Breast milk scare an organic incentive - Fitzsimons

News that hundreds of toxic chemicals have been found in the breast milk of
British women is an extra incentive for New Zealand to become an organic
farming nation.

That's according to Green Party Co-Leader and Thames organic farmer Jeanette Fitzsimons MP, who says continuing scare stories about unsafe food, especially from Europe, make it obvious organic agriculture is the way of the future for this country.

"Many would think nothing should be safer for babies than mother's milk, but
environmentalists have for some years been warning that a general build up
of toxins in the environment is affecting breast milk," Ms Fitzsimons said.
"However, I'm still advocating that mothers breast-feed their babies because
there are huge advantages overall in doing so."

She believes many of the British toxins would be found in the milk of New
Zealand mothers, as well as in cow's milk. While parents could cut down on
toxic chemicals in the home, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep
toxins out of the supermarket food which most mothers consumed, she said.

"Rather than encourage organic farming, the New Zealand government has been providing hundreds of millions of dollars of subsidies through the Public Good Science Fund for genetic engineers, and especially to those wanting to put more pesticide around their new pesticide-resistant transgenic crops," Ms Fitzsimons said.

"Under National, New Zealand faces a scenario of increased pesticide
residues, a greater influence from big chemical and food giants such as
Monsanto, and a real risk that our $65 million organic farming industry is
wrecked as genetically engineered crops spread accidently.

"A Royal commission of enquiry into genetic engineering, which I first asked for last year, would help weigh-up these dangers."

ENDS

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