When will the citizens of the United States finally wake up to the real price NAFTA and WTO trade agreements are costing us?
Remember this?
On March 15, 2007, FDA learned that certain pet foods were sickening and killing cats and dogs. FDA found contaminants in vegetable proteins imported into the United States from China and used as ingredients in pet food.
http://www.fda.gov/...
How about this?
FDA warns of tainted baby formula from China
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with state and local authorities to get the word out to markets in San Francisco and other cities with significant Chinese populations after a toxic chemical was found in infant formula manufactured and sold in mainland China.
http://www.sfgate.com/...
Or maybe this?
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating whether drywall made in China may be emitting toxic gases.
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Well, now we have this:
From The TimesApril 28, 2009
Mexico outbreak traced to 'manure lagoons' at pig farm
The first known case of swine flu emerged a fortnight earlier than previously thought in a village where residents have long complained about the smell and flies from a nearby pig farm, it emerged last night.
The boy’s hometown, La Gloria, is also close to a pig farm that raises almost 1 million animals a year. The facility, Granjas Carroll de Mexico, is partly owned by Smithfield Foods, a Virginia-based US company and the world’s largest producer and processor of pork products. Residents of La Gloria have long complained about the clouds of flies that are drawn the so-called "manure lagoons" created by such mega-farms, known in the agriculture business as Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/...
The fact is that NAFTA and WTO trade agreements are not only hurting the United States econimically, but now may be the the reason that a very serious illness is sweeping the world. But an American company is making huge profits by operating in a country that does not have strong labor and enviromental regulations. So it can't be bad, right?
End NAFTA and WTO trade agreements now!
More on Smithfield Foods in Mexico:
Smithfield has been expanding its production into foreign markets for the past decade in an attempt to take advantage of rising meat consumption abroad. The company entered Mexico in 1999 and has two hog farms here, including the one near La Gloria. The company sends most of its hogs to processing plants in the Mexico City area, not owned by Smithfield, which produce meat for consumption mainly in Mexico.
Smithfield's entrance into new markets has often sparked consternation by local health and environmental activists, partly because of its size and partly out of concern that Smithfield might introduce farming practices that could be detrimental to the local environment. For example, the practice of disposing hog waste in large lagoons, which is common practice among larger hog operations, has been linked to water pollution and is coming under increasing pressure in the U.S. and abroad.
http://online.wsj.com/...