How 'The New DDT' Wreaks Havoc on the Bottom of the Food Chain

By Stephen Leahy
The same insecticide nerve poison that is contributing to the shocking declines in bees and other pollinators is also behind the sharp declines in many other insect species, along with insect-eating birds and bats. Even important creatures like earthworms, which keep our soils healthy, are being damaged by systemic insecticides called neonicotinoids (neonics) and fipronil, a new four-year international meta-analysis has found.

"It's the new DDT but different," said Ole Hendrickson, a former scientist at Environment Canada and member of the Task Force on Systemic Pesticides that complete the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) analysis. It's the first examination of all the science on the topic-more than 800 studies. The task force is compromised of 50 independent scientists from all over the world who spent the last four years trying to figure out why so many bees, butterflies, and other insects are disappearing.

"Instead of wiping out the top of the food chain, killing hawks and eagles as DDT did, neonics are wiping out the bottom of the food chain," Hendrickson told me. "Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson once said if we wipe out the world's insects, we will soon follow them to extinction." 

Over the past 15 years, neonics have become the most widely used insecticides on the planet. They're everywhere: in homes, gardens, farms, lakes, rivers and forests. The six main types of neonics in use are very, very good at destroying the nerve cells of anything that ingests them.

"Neonics are 5,000 to 10,000 times more toxic than DDT," said Jean-Marc Bonmatin of The National Centre for Scientific Research in France.   

GM Soy Making its Way into the UK Food Chain Through Animal Feed

By Jonathan Benson
Labeling laws throughout the European Union (EU) require that all food containing genetically-modified (GM) ingredients be properly labeled. But a new report from The Telegraph explains that many big-name food brands in the UK that sell meat, dairy, and other animal products are sourcing from animals fed GMOs, but selling the final product without a proper GMO label.

The problem of GMOs sneaking in the back door through animal feed is not limited to the EU, as many other countries that require mandatory GMO labeling are experiencing similar scenarios. A recent NaturalNews report highlighted GMO contamination problems with Fonterra, a New Zealand-based cooperative that is the world's largest exporter of dairy products, as well (http://www.naturalnews.com/031776_d...).

Some experts insist that animals fed GM feed do not end up producing GM-contaminated meat and dairy. But others say that GM traits are, indeed, passed on through animal feed into the animal itself, contaminating milk and meat with GM materials. They also say that the growing prevalence of GM feed -- particularly GM soy -- is destroying rainforests, introducing extreme amounts of new pesticides into the environment, and damaging animal and human health.