Roundup Ready GMO Plants and Seeds Are Destroying the Health of Animals and Humans Alike

It's hard to find a single acre of American farmland that has not been planted with GM seeds- image by akosma

In my last post, I wrote how Roundup and Roundup ready genetically modified grains were completely destroying the nutrition value in plants and causing reproductive issues in the animals that ate them. Dr. Don Humer, a retired plant scientist and professor at Purdue stated in an interview in May 2010 that it was just a matter of time before we start seeing very serious ramifications from Roundup and Roundup ready GM seeds. Just 18 months later, we are.

Roundup works by destroying the plant's defense system against disease. All the minerals that plants use to boost its immune system are stripped away, leaving the plants vulnerable to disease, fungi, plagues, and opportunistic weeds. In fact, according to the Institute of Science in Society, there has been an explosion of  Roundup resistant "super weeds" that are wiping out farm profits and crop yields.

Genetically modified grains and other plants have no nutrition value and become part poison- image by Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology Bioinformatics Group

With "Roundup ready" genetically modified grain seeds, Roundup becomes a part of the plant's DNA. Weed killer is a part of what the plant "is." So now, the plant is not only stripped of its micro-nutrients in a process known as chelation (note: chelation is beneficial when applied properly), the seed becomes part poison. When the plant grows from the seed, the plant is almost completely empty of any nutrition and is part poison.

Animals and humans are eating this.

What have we begun to see?

• Botulism in feedlot cattle, because the Roundup in the grain is killing the healthy gut bacteria
• A new fungus in alfalfa is causing Sudden Death Syndrome, miscarriages and other fertility issues in cattle
• An entirely new microorganism is also causing an alarming abortion rate in several kinds of livestock. It's causing sterility in bulls. If this continues, it will have a real impact on the amount of commercially available meat in grocery stores
• An alarming increase in miscarriages and fertility issues in the US over the past ten years
• Soil ecology, plant ecology, microbial ecology, and intestinal ecology in animals and humans are all being compromised by the deadly pathogens now being created from glyphosate
• Salmonella outbreaks in egg farms have increased
• GMO foods are being linked to autism

This is serious stuff. 

Insist on GMO free, organic, locally grown produce and grass-fed, pastured meats- image by friendsoffamilyfarmers

We have to switch to organic, locally-grown produce that is GMO free. We have to insist on meat, eggs, and dairy products that come from grass-fed and range-free animals, if we eat meat. We may have to grow our own food in order to supply our soil with enough amendments to make our garden produce rich in nutrients. We have to talk to our grocery store managers and ask them to provide these food items, or start patronizing vendors who will carry them.

We just have to.

Roundup and Roundup Ready Foods Are Causing Reproductive Issues in Humans

The commercial weed killer, Roundup, and "Roundup ready" foods, both developed and sold by the food giant Monsanto, has been linked to an alarming number of miscarriages, sterility in males, and female reproductive issues... in humans.

Roundup has been used as a weed killer commercially for years- image by geograph 

The problem commercial farmers had with Roundup was that it killed everything, not just weeds. Monsanto designed a "Roundup ready" grain as a solution. Farmers could plant this genetically modified (GM) corn, wheat, or soybean, then spray their crop fields with Roundup with no problems.

Or so they thought.

Monsanto designed the GM Roundup ready seeds by actually adding Roundup to the plant's DNA. Roundup weed killer then became a part of the plant's genetic code. This was great for commercial farmers, who could see a lot higher crop yield and increase in profits. 

However, concerned scientists began to study the field mice who were eating the grain and drinking the water in these commercial farms. As early as 2002, the journal Environmental Health Perspectives observed that female mice who were drinking water contaminated with commercial herbicides were miscarrying and giving birth to smaller litters. 

GM feedlot grain is causing miscarriages and other reproductive issues in livestock- image by greaterfalls

This led to concerns about the possibility of similar problems with livestock who were fed GM grains in commercial feed lots. As Dr. Christopher Preston notes, few peer-reviewed studies on this topic have been published since that time. While I agree with Dr. Preston's conclusion that the studies that have been published state that no significant changes have been reported in the scientific literature, I completely disagree with his tacit opinion that GM foods are safe.

However, plant scientists such as Robert Kramer at the University of Missouri, and Don Humer, retired from Purdue, have published important research showing that Roundup and glyphosate-modified grain is compromising the health of agriculture, animals, and humans. Dr. Humer says that glyphosate (Roundup) works by tying up the plant nutrients so the plant's defense system is destroyed. Soil pathogens such as fungus and other plant diseases take over and kill the plants. Glyphosate strips plants of micro-nutrients such as maganese, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium to the point where the plants have no nutritional value at all. In December 2010, Dr. Huber stated, "...It's hard to find an acre in the US that hasn't had glyphosate applied on it in the past three years." He also says that the reason that not much research has been published about the negative effects of Roundup and Roundup ready GM seeds is because scientists are being denied access to the isogenic plant lines. In other words, Monsanto won't let independent scientists do research on its products.

I'm not done.