The Gaia Reports

By Theodora Filis Public health concerns beyond foodborne illness are created when overcrowded  animals  are  susceptible  to infection and disease. Industrial livestock facilities treat animals with low levels of antibiotics to prevent illness and promote weight gain. This creates a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The sub-therapeutic dosages used on millions of factory-farmed livestock can reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics for human patients. The feed used for livestock can also introduce public health threats. Broiler chickens often receive arsenic-based feed additives to promote pinker flesh and faster growth, and beef cattle continue to be fed with animal byproducts, which increases the risk of mad cow disease. According to the FDA, approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States are administered to farm animals for non-therapeutic purposes. The routine administration of antibiotics has a harmful e...

By Theodora Filis A press release issued today by Greenpeace - European Unit said the European Union (EU) is now allowing untested Genetically Modified (GM) crops into the European food chain. The end to Europe's zero-tolerance approach to untested GM crops in animal feed was made final today by EU member state representatives in Brussels, allowing the unintended mixing of approved and unapproved GM varieties to enter Europe. Both the animal feed industry and biotech industry have been lobbying individual countries to vote in favor of a proposal to allow imports of animal feed to contain up to 0.1 percent of non-approved GMOs. They claimed the current restrictions are costing the EU 4 billion Euros and leading to a 'crisis' of supply that will lead to higher meat prices for consumers. Because of the new rules, adopted today and expected to come into force in early summer 2011, the EU will be allowed contamination of up to 0.1% by crops that have not undergone safety te...