First Monsanto, Now Dow

A company that makes the commonly used herbicide ingredient 2,4-D is challenging the Quebec government under the North American Free Trade Agreement for banning its product.

The Canadian unit of Dow AgroSciences alleges the prohibition of the weed killer is without any scientific basis and in violation of the trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico.

"We are of the view that this is in breach to certain provisions of NAFTA," Jim Wispinski, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences, said in a press release. "We don't welcome this step but feel it is necessary given the circumstances."

Wispinski called the province's prohibition "tantamount to a blanket ban based on non-scientific criteria." He argues public policy decisions should be based on scientific evidence and a clear set of rules.

The company is challenging the province under Chapter 11 of the free trade agreement, which includes a provision that allows private companies to sue the federal governments of any of the three countries if a member country enacts laws that "expropriate" their profits.

(Read the rest here on CBC's website.)

Yet another agribully forcing its product upon someone who's said 'no'...

Biofuels -- let the wars begin

Even as the EU backs away abruptly from its previous biofuels usage goals in the face of ''soaring world food prices blamed partly on competition for farmland from agri-fuel producers'', agribusiness giants Monsanto, Dow and Archer Daniels Midland are joining forces to mount a lobbying crusade (worth millions, natch) on Washington to build a case for continuing and / or increased usage of biofuels.

From controlling the world's food to controlling the world's food and energy...

Britain's home gardens ruined by toxic aminopyralid-contaminated fertilizer

This story that's just started spreading in the news is frightening. This wasn't caused by home gardeners spraying herbicide on their soil. This herbicide -- aminopyralid -- was sprayed on grass that was made into food for cows and horses, and then made its way into their manure, which was then sold to home gardeners as fertilizer. The herbicide in question (manufactured by Dow) isn't meant to be used on food crops. It attacks broad leaf weeds, hence its devastating effect on plants like tomatoes, potatoes, etc. According to this (and a few other articles I've read on it during the past few days), contaminated soil should not be reused for a year, and contaminated manure should not be used for 2-3 to allow the herbicide to break down. This means that the gardeners in the UK who used the manure to fertilize their gardens have lost this year's harvest and won't be able to grow on the same land next year (most likely). Plus right now, authorities don't even seem to be sure of how to track the contaminated manure. I'm not sure of whether this stuff is widely used in North America.