crossposted from unbossed
Suddenly, it's all over the place - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio - at almost the same time and using similar tactics - planning to ban milk labels that tell the public whether the milk we buy was produced using Monsanto's Posilac - that is, whether it was produced with recombinant bovine somatatrophin or recombinant bovine growth hormone - rBST / rBGH. An amazing coincidence?
Hardly!
They tried to make it seem to be business as usual, democracy in action, hearings, advisory groups, and the like. But that faux-democracy was just for show. The milk labeling bans are the result of anything but democracy, unless your democracy is dollar democracy.
The campaign to ban milk labels - this result - and the chance you will see it popping up elsewhere - is the result of a multi-year, multi-state, coordinated, campaign.
I wrote about one part of that campaign in Pennsylvania on Thursday.
Got rBST? The Campaign Behind / Before the Campaign to Censor PA Milk Labels
That post describes the involvement of PA Agriculture Secretary Terry Etherton, er, . . . sorry about that, easy mistake to make, . . . PA Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff, in a campaign to ban milk labeling that gave us information about the use of Monsanto's rBST product well over a year before he put the ban in place. He claimed:
The milk labeling crackdown followed a unanimous determination by Wolff's 22-member Food Labeling Advisory Committee that significant problems with food labels confused consumers. The committee included consumer advocates, food marketers, restaurateurs, veterinarians, the dairy industry and several state agencies.
Wolff, whose family dairy business has used Posilac in the past, said he had no contact with Monsanto and the company had no input in the decision.
link
Possible. But there are so many odd coincidences. Who knows what will come to light.
So while that post focuses on Wolff, there are more pieces to the puzzle. Here are some interesting coincidences among the pro-rBST crowd.
The Case of the Powerpoint slide similarities
How is it, for example, that the same power point slides show up in presentations by two separate people? They could just be colleagues. And/ or they could also be shills for Monsanto.
So let's take a look at Mark Armfelt, Matt Harsh, and Dale Bauman and these power point presentations.
Take the Powerpoint slide show by Mark Armfelt, DVM, DABVP, Technology in Agriculture – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow The slides make a very strong attack on organic milk producers.
Compare them with a slide show by some of the Powerpoint slides by Matt Harsh Penn State Cooperative Extension Adams CountyTechnology and Agriculture - Where have we been and where are we headed?.
Among other things, including their rah! rah! views that technology can solve all problems, you will find that both they contain many of the same slides, including this slide, which is just one of several that attack concerns about rBST use in milk production.
Feb, 2007 - "Last week I checked with Wegmans’ Consumer Affairs Department; in 2006, they had almost 60,000 consumer inquiries about food products. Only a total of seven of these involved biotechnology, including rbST." Dale Bauman, Professor, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
The campaign is to paint those who support the use of all technologies as working in the public's interest and all others as nervous nellies who are trying to use fear to lead us to starvation.
Both of these slide shows are hosted on the website of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and through its organization - the Center for Dairy Excellence (CDE).
Both are listed as part of an outreach program by the CDE's "Dairy Advocacy and Resource Team (DART)- Agri-business involvement is the next Step in growing PA’s dairy industry!"
The CDE claims it represents all players in Pennsylvania Dairy, but when you look at these two slide shows, they are highly partisan and attack the positions of some of its listed members, including especially the PA Assoc. for Sustainable Agriculture. And thus attacks on the views of many Pennsylvanians.
On the other hand, its brochures promote the products of another member, Monsanto.
Coincidence?
It would help to know who the players are. So . . .
Who is Mark Armfelt?
Dr. Mark Armfelt, DVM, DABVP, Technical Service Representative, Monsanto Dairy Business Information; Adjunct Faculty, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Ohio State University Bio and links to some of his statements.
Technical Service Representative Monsanto Company
Veterinarian and Technical Services Specialist Monsanto Company
President Ohio Dairy Veterinarians Association
Board Member Ohio Dairy Industry Forum
link
And . . .
Who is Dale Bauman? A friend of Monsanto and responsible for research proving rBST is safe and that it has no connection with mastitis in cows.
link
another link
another link
And . .
how about Terry Etherton and Dale E. Bauman?
link
link
Monsanto spokesman Michael Doane.
And how about some of their associated astroturf groups, like rbSTFacts.org
Contact us:
rbSTFacts.org
c/o Washington Dairy Products Commission
4201 198th St. S.W., Suite 101
Lynnwood, WA 98036
Phone: 425/672-0687 x. 105
Fax: 425/672-0674
info@rbSTFacts.org
Monsanto Cries Wolff
And so, little ones, that is part of the story of how we have come to get milk labeling bans spreading across this country like a cancer.
That is how a state's Department of Agriculture came to be a shill for Monsanto and an enemy to the people of that state whose taxes pay the salaries that make this all possible.
Perfect for a company like Monsanto that not only invented astroturf:
AstroTurf was invented in 1964 by employees of Monsanto, patented in 1967, and originally sold under the name "Chemgrass". It was renamed AstroTurf after its first well-publicized use at the Houston Astrodome stadium.
But also perfected the use of the astroturf organization.
So this investigation is "more on" the milk labeling campaign, but it is also about these people who think you are a "moron".
Got rBST?!
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And for those of you new to this issue or who just want to read it again, here are prior posts broken down by topic - and some additional information.
Got rBST - Is there a difference?
http://www.unbossed.com/...
this short pieces has some links that may be helpful on the science issue > this link would be helpful on the question whether there is a difference.
Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry By A. Burny, R. Renaville (2001) Springer publishers ISBN 0792368517
http://books.google.com/...
* Pennsylvania FLAC
Sunday, December 02, 2007 Got rBST? The members of the no longer anonymous Food Labeling Advisory Committee
http://www.unbossed.com/...
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Got rBST? Milk Labeling Ban? Who is FLAC Member Bonnie McCarthy?
http://www.unbossed.com/...
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Got rBST? PA Milk Labeling Ban? Who is FLAC Member Mary Bach?
http://www.unbossed.com/...
* PA Secretary of Agriculture Wolff
Sunday, November 11, 2007 So who is Dennis Wolff and why does he love rBST?
http://www.unbossed.com/...
* New Jersey
Saturday, December 22, 2007 Got rBST? January New Jersey Milk Labeling Hearing Announced
http://www.unbossed.com/...
Saturday, December 22, 2007 Got rBST? More on New Jersey and Dairy Labeling
http://www.unbossed.com/...
* Ohio
Thursday, December 20, 2007 Anti-rBST Milk Labeling Coincidence? I think not
http://www.unbossed.com/...
* Miscellaneous
Monday, December 24, 2007 Got rBST? Tracking down the front groups
http://www.unbossed.com/...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007 rBST, Monsanto, and Absence Labeling - Coming Soon to Your State
http://www.unbossed.com/...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Dennis C Wolff: "Milk is a Logical Starting Point"
http://www.unbossed.com/...