Pesticides and polio

By: Jonathan Benson

One of the most common arguments people often use to defend vaccinations alleges that vaccines are responsible for eradicating epidemic diseases of the past such as polio and smallpox. But a recent investigative review put together by Jeffry John Aufderheide over at VacTruth.com explains not only why this claim is untrue, but also why pesticides may have been responsible for spurring these disease outbreaks in the first place.
As part of a trivia series on polio, Aufderheide cites several studies showing that the widespread use of chemical pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT, and heptachlor following World War II, actual exacerbated viral disease outbreaks across the United States.
On a visual graph, it is clearly seen that the production and use of pesticides throughout the mid-20th century is directly correlated to polio outbreaks, including the worst polio epidemic in known history, which occurred in 1952.
You can view the graph here:
http://vactruth.com/2012/06/03/7-trivia-facts-about-polio/
According to a report compiled by the Secretary of the Interior that was presented before the 85th Congress back in 1958, polio really only became a problem after the 1940s, when chemical companies began to produce large amounts of DDT, heptachlor, dieldrin, tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP), malathion, benzene hexachloride (BHC) and other pesticide chemicals for use on agricultural crops. Prior to that time, polio was not nearly as virulent or problematic as many people believe it was.
As DDT and other pesticides were eventually phased out, cases of polio also began to decline, which suggests that vaccines may not have been primarily responsible for eradicating polio. Improvements in sanitation, which are hardly ever mentioned by mainstream health authorities, also played a major role in eradicating polio.

Pesticide-contaminated milk also responsible for polio outbreaks

Many people during the 1950s became ill as a result of pesticide-contaminated milk, much of which ended up having to be quietly pulled from store shelves in subsequent years. This contaminated milk was also known to be a primary carrier of polio, and was directly responsible for spreading the disease until the contaminating pesticides were eventually phased out, and the milk supply effectively remediated.
Interestingly, milk-induced disease outbreaks were responsible for the later creation of milk pasteurization mandates. But it was the pesticides and their tolerance of polio virus, not the fact that milk was raw, that was responsible for spreading disease. And yet the belief that raw milk is inherently dangerous is still prevalent today, while few have any real understanding of the role pesticide-tainted milk played in spreading disease, and particularly polio.
Right around the time that dangerous pesticides were being retired and sanitation was being improved, authorities released a polio vaccine that they claimed would eradicate the disease. The precise timing of this strategic release would later be used to claim that the vaccine, and not agricultural and sanitation improvements, was responsible for ending polio.

Revisionist history continues to fuel myth that vaccines are responsible for eradicating disease

Because of the way drug companies and vaccine manufacturers have influenced governmental and health authorities over the years, the myth that vaccines are responsible for eradicating disease has prevailed. Truth be told, the polio vaccine has been shown to actually cause many of the paralysis symptoms associated with polio, including in India where there has been a 1,200 percent increase vaccine-associated polio paralysis (VAPP) since the introduction of massive polio vaccine campaigns throughout the country

Sources for this article include:
http://vactruth.com/2012/06/03/7-trivia-facts-about-polio/
http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com

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Pesticides are penetrating deep into plants tissues

Over the last 30 years, the use of pesticides has spiked around the world. People now pour 2.5 million tons of these chemicals into the environment annually, contributing to a $35 billion industry run by global corporations. To make matters worse, the more people use pesticides, the more ineffective they become.

Why are crop yields lost to insects greater than ever before, when pesticide use is at an all time high?

Take a look at the citrus greening crisis happening in places like Florida and California. Citrus greening is a disease spread by the psyllid insect. This insect contaminates citrus trees by leaving a trail of bacteria that ultimately kills the trees. Florida is currently witnessing a 10 percent reduction in produce because of this.
Problems like these exist because pesticides are killing beneficial insects, like lady beetles, that were created to feasts on pests like psyllids. By killing lady beetles, pesticides destroy a balanced ecosystem.

So are pesticides doing more harm than good?

Pesticides are ravaging the environment. Farmers and researchers are now witnessing the death of entire bee colonies because of pesticides. Billions of bees are disappearing from their natural environment, as they cannot handle the poisonous nectar they're pollinating from contaminated flowers.

Systemic pesticides use on the rise

Some people are completely aware of pesticides' ability to disrupt the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands. These glands control hormones in the human body which guide the development, growth, gender, behavior, and reproductive systems.
That's why some people wash their fruit and vegetables before eating them. The sad reality is that pesticides exist not only as residue, but are also pent up and stored inside plant tissues. In fact, systemic pesticide use is on the rise. These chemicals, first used in 1998, have now spread to most of the conventional food supply. Systemic pesticides travel from the soil and are absorbed into vegetation, moving through the xylem and extending into the leaves and flowers, where they infect pollen and nectar. Four classes of pesticides have become commonplace and include imidacloprids, which are applied to vegetables like tomatoes and leafy greens. Thiamethoxam is typically used as seed "treatment" for corn, but is now applied to soil for fruit and vegetables. Clothianidin is also a seed contaminant, used on canola, cereals, sugar beets, and potatoes. Dinotefuran is either applied to soil or sprayed directly on leafy greens, including cucumber crops.

Stunning pesticide levels in USDA tests

Tests conducted by the US Department of Agriculture from 1999 to 2007 report stunning levels of systemic pesticides in conventional produce. They found that 70 percent of broccoli and 74 percent of fresh lettuce contained imidacloprid residues. Heavy levels of thiamethoxam were found in strawberries and sweet peppers.
Worse yet, the tests found imidacloprid levels of up to 550 parts per billion in eucalyptus nectar and pollen - three times the amount needed to kill honeybees!
Water droplets that exude from a plant's surface also tested positive for systemic pesticides; plants are practically bleeding out chemicals!
The Journal of Economic Entomology reports, "When bees consume guttation drops, collected from plants grown from neonicotinoid-coated seeds, they encounter death within a few minutes."
Additionally, systemic nitroguanidine pesticides can last up to 500 days or more in soil, affecting the ecosystem for up to two seasons, poisoning water, soil, worms, beetles, and bees which all play an important role in a thriving environment.

Four simple actions to make a difference

• Stop using pesticides altogether and appreciate a balanced ecosystem.
• Shop locally, but more importantly, shop organically. Put your money where your morals are.
• Realize that the government is not protecting the population from harmful chemicals. Even though they have more regulatory agencies than ever before, big government is actually permitting these disease spreading, Earth-ravaging chemicals to persist.
• Collectively make your voice heard by signing a petition. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/ban-systemic-pesticide
Sources for this article include
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/ban-systemic-pesticide
http://www.motherearthnews.com
http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/pesticides-on-food
http://www.organicgardeningguru.com/pesticides.html
http://www.panna.org/issues/food-agriculture/pesticides-on-food

^{Source: http://www.naturalnews.com}

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Rabi crops may suffer from water stress conditions

Meteorological department has forecast 30 percent less winter rain (January-March) and water stress conditions this year and advised the water managers to use the available water resources judiciously to meet the vital water requirements in the country.
Director General PMD, Dr Arif Mahmood said that largely below normal rainfall but slightly above normal snowfall are expected in winter 2014. Snowfall over the mountainous areas during winter is expected to occur 10-15 percent more than the normal.
He warned that availability of water in rain-fed areas would be limited and thus Rabi crops particularly wheat are likely to suffer from water stress conditions.
Weather forecast for today:
Mainly very cold and partly cloudy weather is expected over most parts of the country with scattered misty and isolated foggy conditions over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh.
However, thunder-rain with snowfall over the hills is likely to occur at scattered places of Malakand, Hazara divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. Also, thunder-rain with snowfall over the hills may occur at isolated places of Makran, Quetta, Kalat divisions and Fata. Further, thunder-rain with snowfall over the hills would occur at a few places of Rawalpindi, Kohat, Peshawar, Larkana, Karachi divisions and Islamabad.
Weather forecast for next 48 hrs:
Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However cloudy weather with chances of light rain (light snowfall over the hills) expected in Malakand, Hazara divisions, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Coldest places in country:
Astore -13°C, Parachinar -12°C, Skardu & Hunza -10°C, Gupis -09, Kalam & Quetta -08, Gilgit -07, Malamjabba and Kalat -06°C, Rawalakot -04°C.

Source: Business recorder

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Investment in agriculture seed market can boost economy

Pakistan's agriculture seed market is worth almost $ 1500 million and it has huge potential and opportunities for investors. DG Federal Seed Certification & Registration, Syed Muhammad Nasir Ali expressed these views while talking to APP here on Sunday. He said that investment in agriculture seed and supply of certified seed was important not only to boost agriculture sector but also overall economy of the country.
He said the value of seed produced in Pakistan was $ 500 million while the value of imported seed was $ 300 million which showed a market gap for investment of $ 700 million. He said certified seed availability of major crops in Pakistan was just 20 per cent while authorities had set a target for certified seed availability of 30 percent for the next year.
He said the share of the public sector in seed availability was 22 per cent while private sector's share was 78 per cent.
He said that there were four public sector seed organisations while five multinational seed companies and 789 national seed companies were operating in the private sector.

Source: Business recorder

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Saudi team praises poultry facilities

"Standard of poultry facilities in Pakistan is as good as in any European country," this was stated by a four-member Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) technical delegation in a meeting with senior officials of Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) presided over by Seerat Asghar Secretary MNFSR here on Friday.
The Saudi Technical delegation had earlier visited different poultry farms to inspect standard of poultry facilities. The delegation also visited National Reference Laboratory for Poultry Diseases and National Veterinary Laboratory situated at National Agricultural Research Center (NARC), Islamabad and expressed satisfaction over their standard. It is to be noted that Saudi Arabia had suspended import of hatching eggs and day-old chicks from Pakistan in 2005-06 due to eruption of Bird Flu disease in Pakistan.
During the meeting, Seerat Asghar apprised of delegation about various preventive and precautionary measures undertaken by Pakistan to successfully contain H5NI virus in the country since 2005. The Secretary also apprised that a successful "National Programme for the Control and Prevention of Avian Influenza" was launched for control of the disease. The Secretary also informed about various measures undertaken complying with international standards to modernise poultry industry infrastructure and facilities. Asghar further stated that due to concerted efforts and hard work Pakistan declared freedom from Bird Flu disease with effect from September 22, 2008, and since then poultry industry has been growing at an annual rate of 13%, hoping that Saudi Arabia may soon restore import of poultry products from Pakistan.
The dignitaries on both sides also agreed that there is a great potential of trade in the areas of poultry and livestock between the two countries. Both sides also agreed that there is a need to further strengthen bilateral trade between the two brotherly countries.-PR

Source: Business Recorder

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Rice farmers advised to adopt SRI tech for higher yield

Noticing the falling yield of rice in Pakistan the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) representative has urged the Pakistani rice farmers to adopt the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) prepared by the World Bank Institute (WBI) and widely practiced in several rice growing countries successfully for achieving higher productivity and water savings.
In a statement Zulfikar Thaver member UNGC lauded the efforts of the WBI for preparing and promoting the SRI and said that the SRI is a guide for rice farmers and teaches them rice planting and water management for increase in yield and income. It is based on six key elements and educates the rice farmers in land preparation, seedlings preparation, innovative transplanting, intermittent irrigation, rotary weeding and organic fertilisation.
He said it is a marvelous system which can give remarkable improvement in yield per acre and lowers cost of production scientifically.
After studying the SRI one realises the need to adopt the system without loss of time. It is pertinent to note that no heavy farm machinery is required as it is very simple and its application is based on methods and techniques and simple devices are used in plantation after land preparation and intermittent irrigation under single plantation techniques.
He urged the ministry of agriculture to immediately contact the WBI and plan to introduce the SRI for the next cultivation for all varieties of rice in all the provinces for best results. 

News Source                            News Collated by agrinfobank.com Team

^{Courtesy The Nation}

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Engro Foods enters fresh dairy segment

Engro Foods Limited, the fastest growing Pakistani multinational company entered the fresh dairy industry of Pakistan with their new brand "Mabrook". The company's objective is to tap into the dominant Fresh Loose Milk segment using the pasteurisation process.
'Mabrook' offers all the benefits of Fresh Milk, ie consistent cream (balai) yield, value in usage (yogurt, butter, ghee, direct consumption, etc) and daily fresh supply of milk at Mabrook shops. Keeping the Loose milk consumer insights into view, the milk is sold through milk outlets and is dispensed hygienically to ensure that the best possible quality product reaches the consumer. Speaking at the occasion, Sarfaraz A Rehman, CEO, Engro Foods said: "Out of 20 billion liters of tradable milk in Pakistan, the unbranded fresh dairy holds almost 74 percent for the share in the industry. We wanted to tap into that category and offer a value-added product to this key segment of the Pakistani market--living our purpose of elevating consumer delight for a wide section of the society.
Although we are selling our product through milk outlets, the product is backed by our commitment to quality excellence--a fact visible through our local and international certifications. We are hopeful that Mabrook with its unique proposition and better quality will offer a more economic and healthy choice to our consumers." Mabrook is Engro's response to the loose milk consumers' need for fresh, clean and unadulterated milk; bringing a product that is affordable while delivering quality and staying true to its offering.

Courtesy Business Recorder  I News Collated by agrinfobank.com

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Anatomical Differences Between Crop and Weed

The amount of spray retention by foliage after postemergence applications can affect selectivity. This selectivity is usually due to the crop plant’s having a waxy cuticle that repels the spray solution.Examples include onions, peas, cereal grains, Brassica vegetable crops, and conifers. Medium to high spray volumes usually provide better selectivity, and adding an adjuvant can decrease selectivity as a result of enhanced adhesion of the spray droplets. Differences in leaf shape, size, and orientation between weed and crop can provide some selectivity differences. This is most common for controlling dicot weeds in small grain crops (the grain leaves retain less herbicide because of shape, orientation, size, and granular epicuticular wax). Postemergence selectivity can be due to the growing point of the crop being protected from direct contact by the herbicide while the growing point of the weed is exposed. The best example is dicot weed control (growing point not well protected by emerging leaves) in small grains (growing point well protected by the whorls of emerging leaves). The herbicide must not have a high degree of phloem mobility for this selectivitymechanism to work. For more detail regarding the influence of plant morphology on herbicide absorption, see the review by Hess (1987).

Preemergence selectivity can be due to a difference in root morphology between the weed and the crop. Grass weeds usually have a fibrous root system, whereas dicot crops usually have a taproot system. Thus,growth inhibitor herbicides, such as trifluralin, applied to the soil come directly in contact with the growing root tips in grass weeds, but not with those of the deeper-rooted dicot crops. For this selectivity mechanism to be useful, the water solubility and soil binding characteristics of the herbicide must be such that movement isrestricted to the upper soil profile.
Morphology differences within stem tissue of grass plants can provide differences in selectivity. The growing point of many grass weeds (crabgrass and wild oat) are more exposed to herbicide-treated soil than wheat and barley where the growing point is protected inside the coleoptile.

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Sukkur Barrage canals to be closed from January 6

The Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage Left Bank Sukkur Region has said that all the canals of Sukkur Barrage would be remained closed for the annual closure. He said that the closure will start from January 6 to 20, 2014 for the purpose of normal inspection, maintenance and necessary repair of the infrastructure.
For that period there will be no water supply in any of the off-taking canal of Sukkur Barrage ie N.W. Canal, Dadu canal, Khairpur Feeder East canal, Khairpur Feeder West canal, Rohri Main canal, Nara canal and their allied channels, the Chief Engineer added.

News Source

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Pakistan among top Asian states in illicit tobacco consumption

Pakistan is among top Asian countries in the consumption of illicit tobacco with highest number of 21.8 billion illicit cigarettes consumed in the country annually. Referring to a 'Asia-11 Illicit Tobacco Indicator 2012' study by Oxford Economics, experts said on Monday that the figures and data has been mentioned in the said study.
In the reporting year, the domestic illicit use was 18.8 billion cigarettes, whereas the non-domestic consumption of illicit cigarettes stands at 3 billion, which is much lower than the domestic use. The non-duty paid cigarettes contribute to rise in tobacco consumption by making cigarettes cheaper and more accessible. This makes it more attractive, especially to people who are price sensitive, such as youth and the poor. It also allows cigarettes to be sold as singles instead of packs, or from non-regulated outlets that make it more accessible to youth.
On the other hand the study indicates that the countries with a sharp rise in taxes on legal tobacco brands than the countries with low taxes have the high ratio of illicit consumption.
Heavy taxation on the legal tobacco brands (high tax paying industry) is ultimately promoting the illicit tobacco industry thus allowing criminals and opportunists to get a chance to sell their counterfeit products on cheap rates, which attracts the customers with low purchasing power.
The main factors contributing to the problem include an unbalanced fiscal policy, heavy taxation, protectionist policy measures, corruption, weak enforcement, lack of official controls in free zones, inadequate legislation and sanctions, growth in illegal distribution networks and public tolerance of the illicit trade in tobacco products.
According to the Oxford Economics study, due to illicit tobacco trade, Pakistan loses tax revenues of over Rs 27 billion per year.
Recently, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has initiated an advertisement campaign in the media to create awareness about the illegal and smuggled tobacco brands. It is an encouraging effort but the FBR should focus more on developing a comprehensive enforcement strategy to curb illegal tobacco trade, they said.
The sale and purchase of smuggled Pine and other smuggled packs including Esse, Mild 88, More, Camel and Sense are illegal and attract penalties of confiscation of cigarettes, fine of up to Rs 50, 000, recovery equal to 500 per cent of unpaid taxes and imprisonment up to five years. The FBR's agency has launched many similar campaigns against illicit cigarette brands, especially against Pine, which is in high demand amongst Pakistani smokers because it is an imported brand easily available at below the minimum price set by the FBR at Rs 34 for a pack of 20.'Cricket' is a recent example of a duty-evading cigarette brand that is being sold at Rs 12. This also raises the question how the brand was being sold even below the minimum excise duty, which stands at Rs 17.6 per pack and should be payable to the national exchequer.
If the government is serious in curbing this illegitimate business, it needs to develop comprehensive anti-illicit trade policies and pay particular attention to the involvement of all relevant government agencies like Customs, Ministries of Finance, Health, Justice and Trade, to ensure alignment and commitment to achieving the same goals, they added.

News Source     I News Collected: agrinfobank.com Team

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