Category: News

Dead zones are caused by agricultural runoff, especially nitrogen-rich fertilizers, and the burning of fossil fuels. The pollutants cause marine eutrophication, whereby the ecosystem receives too many nutrients, triggering massive algae blooms, which eventually die and are broken down bacteria. By breaking down the algae the bacteria consume excessive amounts of oxygen, essentially starving the marine system.

Estimated N deposition from global total N (NOy and NHx) emissions, totaling 105 Tg N per year. Image appeared in J.N. Galloway et al (2008). “Transformation of the Nitrogen Cycle: Recent Trends, Questions, and Potential Solutions,” Science 16 May 2008.

The majority of dead zones are near large populations in wealthy nations. For example, the United States’ east coast is covered with hypoxia sites, as is much of western and northern Europe. Such areas—heavy in industry, fishing, and runoffs from intensive agriculture—spew massive amounts of nutrient-rich pollutants into the sea.

The authors note that “most of these systems were not hypoxic when first studied, but it appears that from the middle of the past century, the dissolved oxygen concentrations of many coastal ecosystems have been adversely affected by eutrophication.” A number of human-related factors likely caused the sudden explosion of dead zones, but certainly the development in the 1940s of mass-produced fertilizer containing nitrogen is a major culprit.

Dead zones live up to their name in terms of biomass, the loss of which adds greater strains on already overfished and overexploited oceans. As an example, the researchers note that the Kattegat sea—between Denmark and Sweden—has experienced high levels of fish mortality and a collapse of their lobster industry due to eutrophication. In addition, they estimate that if the entire Baltic Sea recovered from eutrophication it would be one-third to one-half more productive—a boon for Scandinavian fishermen and a reprieve from other fishing areas.

Global distribution of the 400+ marine systems with dead zones caused by increased eutrophication. Their distribution matches the current human “footprint” in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, dead zones have only been reported recently. [Image courtesy of Science/AAAS]

From NaturalNews

The number of “dead zones” in coastal regions around the world continues to rapidly increase, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the University of Gothenberg, and published in the journal Science.

“It’s not sort of a local or regional problem, which is how it was thought of in the past,” researcher Robert Diaz said. “It is actually a global problem.”

Dead zones are areas where oxygen has become so depleted that little or no marine life is able to survive. They form when excessive plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, run off from the coast and lead to an explosion of algae blooms. When this vastly increased biomass dies and sinks to the bottom, its decomposition leads to the proliferation of oxygen-consuming bacteria.

In some cases, this may lead to increased crowding pressure in other parts of the ocean.

“Fish are the best at avoiding dead zones,” Diaz says. “When the oxygen starts to decline, they’re smart – they leave, they don’t hang around. Crabs and shrimp are pretty good at getting away, too, as are lobsters.”

Many slower moving animals such as clams, worms and small crustaceans, however, simply die.

In the current study, researchers found that the number of dead zones has steadily increased from 39 at the end of the 1960s through 63 at the end of the 1970s, 132 at the end of the 1980s and 301 at the end of the 1990s to the current number of 405. The total area consumed by dead zones now measures no less than 95,000 square miles.

The major sources of the pollutants that produce dead zones are fertilizer runoff from industrial agriculture and nitrogen-based byproducts of fossil fuel use.

“Most of it is agricultural-based, but there is a lot of industrial nitrogen in there, too, if you consider electric generation,” Diaz said.

Dead zones now function as one of the primary stresses on marine biodiversity, along with overfishing and habitat loss.

The Australian Vaccination Network press release

Could this be the start of the Bird Flu epidemic?

“The government, medical community, and the pharmaceutical companies all have a duty of care to ensure that the vaccines we are administering to our children are as safe and pure as they possibly can be. It is obvious that this duty of care is not being taken seriously. The AVN demands more transparency regarding the vaccine production process and inclusion of representatives of our organisation on the government committees that oversee these processes.” says Meryl Dorey, President of the Australian Vaccination Network.

Is this Change we can believe in? Maybe it is for Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture, Tom “I Fly with Monsanto” Vilsack.

For the rest of us, this is a nightmare.

For the original of this article visit Cryptogon

Let’s take it piece by piece:

What is the legislation called? H.R. 875: Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009:

111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 875

To establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes.

How does this affect farmers who just sell fruit and vegetables at farmers markets?

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

…

(9) CATEGORY 5 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT- The term ‘category 5 food establishment’ means a food establishment that stores, holds, or transports food products prior to delivery for retail sale.

…

13) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-

(A) IN GENERAL- The term ‘food establishment’ means a slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.

Does this really apply to fruit and vegetables? Yes.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

…

(12) FOOD- The term ‘food’ means a product intended to be used for food or drink for a human or an animal and components thereof.

Registration:

SEC. 202. REGISTRATION OF FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS AND FOREIGN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS.

(a) In General- Any food establishment or foreign food establishment engaged in manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding food for consumption in the United States shall register annually with the Administrator.

(b) Registration Requirements-

(1) IN GENERAL- To be registered under subsection (a), a food establishment shall submit a registration or reregistration to the Administrator.

(2) REGISTRATION- Registration under this section shall begin within 90 days of the enactment of this Act. Each such registration shall be submitted to the Secretary through an electronic portal and shall contain such information as the Secretary, by guidance, determines to be appropriate. Such registration shall contain the following information:

(A) The name, address, and emergency contact information of each domestic food establishment or foreign food establishment that the registrant owns or operates under this Act and all trade names under which the registrant conducts business in the United States relating to food.

(B) The primary purpose and business activity of each domestic food establishment or foreign food establishment, including the dates of operation if the domestic food establishment or foreign food establishment is seasonal.

(C) The types of food processed or sold at each domestic food establishment or, for foreign food establishments selling food for consumption in the United States, the specific food categories of that food as listed under section 170.3(n) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, or such other categories as the Administrator may designate in guidance, action level, or regulations for evaluating potential threats to food protection.

(D) The name, address, and 24-hour emergency contact information of the United States distribution agent for each domestic food establishment or foreign food establishment, who shall maintain information on the distribution of food, including lot information, and wholesaler and retailer distribution.

(E) An assurance that the registrant will notify the Administrator of any change in the products, function, or legal status of the domestic food establishment or foreign food establishment (including cessation of business activities) not later than 30 days after such change.

(3) PROCEDURE- Upon receipt of a completed registration described in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall notify the registrant of the receipt of the registration, designate each establishment as a category 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 food establishment, and assign a registration number to each domestic food establishment and foreign food establishment.

Inspection, Category 5 Food Establishments

SEC. 205. INSPECTIONS OF FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS.

(a) In General- The Administrator shall establish an inspection program, which shall include statistically valid sampling of food and facilities to enforce performance standards. The inspection program shall be designed to determine if each food establishment–

(1) is operated in a sanitary manner;

(2) has continuous preventive control systems, interventions, and processes in place to minimize or eliminate contaminants in food;

(3) is in compliance with applicable performance standards established under section 204, and other regulatory requirements;

(4) is processing food that is not adulterated or misbranded;

(5) maintains records of process control plans under section 203, and other records related to the processing, sampling, and handling of food; and

(6) is otherwise in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law.

…

(5) CATEGORY 5 FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS- A category 5 food establishment shall–

(A) have ongoing verification that its processes are controlled; and

(B) be randomly inspected at least annually.

(c) Establishment of Inspection Procedures- The Administrator shall establish procedures under which inspectors shall take random samples, photographs, and copies of records in food establishments.

What happens if you own a farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation that does not prepare or serve food directly to the consumer?

I hope you like having Feds crawling all over your property and telling you what to do.

SEC. 206. FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITIES.

(a) Authorities- In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect to food production facilities, to–

(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United States and in foreign countries to determine if they are operating in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;

(2) review food safety records as required to be kept by the Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;

(3) set good practice standards to protect the public and animal health and promote food safety;

(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate; and

(5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and farm practices.

(b) Inspection of Records- A food production facility shall permit the Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, to have access to and ability to copy all records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment in any format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary to assist the Administrator–

(1) to determine whether the food is contaminated, adulterated, or otherwise not in compliance with the food safety law; or

(2) to track the food in commerce.

(c) Regulations- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, shall promulgate regulations to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe production of food by food production facilities. Such regulations shall–

(1) consider all relevant hazards, including those occurring naturally, and those that may be unintentionally or intentionally introduced;

(2) require each food production facility to have a written food safety plan that describes the likely hazards and preventive controls implemented to address those hazards;

(3) include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;

(4) include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal’s health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption;

(5) provide a reasonable period of time for compliance, taking into account the needs of small businesses for additional time to comply;

(6) provide for coordination of education and enforcement activities by State and local officials, as designated by the Governors of the respective States; and

(7) include a description of the variance process under subsection (d) and the types of permissible variances which the Administrator may grant under such process.

Is registration required? Yes. Is compliance with inspections required? Yes

TITLE IV–ENFORCEMENT
SEC. 401. PROHIBITED ACTS.

It is prohibited–

…

(3) for a food establishment or foreign food establishment to fail to register under section 202, or to operate without a valid registration;

(4) to refuse to permit access to a food establishment or food production facility for the inspection and copying of a record as required under sections 205(f) and 206(a);

(5) to fail to establish or maintain any record or to make any report as required under sections 205(f) and 206(b);

(6) to refuse to permit entry to or inspection of a food establishment as required under section 205;

So what might happen if I refuse?

SEC. 405. CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES.

(a) Civil Sanctions-

(1) CIVIL PENALTY-

(A) IN GENERAL- Any person that commits an act that violates the food safety law (including a regulation promulgated or order issued under the food safety law) may be assessed a civil penalty by the Administrator of not more than $1,000,000 for each such act.

The “food safety” bills in Congress were written by Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, ADM, etc.  All are associated with the opposite of food safety.  What is this all about then?