In a surprise move, President Donald Trump has given Bayer legal immunity for Monsanto’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer under the Defense Production Act.

Trump’s Executive Order, “Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides,” directs the Department of Agriculture to contract with Bayer to mine more phosphorus and make more glyphosate.

Under the Defense Production Act, Bayer cannot “be held liable for damages or penalties for any act … resulting … from compliance with a rule … issued pursuant to” the Act, even if “such rule … shall thereafter be declared … to be invalid.” That means, as long as the Department of Agriculture makes the rules for phosphorus mining and glyphosate production under the Defense Production Act per Trump’s Executive Order, Bayer can’t be held liable for anything it does to comply with them.

If the Department of Agriculture orders Bayer to soak every acre of farmland in the country with glyphosate and everyone exposed dies of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Bayer is off the hook, even if the courts eventually decide the Department of Agriculture had no right to do that.

To undo Trump’s horrible Executive Order, Congressman Thomas Massie has introduced the “No Immunity for Glyphosate Act.” 

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Pass the No Immunity for Glyphosate Act!

Learn more

by Prof. Dr. André Leu D.Sc., BA Com., Grad Dip Ed., Regeneration International Director:

“Toxic synthetic pesticides and soluble chemical fertilizers are damaging our health and harming the environment. They significantly contribute to the rise of chronic diseases, the decline of insects, birds, and other species, as well as widespread pollution, algae blooms in our streams and rivers, and dead zones in the oceans. This is justified on the notion that without poisoning our food and environment, we would starve.

This is a mythology created through ongoing misinformation campaigns by the poison cartels, their captive media, researchers, academics, and regulators. This article clearly shows that we can produce more food that is healthier without these toxic, degenerative inputs.

Most of the 3 billion people who earn a living from agriculture farm on 5 acres (2 hectares) or less and live in extreme poverty. 80 years of industrial agriculture haven’t improved their situation.

Research shows that traditional smallholder farming systems see higher yields when they use well-practiced organic methods. Significant yield gains can be achieved by teaching these farmers to adopt science-based regenerative organic practices into their traditional techniques.”



Learn more about how regenerative organic agriculture can feed the world while providing economic stability and healing the planet

by Greg Baker, Tasting Table:

“We know that experts recommend adding fish to your diet to increase your heart health and slow the mental effects of aging, thanks to minerals, vitamins, and Omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also believed fish helps prenatal and natal cognitive and physical development. So, let’s eat more fish; but what’s stopping us?

Finding the right fish can be problematic when simultaneously trying to do right for yourself and the planet. We haven’t been kind to the marine environment, so consumers should avoid some fish for health reasons, such as high concentrations of heavy metals or other, more unseemly properties. In other cases, overfishing or questionable fishing techniques have put marine populations at risk. But the oceans are vast, and in many cases, a species overfished in one place has a healthy population elsewhere and vice versa. So, knowing what your fish is, where it came from, and how it was caught or farmed can help you make better purchasing decisions.

In that spirit, we’ve compiled a list of fish that should give you pause, either for health implications for yourself, and your family, or their environmental impact. These factors don’t mean that you shouldn’t buy them, but consider the information at hand to make an informed purchase.”

Learn more

Yanitsa Hristova, Learn Scandi:

“What if happiness wasn’t found in things, but in nature – and not just in the climb-a-mountain kind, but in a quiet walk through the woods, a dip in a cold lake, or simply sitting in your local park and breathing in fresh air? That’s the spirit of friluftsliv – the Norwegian concept that literally means “open-air living” or ‘life in the outdoors.’

For many Norwegians, friluftsliv isn’t a once-a-year escape or even just a weekend hobby. It’s part of everyday life. A mindset. A way to slow down. To disconnect from the noise – and reconnect with nature.

It’s how you create small moments of peace in the middle of everything – by simply stepping outside.

In Norway, nature really is for everyone – and not just in theory. You actually have the legal right to enjoy it.

That’s thanks to something called allemannsretten (‘everyman’s right’) – the right to roam. It’s a traditional part of Norwegian culture that says people can move freely through nature, even on privately owned uncultivated land. You’re allowed to walk, ski, pick berries, camp, swim, and more – as long as you’re respectful.

Friluftsliv is about being present in nature and letting it be part of your life – whether for 1 hour or 1 day. Or more. It’s not about how far you go, it’s about the fact that you go at all.”

Let me show you what makes it so special – and why friluftsliv might be exactly what’s been missing in your life, no matter where you live

We’ve been fighting for safe food and corporate accountability for years, but what just happened is a game-changer we honestly didn’t see coming.

Bayer, the giant behind Monsanto’s glyphosate, just pulled a move that could redefine corporate immunity as we know it.

President Donald Trump, under pressure from Bayer, issued an Executive Order on February 18th titled “Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides”. This order gives Bayer immunity under the Cold War-era Defense Production Act.

Yes, you read that right. They’re trying to classify glyphosate as a matter of “national defense,” shielding them from accountability for the harm it causes.

The Supreme Court has also agreed to hear Monsanto v. Durnell. If Bayer wins this case, it could mean all pesticides, for any use, are shielded from liability. This would leave countless victims of pesticide exposure without any legal recourse or compensation for their suffering.

This is a direct attack on our right to health and justice. But we’re not backing down, and neither should you!

Your support right now is critical. We need to amplify these legislative efforts, pressure our elected officials, and educate the public on this outrageous power grab.

Let’s make sure our voices are heard loud and clear.

If you have recently given us a donation, thank you!

If not, please consider supporting our work with a donation. The issues are many, and we are working hard to stay on top of them to give people opportunity to take action, while fulfilling our mission to support, promote and educate for an organic regenerative, healthy and more just food system.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Have you considered making a gift from your IRA?

Melissa Hogenboom, BBC:

“The additives added to processed food to keep it fresher for longer might be having an unexpected effect on the health of the microbes in our guts. Inside all of us there’s a bustling community of trillions of cells that influences numerous aspects of our health. We call it our ‘microbiome’.

‘You can think of gut diversity as like a forest. The more microbes that you have and the different types of microbes in your forest, the greater resilience you have to any perturbations,’ says Melissa Lane, a nutritional epidemiologist at Deakin University.

Science long ago confirmed that a healthy and diverse microbiome is key for our overall wellbeing, as it influences everything from our mood to our metabolism and even our brains. Those who have lower bacterial diversity in their gut are more prone to sleep problems, poorer gut health and greater inflammation, whilst a high diversity is even linked to a longer life.


‘It’s this whole ecosystem. It’s like an extra organ that we have in our body,’ explains Sarah Berry, a professor of nutrition from Kings College London.’ But some of the foods we commonly eat could be harming this ecosystem, evidence suggests.”

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in particular can disrupt and alter the microbes in our gut

Ethos:

“France’s new ban on PFAS in textiles and footwear marks one of the strongest consumer goods restrictions to date, raising questions about how ‘forever chemical’ regulation could reshape global fashion markets.

Two days into the new year, France’s long-anticipated ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals,’ officially entered force for consumer textiles, footwear, and related waterproofing agents. Under the implementing decree published alongside the law’s commencement, the restrictions are now solidified, but with a meaningful caveat: secondhand PFAS-treated garments remain exempt from the new regulatory scope and are permitted to circulate in France’s vibrant reuse market.

For consumers who have become accustomed to the soft sheen of weather-proof jackets or the stain resistance of performance sneakers, the shift will be noticeable but not overt. New products with PFAS above defined residual thresholds — chemicals once ubiquitous in water- and stain-resistant finishes — will be prohibited from manufacture, import, export, and sale beginning this year. But used apparel, with its legacy of PFAS application, will not be suddenly rendered unsellable or illegal.”

The French decree applies immediately to consumer textiles, apparel, and footwear that contain PFAS above set thresholds

by Rachel Frazin, The Hill:

“The Interior Department, which is in charge of the nation’s public lands and waters, has completed a major scaling back of its environmental regulations.

The department, which also oversees activities including drilling and mining on the nation’s lands and in its waters, has rescinded more than 80 percent of its previous environmental regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Interior said in a press release that its actions would be aimed at cutting down delays and costs for energy, minerals, livestock grazing, infrastructure, wildfire mitigation, water projects and conservation efforts. 

NEPA, one of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws, requires the federal government to conduct a detailed analysis of the potential impacts a project may have on its surroundings before it can be approved.

‘Icing the public out of decisions that impact our public lands and outdoors is a surefire way to make sure polluters get to exploit them, which is exactly what Secretary Burgum wants,’ said Save Our Parks spokesperson Jayson O’Neill in a written statement. ‘Make no mistake, the gutting of America’s bedrock environmental law by Burgum will result in costly lawsuits, more pollution, and less public participation when monied interests and extractive corporations want access to our public resources and public lands.’”



Trump unveils historic NEPA changes for public lands

Story by David A. Lieb, MSN:

“Agrochemical maker Bayer and attorneys for cancer patients announced a proposed $7.25-billion settlement Tuesday to resolve thousands of U.S. lawsuits alleging the company failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer.

The proposed settlement comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear arguments in April on Bayer’s assertion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of Roundup without a cancer warning should invalidate claims filed in state courts. That case would not be affected by the proposed settlement.

But the settlement would eliminate some of the risk from an eventual Supreme Court ruling. Patients would be assured of receiving settlement money even if the Supreme Court rules in Bayer’s favor. And Bayer would be protected from potentially larger costs if the high court rules against it.

An agricultural, industrial or turf worker exposed at length to Roundup would receive an average of $165,000 if they were diagnosed with an aggressive form of the illness while younger than age 60, according to the proposed settlement. Meanwhile, a residential Roundup user diagnosed between the ages of 60-77 with a less aggressive form of the illness would receive an average of $20,000.”

Glyphosate still remains in agricultural products

READ: “Pesticide Use and Cancer Risk Rise Together Across America’s Heartland”

by Bailee Henderso, Food Safety Magazine:

“Mycotoxins—formed by fungi in foods like wheat, corn, and barley—pose significant health risks to humans, affecting the endocrine and immune systems, damaging the liver and kidneys, contributing to cancer, and affecting fetal development. Recent estimates suggest that approximately 25 percent of crops exceed EU regulatory limits for mycotoxins, with contamination occurring at levels above detectable limits in up to 60–80 percent of crops.



Plant-based meat alternatives contained a high prevalence of emerging Fusarium toxins, ranging from 93–99 percent for enniatins (ENNs) and beauvericin (BEA). The prevalence of Alternaria toxins was also significant, ranging from 75–86 percent for alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN).

Among meat alternatives, legume-based and mixed cereal–legume products were the most affected, with frequent detection of aflatoxins, high occurrence of Fusarium toxins, and the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON). Notably, aflatoxins—classified as Group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization (WHO)—were found in up to 82.6 percent of the meat alternatives analyzed, with a higher prevalence (up to 66.7 percent) in legume-based products.”

The high prevalence of mixtures including aflatoxins, OTA, Fusarium, and Alternaria toxins indicates that cumulative exposure may pose health concerns

TAKE ACTION: Tell Sec. Kennedy to Ban Quorn!

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