FDA dairy chief John Sheehan a no-show as keynote speaker at IAFP raw milk symposium yesterday in Virginia

Here’s an excerpt from David E. Gumpert’s Complete Patient report on Tuesday’s IAFP raw milk symposium which was scheduled to feature a keynote speech from the FDA’s Director of the Dairy Division, John Sheehan. Apparently he canceled out at the last moment. Speculation is that this is because he may have learned that raw milk proponents Sally Fallon and Michael Schmidt would be in the audience.

That's raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt in the front row, with Sally Fallon beyond him. Photo from David E. Gumpert's The Complete Patient blog. Thanks for covering this event, David.

“…..The FDA took the stonewalling approach to a new level today, when John Sheehan, director of the dairy division, canceled out at the last minute from speaking at a day-long symposium on raw milk sponsored by an industry group, the International Association for Food Protection. It had the catchy title: “Raw Milk Consumption: An Emerging Public Health Threat?”

He apparently also pulled about a dozen FDA officials who were signed up for the session. Two regional FDA reps who apparently didn’t get the word traveled in and attended the session.

HOLY COW — Monsanto bills being rushed through Congress set to destroy organic agriculture?

Can this really be the fate of organic farming in America, to be killed by elected legislators, acting to promote corporate profits instead of the public interest? More on that moronic attempt to legislate organic farming out of existence that’s reportedly going on in the American Congress from Linn Cohen-Cole of OpEdNews:

Holy Cow!

“We need the World Bank, we need the International Monetary Fund, we need all the big foundations, we need all the governments to admit that for 30 years we all blew it, including me, when I was President. We blew it. We were wrong to believe that food is like some other product in international trade. And we all have to go back to a more environmentally responsible, sustainable form of agriculture.” 

— Former US President Bill Clinton, in a keynote address for World Food Day on 23 October 2008

What’s it mean?  His connections to Monsanto are still there and Monsanto “talks” sustainable, too.  — a recent Monsanto ad.

His wife ran for president on a platform that pushed for merging the USDA and FDA into a mega Food Safety department.  That would be merging Monsanto influence in both places, giving them more power.  Is it only a coincidence that her long term advisor and campaign strategist is head of one of the largest PR firms in the world and represents Monsanto?