Howard Vlieger, a third-generation US farmer, didn’t start out as an enemy of GM – he was just curious. In 1998, on his farm in Maurice, Iowa, he grew both genetically-modified “Bt maize” and conventional maize as feed for his beef cattle. He was intrigued to see how his herd would respond.

Usually, they ate everything and left nothing but, when he let 25 animals into the feeding pen, they all jostled for the conventionally-grown maize. When it was finished, they nibbled some of the Bt maize – but soon changed their minds. As Vlieger says, “My cattle have more sense than these scientists who say that GMO maize is better”. Since then, he has only fed his cattle non-GM maize. His animals became healthier, needed barely any medication, and their meat tasted much better, too.

Howard Vlieger’s circle

“Imagine AstraZeneca, Syngenta, Bayer, Pfizer Pharmacia, Upjohn and Monsanto are standing here in the middle of the circle. They’re all part of the chemical industry. We use poisons to grow our crops. Why do we grow the crops? For grain. Who do we feed most of our grain to? Livestock. If the use of these poisons leaves a negative residual effect in the plants, could it also be in the grain? If it’s in the grain that you feed to your livestock, and your livestock isn’t well, who do you call? The veterinarian. When the veterinarian arrives, what does he recommend? Drugs to make the animals feel better. If you want the animals to grow faster, what do you give them? Hormones.

If the poison leaves a negative residual effect in the grain, could it also be in the meat? If it’s in the meat and people eat the meat and then don’t feel well, where do they go? To the doctor. What do you get from the doctor? A piece of paper with his signature on it. And where does he send you on your way home? To the pharmacy.

AstraZeneca, Syngenta, Bayer, Pfizer Pharmacia, Upjohn and Monsanto are all pharmaceutical and chemical companies. Does this generate a positive cash flow for the firms in the middle?

You ask why our government lets it happen?

These crooks are in charge of our government’s various regulatory bodies – so it’s not difficult to answer that question! What’s happening here is abhorrent! They’re sacrificing the future generations of this country, and of the whole world, for the sake of the almighty dollar. It’s all about the greed, money, power and control of the few”.