US court denies appeal in Roundup cancer case

Yahoo – AFP, 14 May 2021 

Roundup weed killer is the subject of thousands of lawsuits in the US

A US federal court in San Francisco on Friday denied an appeal by Monsanto in the cancer trial over its Roundup weedkiller and upheld an award of $25 million in damages. 

It was the latest setback for Monsanto's parent, German chemical giant Bayer, in its campaign to put an end more than 13,000 US lawsuits over the chemical. 

The three-judge panel affirmed the district court's judgment in favor of Edwin Hardeman, who blamed the chemical in Roundup for causing his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. 

The ruling found the district court properly denied Monsanto's appeal "because evidence showed the carcinogenic risk of glyphosate was knowable at the time of Hardeman's exposure." 

A jury originally ordered the company to pay $75 million but a judge later reduced that amount. 

The ruling Friday said the award was "at the outer limits of constitutional propriety" but was acceptable, "Considering the evidence of Monsanto's reprehensibility." 

Hardeman said he used Roundup extensively on his land in Sonoma County -- north of San Francisco -- from the 1980s until 2012. 

He filed a complaint against Monsanto in early 2016, a year after being diagnosed with cancer. 

The case was considered a "bellwether" in the litigation against Monsanto, but the judges cautioned that "different Roundup cases may present different considerations, leading to different results." 

"We are disappointed with the court's decision as the verdict in this case is not supported by the evidence at trial or the law," Bayer said in a statement, adding it would consider appealing to the US Supreme Court. 

The agrochemicals and drugs giant has been plagued by legal woes since it bought Monsanto in 2018. 

Bayer, which is not admitting any wrongdoing, maintains that scientific studies and regulatory approvals show Roundup's main ingredient glyphosate is safe. 

The company set aside some $11 billion to deal with a wave of US lawsuits, and in February said it had settled some 90,000 of the cases.

US farmer wins damages over Bayer AG, BASF herbicide

Yahoo – AFP, February 17, 2020

Farmer Bill Bader claimed the companies encouraged farmers to use the dicamba
weedkiller irresponsibly (AFP Photo/INA FASSBENDER)

Washington (AFP) - A US jury has awarded $265 million to a Missouri farmer who blamed herbicide from chemical giants Bayer AG and BASF for destroying his peach orchards, in a case set to bolster 140 other lawsuits.

Jurors in federal court in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, made the ruling on Saturday after peach farmer Bill Bader claimed the companies encouraged farmers to use the dicamba weedkiller irresponsibly.

Bloomberg News reported that the case was the first US trial over dicamba herbicide, which is alleged to have wrecked crops across America's Midwest by drifting onto plants that were unable to resist it.

Much like Roundup, another much-criticized herbicide marketed by Monsanto, dicamba has been on the market many years.

Use of the chemical jumped after Monsanto -- which was bought by Germany's Bayer in 2018 -- introduced seeds that can resist the weed-killer.

But the product has been blamed for polluting around four percent of US soybean fields in 2017. A common complaint is that the herbicide spreads to nearby areas.

The fight over dicamba comes in the wake of a case in which Bayer was ordered by a California jury to pay $290 million for failing to warn a dying groundskeeper that Roundup might cause cancer.

In January, reports suggested Bayer could stump up $10 billion in a settlement with tens of thousands of US plaintiffs suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The cancer sufferers say they developed the disease after exposure to glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup.

Bayer, which has argued that dicamba is safe for crops as long as users follow instructions, was reported to be planning to appeal Saturday's ruling, while BASF was not available for comment.

Illinois becomes latest US state to legalize recreational pot

France24 – AFP, 1 January 2020

Washington (AFP) - Illinois started the new year on a high note Wednesday, becoming the latest US state to legalize recreational marijuana as the governor pardoned thousands for past low-level cannabis convictions.

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act will allow residents 21 and older to legally purchase marijuana and will expunge thousands of individuals' criminal convictions throughout the state.

"We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core," Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.

On Tuesday night, Pritzker granted 11,017 pardons for people with low-level cannabis convictions, the first round of a planned total of more than 700,000.

According to the statement, the new law will use 25 percent of the state's cannabis revenue to help "the communities hit hardest" by the earlier crackdown on marijuana.

"Today we took another step toward justice, as we continue to address the failed war on drugs and the disproportionate impact it had on communities of color," Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx said in the statement.

Illinois residents age 21 and older will now be allowed to legally possess 30 grams of cannabis, five grams of cannabis concentrate or 500 milligrams of THC -- the main active ingredient of cannabis -- contained in a cannabis-infused product.

Non-residents are allowed to carry 15 grams of cannabis under the bill, which will also create a licensed growing and dispensary system.

Illinois is the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana, along with Washington, DC. Thirty-four states and the federal capital permit medical cannabis treatment.

But the US Drug Enforcement Administration still considers marijuana a dangerous substance alongside LSD and heroin.

A study by the federal Centers for Disease Control published in August found that states that legalize recreational marijuana see a reduction of at least 20 percent in fatalities linked to opioid overdoses.

Marijuana legalization has also been shown to improve a state's economic activity, creating jobs and bringing in new tax revenue.

US meat producers want a slice of vegan market

Yahoo – AFP, Juliette MICHEL, November 24, 2019

Agri-business giants are branching out with plant-based meat alternatives to
try to capitalize on the new trend (AFP Photo/Angela Weiss)

New York (AFP) - The growing craze for vegetarian versions of juicy burgers and sausages has created such a buzz that even traditional meat producers are trying to get in on the action.

The big players are trying to capitalize on the success of products from companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger.

JBS, the world's largest beef producer, has been marketing a soy burger in Brazil since the summer, which contains beets, garlic and onions and is similar to a rare ground beef.

The largest US meat producer, Tyson Foods, in June launched a new line of plant-based proteins and meat-vegetable blends called "Raised & Rooted."

And competitors Hormel Foods, Perdue Farms and Smithfield have unveiled similar initiatives to take a slice out of this new market.

"Our food culture is changing at a rapid pace," said Bryan Kreske, brand manager at Hormel Foods.

There is an "increasing curiosity and motivation to try great-tasting, alternative protein sources like plant-based proteins while decreasing their consumption of animal-based protein."

Regardless of whether it is the start of a new trend, or a passing fancy, the agri-food giants do not want to miss the opportunity.

Rather than target vegetarians, they are going after the 95 percent of consumers who eat meat.

But unlike the upstart alternative meat companies, which cite the carbon footprint of raising cows and other livestock, traditional players have a harder time using environmental or animal rights arguments to promote their products.

Instead they often focus on health benefits.

"It's more about our clients wanting to get more plants and vegetables into their diet and less about reducing meat consumption," said Eric Christianson, marketing manager at Perdue.

Best known for its chicken, Perdue in September released their "Chicken Plus" products, which include kid-friendly nuggets, made of a mix of chicken, chickpeas and cauliflower -- which they say is perfect for parents trying to get their kids to eat vegetables.

Beyond Meat "Beyond Burger" patties are one of the options for plant-based proteins, 

which now include chicken, shrimp and sausage alternatives (AFP Photo/Angela Weiss)

The company is betting big on this new product: earmarking half of its 2020 marketing budget to promoting it, spending especially heavily in January, "when people are really going to be in the mood to eat healthy," Christianson said.

'Plant curious' consumer

Soy burgers have been around for decades. But Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger have been working for the last 10 years to create products that are closer to the taste, texture and flavor of real meat, thanks to ingredients such as beets.

These products jumped into the headlines this year with their introduction in fast food chains, such as Burger King's Impossible Burger, and with Beyond Meat's spectacular Wall Street debut.

Traditional meat producers quickly jumped on the bandwagon.

At Hormel, the Happy Little Plants brand "moved swiftly from a conceptual idea rooted in the 'plant curious' consumer... to a commercially viable product line in just under 13 weeks," Kreske said.

But while these meat producers have no plans to abandon their main business, Impossible Foods says its mission is to replace animal proteins in the food system by 2035.

That might be overly optimistic. In the market for milk alternatives, plant-based drinks such as soy or almond milk make up just 13 percent of sales.

"For dairy, there's really a health reason" to not consume milk products, including allergies, said Perdue's Christianson.

But for meat, "it becomes more of a lifestyle choice to eat healthier."

Still, the alternative meat segment could become "significant," he said.

Robert Martin, who specializes in food policies at the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University, said the traditional producers are entering the plant-based meat market "in their own economic self-interest," so they do not lose market share.

He called the trend "troubling" and cautioned "it could have the side effect of stifling innovation and competition."

Even so, he views any plant-based alternative as "a positive step," adding that bigger players can bring "economies of scale" to producing these plant-based products, therefore reducing prices.

"They quit talking about themselves as meat companies, they now call themselves a protein company," Martin said.

Related Article:

Vegetarian Butcher to supply 2,500 Burger Kings with meat-free patties

Monsanto pleads guilty to using banned pesticide on research crop

Yahoo – AFP, November 22, 2019

A picture taken on May 24, 2016 in Lillo near Antwerp shows the Monsanto logo on a
building at the firm Manufacturing Site and Operations Center. (AFP Photo/JOHN THYS)

Biotech giant Monsanto on Thursday agreed to plead guilty to illegally using a banned and highly toxic pesticide on research crops at one of its facilities on the Hawaiian island of Maui and to pay $10 million in fines.

The company admitted in court documents filed in US District Court in Honolulu that it sprayed the pesticide known as Penncap-M on corn seed and other crops at its Valley Farm facility in 2014, even though it knew the chemical had been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency the year before.

"The illegal conduct in this case posed a threat to the environment, surrounding communities and Monsanto workers," said Nick Hanna, the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, whose office handled the case. "Federal laws and regulations impose a clear duty on every user of regulated and dangerous chemicals to ensure the products are safely stored, transported and used."

The case against Monsanto was brought as the agriculture giant faced a slew of lawsuits arguing that its Roundup weed killer causes cancer.

Federal prosecutors had initially sought to file felony charges against the company for illegally spraying Penncap-M, a nerve agent. But they reportedly agreed to let the company plead to a lesser misdemeanor offense after Monsanto's lawyers intervened at the highest levels of the Department of Justice.

In its guilty plea, Monsanto admitted that after the 2014 spraying, it told employees to enter the sprayed fields a week later even though it knew the workers should have been kept from entering the area for 31 days.

The plea calls for Monsanto to pay a $6 million criminal fine and $4 million in community service payments to Hawaiian government entities.

Hanna's office said the government agreed to dismiss felony charges in two years if Monsanto abides by the plea agreement.

Dutchman wins prestigious prize for work with seeds and small farmers

DutchNews, June 11, 2019

Photo: Marcel Bakker via World Food Prize Foundation

This year’s World Food Prize, the most important global prize in the field of farming and food, has been awarded to Dutchman Simon Groot for his work in helping millions of smallholder farmers to use good seeds. 

This work, the organising committee says, ‘enabled them to to earn greater incomes through enhanced vegetable production, benefitting hundreds of millions of consumers with greater access to nutritious vegetables for healthy diets’. 

‘Simon Groot has dedicated his life to improving the livelihoods of millions around the world,’ Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, said at the award announcement on Monday. 

Groot, now 84, and his partner in the Philippines, started East-West Seed in 1982. Today, the team has developed vegetable varieties with enhanced disease resistance and significantly higher yields which are now used across Asia and beyond. The company serves 19 million smallholder farmers in more than 60 tropical countries.

Announcing the 2019 World Food Prize Laureate, from the Netherlands, Mr. Simon N. Groot. #FoodPrize19 pic.twitter.com/LzKIefa3Nw

— The World Food Prize (@WorldFoodPrize) 10 juni 2019

In an interview with the Volkskrant, Groot said he thinks it regrettable that seed production is in the hands of a few big companies such as Bayer/Monsanto and Syngenta. 

The big companies, he said, are limiting supplies because there is little money to be made from minor breeds. ‘Big companies look at the importance of shareholders,’ he said. ‘Traditional seed companies put the interests of farmers first. We are friends to farmers.’ 

The prize was founded in 1986 by Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Groot is the first Dutch national to take the prize.

Government to issue second licence for medicinal cannabis as demand grows

DutchNews, May 27, 2019

The Dutch government is planning to issue a second licence for the production of medicinal cannabis to meet growing demand patients. 

The only company authorised to produce cannabis for medical use, Bedrocan in Emmeloord, has increased its output fivefold in the last five years to 2,604 kilograms. 

Bedrocan received its licence 16 years ago from the Office of Medicinal Cannabis (BMC), which buys the entire stock and distributes it to hospitals and pharmacies. Around half of it is sold abroad to countries including Germany, Italy and Poland. 

The BMC, established by health minister Els Borst in 2000, is expected to start the European tendering process for a second licence in early June. An earlier attempt to issue a second licence for medical cannabis was abandoned after an objection was made to the procedure. 

Bedrocan produces five types of cannabis with different levels of THC and CBD. The main advantage of medicinal cannabis is that the strength and quality of the drug is much more consistent than the varieties grown for commercial use. 

Cannabis sold in ‘coffeeshops’ is also more likely to contain impurities such as pesticides, making it unsuitable for a clinical setting. 

Among the medical community there is growing interest in the use of cannabis as a painkiller, although the Dutch Society of Family Doctors (NHG) maintains there is currently ‘insufficient evidence’ that the drug relieves pain or improves patients’ quality of life. 

Albert Dahan, professor of anaesthesiology at Leiden’s UMC, said further research should be carried out into the effects of using cannabis as a painkiller, especially im combination with drugs such as morphine.

‘I was fairly sceptical in the beginning, so we decided to investigate and saw that thc had a visible effect. I can see there being scope for using cannabis in future,’ he said.

Miracle treatment or dangerous drug? Indonesia cashes in on Kratom

Yahoo – AFP, Harry PEARL, with Aseanty Pahlevi in Pontianak, 8 February 2019

The sweltering backwaters of Indonesian Borneo have become the unlikely ground
 zero for the global production and export of Kratom, a tree leaf hailed by some
as a miracle cure for everything from opioid addiction to anxiety.

Part of the coffee family, the leaf has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea for its pain-relieving and mildly stimulating effects but it is now sold in powder form and exported worldwide -- alarming some health regulators who have raised concerns about safety.

Kratom stimulates the same brain receptors as morphine, although it produces much milder effects.

"I take Kratom and have had no problems. Every strain has its benefits – some help you relax, others can treat insomnia or treat drug addiction. Some help increase stamina," grower Faisal Perdana told AFP.

Fellow farmer Gusti Prabu, who now exports 10 tonnes of the drug a month, agreed.

"Our ancestors used Kratom and there were no negative side effects. It can help eliminate drug addiction and help people detox," he explained.

But its popularity is causing concern -- the drug is unregulated, and has had little clinical testing to assess its safety or side effects.

Kratom is already banned for domestic consumption in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, though the former allows its export in unprocessed form.

Health authorities in the United States -- now the drug's top importer -- have linked consumption of the plant and its derivatives to dozens of deaths, warning it could aggravate a deadly opioid epidemic gripping parts of the country.

Kratom is already banned for domestic consumption though it allows its 

export in unprocessed form

Compounds found in Kratom are opioids, which expose users to the same risks of addiction and death as illicit opiates, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

But for farmers in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan -- the centre of production -- demand for Kratom is such that they have moved away from traditional commodities such as rubber and palm oil to start growing the tree, turning it into a major cash crop.

And at the main post office in Pontianak, the key trading post for this part of Indonesian Borneo, it's clear the health warnings have done little to dampen interest.

"Around 90 percent of our shipments from West Kalimantan province are Kratom that's been sold to the United States," post office head Zaenal Hamid said.

As many as five million Americans use the drug and that number is growing, according to the American Kratom Association.

Data from 2016 showed that the region was shipping some 400 tonnes abroad every month -- worth about $130 million annually at current global prices of some $30 a kilogramme.

Most Kratom customers are reached through online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Chinese e-marketplace Alibaba.

The trend for alternative medicine has been credited with increasing interest in Kratom from Europe and America, where it is usually consumed as a tea or in capsules.

As many as five million Americans use kratom and that number is growing, 

according to the American Kratom Association

Opioid epidemic

The US is struggling with an opioid epidemic, fueled by addiction to prescription painkillers as well as street drugs like heroin and synthetic versions such as fentanyl.

Kratom is legal in 43 states, but the FDA is pushing for greater restrictions and has already put an import alert on it, which means shipments entering the US can be confiscated.

In a statement, the organisation warned consumers not to use the drug and said it was "concerned that Kratom appears to have properties that expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse, and dependence."

Scientists say that while Kratom may have positive attributes, very little research has been done into the drug.

"It has great potential as a remedy for pain and opioid addiction given its pharmacology and its potential accessibility," Michael White, head of the department of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut, told AFP.

"It is promising and not proven," he added.

Advocates insist it's a safe alternative to prescription drugs and can actually help opioid addicts.

Health authorities in the United States -- now the kratom's top importer -- have 

linked consumption of the plant and its derivatives to dozens of deaths, warning

it could aggravate a deadly opioid epidemic gripping parts of the country

"Of the 44 deaths on record involving Kratom, they all involve poly-drug use," said Ryan Leung, a spokesman from kratom lobby group Botanical Education Alliance (BEA).

"The FDA health warnings...(have) proven to be misguided by multiple experts," he added.

For now, Indonesian producers are waiting to see how the regulatory battle in the US unfolds.

And while bad weather and a salmonella scare dented exports in 2017, provisional data showed Kratom shipments bounced back strongly last year.

Kratom farmer Prabu insisted: "The Kratom market has been very good over the past decade and it still has potential in the years ahead."

He added: "People will see its usefulness, sooner or later."

Related Article:

Thai farmers giddy over new medical marijuana law

EU states destroy suspect Polish beef as scare spreads

Yahoo – AFP, Michel VIATTEAU, February 1, 2019

Poland's chief veterinarian Pawel Niemczuk confirmed that 2.7 tonnes of the
suspect beef was exported (AFP Photo/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)

Warsaw (AFP) - Several EU countries on Friday seized and destroyed suspect beef from a Polish slaughterhouse where allegedly sick cows were butchered, despite assurances from Warsaw that the meat did not pose a health risk.

Poland's chief veterinarian Pawel Niemczuk confirmed that 2.7 tonnes of the suspect beef was exported, while the European Commission said the meat was traced to 13 member states where it was being withdrawn and destroyed.

The scare recalls a 2013 scandal in which horsemeat was passed off as beef and used in ready-to-eat meals sold across Europe.

Brussels will send a team of auditors to Poland to assess the situation on the spot, said Anca Paduraru, a spokeswoman for the European Commission.

French authorities said 795 kilogrammes (1,750 pounds) of beef from the slaughterhouse -- which has now been closed -- had been imported.

More than 500 kilogrammes have already been seized and destroyed, said France's Directorate General of Food.

French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume said nine French companies had been "duped" into importing beef from the abattoir in Kalinowo, a village some 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Warsaw.

Lame or diseased?

Portuguese authorities said they had destroyed 99 kilogrammes of suspect Polish beef, while Romania said it had eliminated 1,432 kilogrammes as a "safety measure".

The cows were slaughtered late at night when veterinary authorities were 

unlikely to visit (AFP Photo/ADRIEN MORLENT)

Sweden's National Food Agency said that just under 100 kilogrammes of the total 239 kilogrammes of suspect Polish beef delivered to the country had already been consumed, while the rest has been seized.

The beef was also exported to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Spain, according to the European Commission.

Niemczuk said another seven tonnes were sold to about 20 outlets in Poland but insisted that tests found it did not pose a health risk.

Despite the assurances, Polish beef producers are reeling from the scandal with prices falling by around seven percent since an undercover TV report on the slaughter was aired on Saturday.

"All segments of the Polish (beef) market are worried," Jerzy Wierzbicki, head of the Polish PZPBM meat producers' association, told AFP on Friday.

Wierzbicki insisted that the cows shown in the report by the TVN24 commercial news channel were lame but not diseased.

"They were lame cows... such cattle should not be taken to a slaughterhouse but should rather be put down on the farm by a person who is qualified to do so," Wierzbicki said.

A criminal probe was launched after a TV report aired footage of apparently sick 

or lame cows being dragged across the floor and then butchered in Poland (AFP Photo/

Janek SKARZYNSKI)

'Isolated case'

"This is an isolated case, concerning a single company, the concerns are unfounded," he said, conceding that the scandal could deal a blow to Polish beef producers who rely on exports.

A leading pork supplier in the European Union, Poland also produced some 415,000 tonnes of beef last year and nearly 90 percent of it was exported, Wierzbicki said.

Poland's Agriculture Minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski said on Friday that "pathologies" in the agri-food industry would be "cauterised with a hot iron".

"A police investigation is underway regarding the owners of the slaughterhouse and anyone involved in this process," he said, adding that there was "zero tolerance" for anything that could harm Polish exports.

The criminal probe was launched after TVN24 aired footage of apparently sick or lame cows being dragged across the floor and then butchered.

The TVN24 report said dealers bought lame or sick cattle at much lower prices. A journalist working undercover at the abattoir used a hidden camera to film the secret late night slaughter when veterinary authorities were unlikely to visit.

The European Commission has not commented on the quality of the meat in question, but issued a statement that raised concerns about the treatment of the sick animals, which it insisted could not be considered fit for human consumption.

"The practice of dragging animals unable to walk, as described (in the Polish report) is prohibited by European Union legislation on the protection of animals in slaughterhouses," it said.

#UPDATE The Polish beef was identified in lots prepared by wholesalers, butchers or restaurants mixed with meat of other origin, a French agriculture ministry official told AFPhttps://t.co/bn8ufJAXhb

— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 2, 2019

US farm belt tries to head off another surge in suicides

Yahoo – AFP, Juliette MICHEL,  10 June 2018

Ranch hands drive cattle to a new pasture against the backdrop of hills covered
in wildflowers in April 2017 in Taft, California; the farming industry is bolstering
outreach efforts amid a surge in suicides across the US

Responding to signs of rising despair in rural America over a farming downturn exacerbated by the current trade war fears, agricultural leaders are mobilizing to try to prevent another suicide crisis.

Two high profile deaths in the past week, of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain and fashion designer Kate Spade, have shined a spotlight on the issue of depression and suicide in the United States, where the latest data show rates are rising, especially in rural states.

Farm industry officials are bolstering outreach and counseling programs throughout the American farm belt and calling for more action from Washington.

"Things are tough in the countryside," said John Sorbello, a vegetable and nursery farmer in upstate New York and a director of the state's farm bureau, an affiliate of the nation's biggest farm group.

Dairy farmers are facing especially tough times, he said.

"There's nothing to do over the pricing of milk, they are worried about NAFTA, about the surplus in dairy products all over the world," Sorbello said.

"It seems you have no control over it and it's stressful."

Earlier this year, one of the large dairy cooperatives took the drastic step of including suicide prevention information with the monthly check.

"Some people thought it was too extreme," Sorbello said. "But it got everybody's attention."

The outreach push comes amid a big surge in suicides throughout the United States. The suicide rate rose nearly 30 percent between 1999 and 2016 -- and in many states by more than that -- according to a report this week from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report did not break out individual industries, but 2016 CDC data showed US farmers have five times the rate of suicide as the broader population.

The US farm belt also has bad memories of the 1980s when a bruising industry downturn saw an explosion of agricultural workers taking their own lives.

Crisis

"Farmers and ranchers already have the highest suicide rates of any occupation," said Matt Perdue, of the National Farmers Union.

Those who work in rural areas point to myriad factors, including commodity price volatility, more extreme weather and worsening isolation as more young people leave for the cities.

And making matters worse, "About 60% of rural residents live in areas that suffer from a mental health professional shortage," Perdue said.

The CDC study also pointed to research that suggests chronic exposure to pesticides "might affect the neurologic system and contribute to depressive symptoms."

Financial stress is one factor that can lead to suicide and farm incomes have fallen around 50 percent since 2013 and revenues are expected in 2018 to come in at the lowest level since 2006.

The National Farmers Union, at the urging of members who see growing numbers of growers fearful of losing the family farm, urged the US Department of Agriculture to "proactively address the farm suicide crisis."

Lawmakers voted in 2008 to bolster mental health services in agricultural communities as part of an omnibus farm bill, but no funds have been allocated to the effort.

There is a chance Congress could provide support in a bill now being considered, but "it's too early to make a prediction one way or the other," Perdue said.

The troubles facing farmers extend well beyond the United States.

France in early 2018 boosted its funding for anti-suicide programs following a rise in the number of calls for help.

And India has also suffered a wave of farm suicides after many in the sector became mired in debt.

'Not an occupation'

NY FarmNet at Cornell University, which was founded in 1986 amid a rash of suicides, provides free aide to farmers in need.

"We send one financial consultant and one farm family consultant to each case, as we have found that even if the case presents itself as purely a financial matter, there are almost always underlying personal or communication issues that need attention," said Hal McCabe, outreach director at NY FarmNet.

Hearing of rising concern in rural communities, the group has conducted suicide prevention workshops aimed mainly at agricultural services workers, such as bankers, suppliers or farm maintenance staff.

"While we cannot speak to suicides, as that data is very hard to ever come by, the types of calls we are getting are far more dire than in the past five-10 years," McCabe said.

Overproduction threatens Andes superfood haven

Yahoo – AFP, Ana FERNANDEZ, 25 March 2018

An array of Andean ingredients considered superfoods are shown at the
food lab of La Molina agrarian university in Lima

From atop the Andes mountains to the depths of the Amazon rainforest and frigid Patagonia, indigenous people have long eaten quinoa, camu camu and calafate, a healthy diet that has become a global phenomenon now threatened by overproduction.

Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, amino acids, minerals and fiber, the grains of the high plains (quinoa, amaranth, kaniwa), roots (cassava and yacon) and berries (calafate, Chilean guava) offer new hope to prevent cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer.

Consumed for thousands of years by indigenous people, these superfoods have only recently been widely popularized and made accessible to international markets.

Between 2011 and 2015, these ancient natural products saw their prices jump 202 percent, according to Promperu, Peru's export and tourism commission.

There was a 10 percent increase from January to November 2017 in the exports of these foods, such as the sacha inchi nut rich in fatty acids and the high-vitamin lucuma fruit, Promperu said.

The growing consumption of these health foods praised by foodies, vegetarians and dietitians has led producers to try to align their annual yields with demand.

Between 2012 and 2017, exports of Peruvian quinoa, the "golden grain of the Incas," have quadrupled in value from $34.5 million to more than $124 million, data from Promperu showed.

Sacha indi exports increased 116 percent last year.

Detrimental processing

But the soil composition and the processing the superfoods undergo to be sold commercially and exported can alter or destroy their unique properties, warned Marcela Zamorano, a chemist specializing in food analysis at the University of Santiago, Chile.

Quinoa is often processed using high temperatures.

"The main challenge is to make sure the nutrients of an industrialized product don't decrease compared to the original grains," said Finnish food chemist Ritva Repo of La Molina agrarian university in Lima, who has written several books about quinoa.

Finnish food chemist Ritva Repo warns that quinoa grown outside its natural 

habitat in the Andean Plateau loses some of its nutrients

Originally from the Andean Plateau of Bolivia and Peru, quinoa is now also grown in China, India, the Netherlands and the United States, among others.

Taken out of its natural habitat, this Andean grain loses some of its nutrients, according to Repo.

"The quinoa that grows at 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) is the most nutritious," said Promperu director Isabella Falco, who is pushing for labeling the grain by origin so the consumer can identify Peruvian products.

Amaranth, which is richer in calcium and protein than quinoa, and kaniwa, which contains more fiber and iron than amaranth, could eventually join other ancient Andean grains in meeting the same fate as quinoa.

Experts say these grains, fruit and berries can help prevent or slow the progress of non-communicable chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Disease prevention

But they can't replace medicine if you're sick, stressed chemist Marcela Zamorano.

"Usually, superfoods don't fight a particular pathogen, but they prevent the development of certain diseases," she told AFP.

An industry has now been built around cakes, jellies and energizing drinks using ingredients like maca (a root vegetable nicknamed the Incan Viagra), camu camu (an Amazonian fruit that contains as much vitamin C as 60 oranges) or the ultra-nourishing coca leaf.

At the University of Chile, researchers are examining the anti-obesity properties of the calafate berry, which grows in southern Chile and Argentina.

"Our idea is that this could serve to supplement a weight loss diet," said Diego Garcia, who is heading the project.

Garcia is also studying the anti-inflammatory properties of Chilean guava, wild strawberries and the midnight blue-hued maqui, or Chilean wineberry, used to tint wine and that boasts anti-oxidant properties.

In La Paz, Lima and Santiago, these superfoods are given the place of honor in a growing number of restaurants, some of which have obtained top gastronomical rankings, such as Santiago's Borago, Amaz in Lima and Gustu in Bolivia's capital.

Overproduction threatens Andes superfood haven https://t.co/IXkO9Ds0MO pic.twitter.com/fZmPAJHg4Y

— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 25, 2018