These are very serious allegations that the USDA censored the research showing what’s really killing America’s pollinators.
What’s really killing the bees? That’s the question millions of people across the United States have been racking their brains over for years, as government agencies continue to assure the public that they’re working to find the true causes.
But
distrust for these government bodies and officials is at an all-time
high, and the latest news on a possible government cover-up is likely to
add even more fuel to the fire.According to reports from the Washington Post, Minneapolis Star-Tribune and several other major outlets, a suspended scientist from South Dakota is blowing the whistle on the USDA, levying serious allegations that the government body censored what could be vital research into what’s really killing America’s pollinators.
Scientist Alleges Censorship, Retaliation
In a complaint filed on Wednesday, Jonathan Lundgren, a highly regarded senior research scientist and 11-year employee of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, alleges that officials began to “impede or deter his research and resultant publications” over a year ago, according to this report from the Post.
Lundgren, who hails from Brookings, South Dakota, said that supervisors harassed him, tried to stop him from speaking out, and interfered with his new projects at the agency. The report was filed with support from the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a non-profit that defends and supports persecuted government scientists on environmental issues.
“We think the USDA is reflecting complaints from corporate stakeholders,” said Jeff Ruch, PEER’s executive director, to the Star-Tribune. “This research is drawing consternation, which flows down the USDA chain of command to the researchers doing the work.”
The USDA declined to discuss any specifics relating to the case.
According to Ruch, Lundgren’s complaints are not new. Several other USDA employees have been coming to his group with complaints about being harassed by the governmental organization over their work on bees and pesticides.
Lundgren also had his name forcibly removed from a key research paper that he contributed to, which strongly questioned the federal mandate for growing GMO corn to use as ethanol. Lundgren argued that ethanol and specifically the rise of GMOs has “produced a host of unintended adverse consequences, including rising environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, stronger pest resistance and inflated corn prices…” according to this article from the Post.
In addition, he published a research paper showing that neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide coating used on seeds from Monsanto and other companies that has been banned in Europe, were harmful to monarch butterflies. He also was widely quoted in the media about the decline of insects due to the controversial aforementioned seeds.
Following this series of events Lundgren alleges that “improper reprisal, interference and hindrance of his research and career began in earnest,” he said according to the complaint. He was suspended for 30 days, which was then reduced to 14 days, which he says was in retaliation for his work.
For more on what Lundgren is alleging and why this potential cover-up is so important, check out this report from the Star-Tribune or this one from the Post.
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By Nick Meyer via March Against Monsanto
Nick Meyer writes for March Against Monsanto and the website AltHealthWorks.com.
