Food Matters Aotearoa conference shows the way forward
The Food Matters Aotearoa conference will be promoting healthy sustainable food production showcasing speakers from 5
different continents. A range of expertise will also come from New Zealand.
One speaker Dr Vandana Shiva works with thousands of small Indian farmers and has set up over a hundred heritage seed
banks. Growing organically now provides extra production of highly nutritious food from difficult growing environments.
“Heritage varieties that perform without chemical fertilisers and pesticides have improved the lives of thousands of
subsistence farmers; heritage seeds and organic methods are now being used in community gardens around New Zealand” said
Susie Lees from Food Matters Aotearoa team. “A resurgence of communities growing their own food is resulting in
healthier lifestyles for New Zealanders.”
Increasingly it is obvious that the extent of chemical overload in our food is in part due to the breeding of new
varieties of herbicide-tolerant food crops, both genetically engineered and mutated. This was the case with the
Wrightsons HT swedes used for cattle feed which recently killed hundreds of cattle in Southland. (1)
Various uses of Roundup are increasing exponentially from desiccation of potato haulm to use on cut grass for silage for
dairy winter feed. This chemical is hazardous to health and not tested for in any of our waterways.
“How much chemical is residual in our bodies in New Zealand is unknown, in the US Roundup has been found in urine (2)and
more recently feeding tube liquid given to babies in hospitals in the US.”(3) says Susie Lees. “They now even appear to
have used it on the parliament lawn!”(see photo)
The Food Matters Aotearoa conference will promote agroecological farming whilst looking at reasons to avoid pesticides
and artificial fertilisers.
References:-
1) Questions to parliament 10. Dec 2014
2)Roundup's reach present in all tested animal and human samples
3) Glyphosate found in feeding tube liquid