giant. Historically they produced DDT and the infamous Agent Orange as did the other major GMO crop mother/ daughter companies (Bayer is in talks to buy Monsanto now).They including DuPont, Bayer, Dow, and BASF have contributed millions of dollars into the American Congress to see their vision of food control implemented in TPPa, TTIP and TISA.

In TPPa negotiations our government did not consider our sovereignty by reserving the right to legislate in the public interest (as Australia did), GMO labelling will go from it's voluntary position to none to fit in with the accord.Organic New Zealand says 83% of New Zealanders are in favour of GM labelling.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in their brand name Roundup and garden product names like Tui, Yates, and MacGregor. One of MAM's goals is to see these products banned from sale. Due to it's unlabelled additives Roundup is more toxic than glyphosate.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) a program within The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now identified glyphosate as a class 2A 'probable carcinogen'.Three other programmes from the WHO declared glyphosate not a carcinogen BUT there is discrepancy as to whether they receive funding from Agribusinesses;surely a case of 'follow the money'. Monsanto misleadingly reports it is in the same category as coffee and aloe vera extract whereas these are in a less dangerous category of 2B. Taken from their list, emissions from fryer fat share 2A with glyphosate.

Of note the NZ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says before you spray to 'confirm your spray area is not close to water, such as streams, rivers, lakes or ponds' and yet councils spray lake weed with glyphosate in a gel form. It poses a genetic hazard to fish, contributes to their long lasting damage and leaches into groundwater . We must preserve our environment.

Our councils lack in unity where glyphosate use is considered, just this week! North Shore and city areas of Auckland have been using non-chemical alternatives, as weed killers for 20 years until recently the decision was changed to reinstate the glyphosate in playgrounds, parks, and streets. Christchurch agrees to reduce it's use!

We will present a petition calling for a ban on glyphosate and it's additives on Hamilton's roads and parks to the Waikato Regional Council. Our children's health deserves to be put first where there is no safe level of exposure due to it not being assessed at sub-lethal concentrations.

At this point New Zealanders enjoy the luxury of food labelling, in comparison to the U.S. consumer, we are free to make the choice to consume or not GMO food. Some processed foods may, contain genetically modified ingredients sourced from overseas (eg, soy or corn flour). No fresh produce (fruit, vegetables, meat or milk) originating in New Zealand is genetically modified. However our animal farmers may supplement with U.S. imported GMO feed thereby entering GMOs into our bodies via the foodchain. Sadly there is no distinction via labelling to show this. We must protect both our food supply and food chain in New Zealand!

Ngaa mihi maioha/ thanks with appreciation

Ferne Hohneck
TPPA Action Waikato

ENDS

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