SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Public Citizen reports via Common Dreams
[The decision on December 7 by the] World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling against the U.S. country-of-origin meat labels (COOL) that consumers rely on to make informed choices about their food, provides a glaring example of how trade agreements can undermine U.S. public interest policies, [said Public Citizen]. How the Obama administration responds to the WTO ruling will have a significant impact on its efforts to build congressional and public support for the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
In his May 2015 speech at Nike headquarters, President Barack Obama said that critics' warnings that the TPP could "undermine American regulation--food safety, worker safety, even financial regulations" was "just not true". [Obama] said: "They're making this stuff up. No trade agreement is going to force us to change our laws."
"Today's ruling makes clear that trade agreements can--and do--threaten even the most favored U.S. consumer protections", said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. "We hope that President Obama stands by his claim that 'no trade agreement is going to force us to change our laws', but in fact rolling back U.S. consumer and environmental safeguards has been exactly what past presidents have done after previous retrograde trade pact rulings."
In response to previous WTO rulings, the United States has rolled back U.S. Clean Air Act regulations on gasoline cleanliness rules successfully challenged by Venezuela and Mexico and Endangered Species Act rules relating to shrimping techniques that kill sea turtles after a successful challenge by Malaysia and other nations. The U.S. also altered auto fuel efficiency (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards that were successfully challenged by the European Union. After the final WTO ruling against the policy in May, Obama's Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also contradicted Obama's claim, announcing: "Congress has got to fix this problem. They either have to repeal or modify and amend it."
(Score: 2) by edIII on Friday December 11 2015, @01:09AM
You may possibly have a point, but around here, we live right near the farms.
Also, having lived/living on a farm myself, grow a pair. Farms are dirty. Eggs come with chicken shit on them. I'm less concerned about the hygiene, and more concerned about the treatment of the animals, and the chemicals used. Additionally, whether or not it is non-GMO.
If you're interested in sterile food than go ahead and keep trying to trust the large chains.... who regularly have their own recalls anyways. So quite frankly, it seems all equal anyways.
That's guaranteed F.U.D. I'd have to go out of my way to mix my own shit in with the shit from the rabbits. People take shits in toilets, and let the water take it to the septic tank. Even with outhouses I can't possibly imagine the farmer thinking he wants to dig up his outhouse to make well fertilized soil for new crops. That's nuts, and more than a little disgusting.
You've also brought up meat, but I'm primarily talking about veggies. I would be hesitant to purchase meat unless I really knew the people, and they had a reputation in the area. Where I live, we have a couple of suppliers, and know which are bad and which aren't. Most of the meat I wish to eat in the future will be my own chickens, and progressively more and more, my own rabbits. I'm not mistreating my rabbits either by feeding them my shit or anything. They even get non-GMO feed, Pandora, plenty of love, fennel, tasty weeds, etc. Other than the slaughter part, they have a really sweet setup.
Can farmers lie to me? Sure. Most of them though are they for the exact same reasons I am. They don't want to eat the commercial shit either, and love good food.
If I ever get sick from it, well, that's the cost of doing business and well worth the lack of financial support being given to Big Ag.
Really, growing your own food and participating in Farmer's Markets is a win-win-win for all of us.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Friday December 11 2015, @03:05AM
You don't know this dude, he nearly got hit by a car picking up a quarter in the middle of a 4 lane highway, yes THAT fucking tight and greedy. I honestly would not be surprised if he cut a deal on the side to let some chemical toilet bunch dump shit on his land, i know he has been busted at least once already for taking nasty dead animals from a disreputable chicken farm and using it as compost.
If you have a really nice farmer to supply your market, that you have been on the farm and KNOW that they are doing things on the up and up? I'm happy for you, I truly am, but you cannot ASSUME that is the case simply because they are a small farm selling on a farmer's market. Oh and for the dumbass that thinks I was talking about sanitation? Look up how many chemicals are being pumped into those factory animals, guess what happens to those chemicals when they take a crap? I do not want to even know how many hormones and antibiotics and God knows what else is in that land.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.