Planning on going to the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting at 130 W. Congress Avenue at 9 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, November 22^nd, to tell the board in no uncertain terms that to vote NO on the proposal to give Monsanto a tax break? We’re counting on you! Please join us as we fight against this outrageous idea!

Here are some things you should know:

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by Melissa Diane Smith

In a guest opinion piece in the November 15^th Ârizona Daily Star, Supervisor Richard Elias outlined a long list of reasons why the Board of Supervisors should not support a tax break for Monsanto.

“Monsanto has a decades-long litany of producing, promoting, and distributing some of the deadliest toxins ever created—and shirking responsibility for the tragic consequences of their use,” Elias wrote.

The company and its predecessors have had a hand in, often been a creator of, many of the world’s worst toxic nightmares: PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), early nuclear weaponry, DDT, dioxin, Agent Orange, Roundup (glyphosate), Lasso (alachlor), Bovine Growth Hormone, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Elias described the toxicity of—in other words, the environmental and health harm brought by—each one of these products.

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Below is a letter that Dr. DeeAnn Saber wrote to John Moffat of Pima County Economic Development regarding Monsanto’s purchase of land in Pima County and its proposed plans to build a facility here. She wanted the letter to be shared with the public.

Dear Mr. Moffat,

I have attempted to call numerous times but apparently no one is willing or able to answer your phones. I am writing therefore in regards to the decision the Board has made to let Monsanto into our area.

They were just on trial at The Hague, an internationally recognized institution, for crimes against humanity due to the poisonous nature of their products.

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Upset about chemical corporation Monsanto’s plans to build a facility in Pima County and wondering what you can do about it? Be sure to attend the Stand Up Against Monsanto community meeting at the Oro Valley Public Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, 2016. See the Facebook event page.

In the meeting, you’ll:

• Watch a 30-minute video about what happened in Hawaii
• Discover what we can learn from their experience
• Hear comments from Going Against GMOs author Melissa Diane Smith, farmer Anne Loftfield of High Energy Agriculture, and beekeeper David Benton
• Meet like-minded people who want to band together to oppose Monsanto’s efforts
• Get information about the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, November 22^nd, at 9 a.m.; why it’s so important to have a large community turnout there; and what to expect at the meeting.

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Edible Baja Arizona magazine posted this strong statement against the proposed Monsanto development in Pima County. View the original post of this article on its website.

A proposed Monsanto greenhouse in Marana would undermine and threaten Tucson’s designation as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

By edible Baja Arizona

In early October, biotech seed company Monsanto purchased 155 acres in Avra Valley northwest of Tucson for $3.74 million. According to reporting by Tony Davis in the Arizona Daily Star, Monsanto intends to install a seven-acre greenhouse on the site to grow and test corn and soybean seed. Without public input, Pima County’s Economic Development office offered Monsanto access to the financial advantages that come with being part of Tucson’s foreign trade zone. Davis has reported that this is essentially a tax incentive package for Monsanto, which could possibly reduce the company’s property tax burden by two-thirds.

Edible Baja Arizona joins many community organizations, farmers, and local food advocates in voicing our strong opposition to Monsanto’s presence in Pima County.

We request that that the County convene a citizen’s taskforce of farmers, local food economists, crop breeders, weed scientists, and ethicists to fully review and critique Monsanto’s plans on behalf of the Board of Supervisors. We also oppose its inclusion in the Foreign Trade Zone as a surreptitious tax incentive, and call on all Pima County Supervisors to vote no when it comes to a vote on November 22.

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On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, at 11 a.m. Eastern time (8 a.m. Pacific), listen in on a live interview with me, Melissa Diane Smith, about genetically modified foods and the growing non-GMO revolution on the Linda Mackenzie radio program on HealthyLife.net. If you miss the live show, don’t worry: You can hear the podcast in the Archives a day or two later.

The interview conducted by Linda Mackenzie, the founder/general manager of the HealthyLife.net Radio Network, will be a primer for people who are just learning how to avoid genetically modified foods as well as a quick refresher about the risks of genetically modified foods and how to shop non-GMO, even without mandatory labeling. The segment will cover the main points about Going Against GMOs in 20 minutes.

Copyright 2016 Melissa Diane Smith

by Melissa Diane Smith

Sign PCFA’s petition asking for more transparency, and for the Board of Supervisors to reject a tax incentive package for Monsanto

The Pima County Food Alliance (PCFA) – a grassroots policy council working for a just, local, environmentally sustainable food system in Pima County – says Monsanto is a threat to the sustainability of our local agricultural system and to Tucson’s recent designation as a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy.

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