Storm Éowyn brought many things to our shores. One of those things it brought into our fields was plastic. One plastic bag caught my attention as I was gathering some out of our fields the other day. It was an empty bag of feed for cattle and sheep.
This bag listed its ingredients, the majority of which were genetically modified.
So here were some things I learned.
Fact No 1. This feed contained amongst other things, Maize and soya, both of which came from genetically modified crops.
Fact No 2. These crops have been genetically modified so that they can withstand the increased application of glyphosate.
Fact No 3. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the branded Roundup weedkiller.
Fact No 4. This chemical has been labelled as a potential carcinogen by the WHO (World Health Organisation).
Fact no 5. This feed will have been grown in countries outside of the EU, mainly in the US and Brazil, where the application of Roundup is not controlled as well as it is in the EU. The MRL (maximum residue limit for glyphosate in the US is 5mg/kg for corn and for soya it is a whopping 20mg/kg.)
Fact no 6. Although cows, sheep and lambs in Ireland are fed mainly a grass diet, there is an increasing reliance on imported feed such as this to feed animals especially during winter.)
So, the key take away here is lots of roundup is sprayed on these genetically modified crops and the process of desiccation (using roundup prior to harvest meaning loads of the chemical gets sprayed on the crop just before harvest, this is banned in the EU although there are loopholes) is still a thing outside of the EU. These crops are primarily used for animal feed which makes its way around the world and right here to our shores in Ireland
Fact No 7. In Brazil, massive swaths of the Amazon rain forest are and have been cleared to plant these crops to feed animals mainly in the US and in Brazil.
It is poignant that the increasing ferocity of these powerful storms that we now must be ready for (that caused such chaos and damage here on our shores only two weeks ago), are in part created by the agricultural system we rely on. This very system is destroying the ecology which is essential to maintain biodiversity that we need to produce healthy food and clean air.
I cannot understand ever, how we can observe nature and at times be in awe of the beauty and the bounty that it provides and yet by our choices and systems destroy this very system we need to survive. (the stories hidden in our food by our modern retail/agricultural system facilitate this)
But we have power to make choices that will have an immediate positive impact on our planet and on our health. Maybe, we can be more aware of what we eat, we can eat organic where we can and if possible, reduce our consumption so much conventional meat and dairy.
We have been at this for 19 years now and our message has never changed, “our food choices matter, and they can help make our world a better place” and although it is hard I think in these recent times it is more important now than ever before.
We will with your support, fight on, thanks for being with us on this journey.
Kenneth