Bernard's Sharebook 

Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge! Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins Consumer and Farmer Victory! Monsanto Finally Forced to Dump rBGH The Miracles of MonsantoMonsanto announced on August 6 it will "divest" or sell off its controversial genetically engineered animal drug, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). Monsanto's divestment of rBGH is a direct result of 14 years of determined opposition by organic consumer, public interest, and family farmer groups. Since its founding, the Organic Consumers Association has campaigned against this cruel and dangerous drug, pointing out to organic and health-minded consumers that rBGH-tainted dairy products pose unacceptable dangers to humans from increased antibiotic residues and elevated levels of a potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1. OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" campaign has generated over a quarter million emails and petition signatures on the topic of rBGH, helping make rBGH one of the most controversial food products in the world. Learn more: organicconsumers.org/rbghlink.cfm Millions Against monsantoWe'd like to thank you and all our allies for taking part in this 14-year campaign and helping to bring one of the world's largest and most powerful corporations to its knees. Now let's break Monsanto's stranglehold over seeds and take away their mandate to force-feed genetically engineered food to an unwilling public. Help us push through federal legislation to require mandatory labeling and safety-testing of GMOs (genetically modified organisms.) Contact us with any other campaign ideas you may have: organicconsumers.org/aboutus.cfm#contact Learn more about the Millions Against Monsanto campaign: organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm Animal Welfare Victory! Court Rules Common Factory Farm Practices Are Inhumane CowsA landmark unanimous vote by the New Jersey Supreme Court will require more humane treatment of animals on factory farms. The case was originally brought to the Supreme Court by a coalition of organizations led by Farm Sanctuary, including the Organic Consumers Association. The decision, which is the first of its kind, could cause a domino-effect across the U.S. The court ruled that widespread factory farm practices, such as "tail-docking" or cutting off the tails of cattle, cannot be considered "humane" simply because they are considered "routine". Many states have a similar exemption to their cruelty code for "common" practices. The court's decision means these factory farm abuses will be reassessed, and if they are considered inhumane, they will be banned. "This decision will protect thousands of animals in New Jersey, and also calls into question some of the worst factory farm abuses practiced throughout the country," said Jonathan Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for The Humane Society of the United States. Learn more: organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14067.cfm