Guest guest Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 The part of this article I really like is the part where he tells about the alternative health / organic foods organizations are well funded front groups. They are all as poor as church mice, mainly ran by volunteer activists and are always asking for " spare change " to pay for minimal things. LOL. Only in America could the very rich accuse the poor of being " rich " and get away with it. The Big Lie has become the norm rather than the exception. F. > Subject: > GMW:_Monsanto's_attack_dog_lectures_National_Cattlemen > " GM_WATCH " <info > Mon, 30 Aug 2004 23:13:12 +0100 > > GM WATCH daily > http://www.gmwatch.org > --- > What makes the following presentation to the > National Cattlemen's Beef Association of interest is > that it was given by Jay Byrne. > > Byrne is Monsanto's former Director of Public > Affairs and its former Internet Outreach Programs > Director. Prior to Monsanto, Byrne worked for USAID. > > Since leaving Monsanto, Byrne has become president > of Internet PR company v-Fluence Interactive Public > Relations, whose vice-president, Richard Levine, was > formerly part of the Monsanto team for Monsanto's > Internet PR firm Bivings. v-Fluence is based, like > Monsanto, in St. Louis. Monsanto is one of its > clients. > > Byrne is believed to have been the chief architect > of the covert Monsanto-Bivings PR campaign which > involved attacks on the company's critics via front > e-mails, such as those of 'Andura Smetacek' and > 'Mary Murphy', and material posted on the website of > a fake agricultural institute, the Center For Food > and Agricultural Research (CFFAR). CFFAR material, > attacking Monsanto's critics, was also faxed to > journalists and planted at a conference. > http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=171 > > Smetacek, Murphy and CFFAR targeted many of the same > individuals and organisations mentioned by Byrne > below, and in very similar terms. For instance, > Michael Hansen of the Consumer Policy Institute, who > is one of two people Byrne singles out in his > presentation, was one of two people who had a > poison-pen 'biography' faxed to the press from the > non-existent CFFAR ahead of a press conference they > attended. > > Much of Byrne's presentation below focuses on > funding, and the fake agricultural institute, CFFAR, > similarly had a section of its site dedicated to > stopping funding to groups critical of Monsanto. > Many of the points and associations made in Byrne's > presentation below were made on the CFFAR site. > > Note also the recommendation of 'ActivistCash' and > 'Consumer Freedom', fronts of the particularly > obnoxious PR firm, Berman & Co., which has had money > from Monsanto. And as Byrne keeps repeating... > 'Follow the money'. > > For more on Byrne (+ links to CFFAR etc.), see > Byrne's GM Watch profile: > http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=27 & page=B > --- > Advocacy Groups And The Money > Targeting Agriculture Growing > By Colleen Schreiber > Livestock Weekly > August 26, 2004 > http://www.livestockweekly.com/papers/04/08/26/whlncbaadvocacy.asp > > DENVER — The number of advocacy groups targeting > beef, animal agriculture and agriculture in general > are growing daily. Many of these groups are > portrayed as having grassroots agendas, when in fact > they are fronts for a much larger hidden agenda. > > That warning came from an advocacy group watchdog > speaking here last week to the annual summer meeting > of the National Cattlemen's Beef association. > > According to v-Fluence Interactive Public Relations, > the combined annual budgets for the top > anti-agriculture and food-related protest groups > exceeds $500 million. This past year, BSE was front > and center for some of these organizations. In fact, > just 30 days after the announcement of the BSE case > in Washington state last December, some 40 advocacy > groups with combined annual budgets exceeding $250 > million began focusing their efforts on influencing > consumers and regulators regarding " mad cow " issues. > They began generating industry-critical statements > through coordinated press releases, ad campaigns and > lobbying campaigns. > > " These are not grassroots a-dollar-a-day lobbying > organizations, " said v-Fluence president Jay Byrne. > " We're talking about a multibillion-dollar > demonstration team. These are professionals. These > people sit on each other's boards, they share > funding, they coordinate their activities, and the > money is huge. This is all they do, and they do it > very well, and they do it very professionally. They > are not going away, " he warned. > > Byrne's company has been tracking advocacy groups > and their allies for the beef, dairy, and crop > protection industries for the better part of 10 > years. The company works with a number of > agriculture stakeholder clients, providing them with > e-monitoring, trend analysis, research, strategic > counsel, crisis communications and outreach support. > Byrne was one of the keynote speakers in NCBA's > issues and activism forum. > > Byrne identified Carol Tucker-Foreman of the > Consumer Federation of America and Michael Hansen of > the Consumer Policy Institute, a division of > Consumer Union, as two of the top five leading > sources of negative information on the beef industry > and BSE. > > Other groups, such as the organic food industry and > other synergistic " alternative " and " natural health " > groups, as well as class action attorneys, used > scare tactics to fuel the flames about BSE. > Organic Valley, for example, issued a press release > on December 31 with this tagline: " Organic beef. > It's what's safe for dinner. " > > " It implied that other beef - your beef - is perhaps > not safe, " Byrne told the group. > > Similar kinds of activity and advertising were > conducted by Whole Foods Markets, Wild Oats Markets > and the Organic Trade Association. > > " Whole Foods Markets began sponsoring National > Public Radio programming in January, immediately > following the mad cow announcements, with the phrase > 'a purveyor of natural beef from cattle raised > without animal byproducts and monitored throughout > the entire production process.' " > > A Christian Science Monitor article quoted Ronnie > Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers > Association, saying, " Certified organic beef has > become the new gold standard for safety. " > > Byrne did point out that this kind of " black " > marketing in the organic and natural products arena > was not endorsed necessarily by those marketing > " natural " beef. > > BSE, however, is not the only issue these activists > target. Public Citizen, another anti-agriculture > activist group, is leading the " Safe School Lunch " > campaign promoting organic agriculture and the > banning of irradiated beef, and Consumer Federation > has lobbied to significantly reduce or eliminate > beef from publicly funded school lunch programs. > > These activists and their organizations, he told > listeners, are not just using the money for TV, > radio and print advertising. They're using it for > professional public relations and lobbying firms, > litigation, Internet campaigns and training camps. > > " Every month there is at least one activist training > camp going on in this country. They bring thousands > of people together through these camps, and they > sometimes spend a week training them on how to > engage in effective public relations, effective > direct action, and effective consumer boycott > campaigns. " > > The key influences impacting what Byrne referred to > as the " new range wars " are money, marketing and the > Internet. > > " Howard Simons, managing editor of the Washington > Post, during the Watergate scandal said it best when > he said, 'Follow the money.' When we follow the > money to some of the groups that are attacking you, > I think you might be surprised by some of their > sources, " the speaker commented. > > Fear is one of the marketing tools used by these > groups because, as PT Barnum said, " Fear sells. " > As for the Internet Byrne quoted Michael Dell, > founder and CEO of Dell Computer: " Think of the > Internet as a weapon on the table. Either you pick > it up or your competitor does - but somebody is > going to get killed. " > > The Internet, Byrnes noted, is what ties it all > together. It's where it alls starts. It's where the > opinion leaders go first, media goes first and > consumers go first to find information. > > The Internet, he told listeners, is also dominated > by people who have extreme views. > > " A research study done by Stanford University showed > that people with fringe or non-mainstream views had > a significantly disproportionate level of influence > on the Internet. " > > One group that is effectively using the Internet to > further its cause is Working Assets, a " socially > responsible " credit card and phone company. > > This group is lobbying federal regulators on behalf > of the organic consumers association for stricter > regulations on conventionally produced beef, Byrnes > said, and a percentage of the money generated from > Working Assets phone service goes to advocacy groups > via the Tides Center, which supports organizations > like Greenpeace. (Tides is a favorite " charity " of > Tereza Heinz Kerry. — Ed.) > > " Working Assets gives a free pint of Ben and Jerry's > every month for signing up, and if you don’t uncheck > a box when you sign up, they will automatically, on > your behalf, send letters to Congress and federal > regulators lobbying issues they deem important, " > Byrne told listeners. > > Another activist group, GRACE, used the Internet to > distribute " The Meatrix, " a flash video attacking > animal agriculture by seeking to influence consumers > to avoid buying any meat. It has been viewed by > nearly 10 million people. > > There are still others, Byrne said, who are > targeting children with video games that disparage > agriculture. > > He pointed out that in almost all cases advocacy > groups use the Internet much more effectively than > do those in agriculture. > > All of these activist groups are funded by > philanthropic foundations, large donors - individual > and corporate - government grants, membership and > small donors. > > " Our research into their tax files shows that > between 1996 and 2003, philanthropic foundations > gave nearly three quarters of a billion to groups > that were attacking agriculture, " Byrne reiterated. > > Other significant sources of contributions included > the organic/natural products industry and what the > speaker categorized as " socially responsible " > investment groups like Whole Foods Market, Eden > Organic, Working Assets and Patagonia. > > " These groups are funneling millions in tax-exempt > charitable donations to advocacy groups, who in turn > attack their competitors and help promote their > alternative, higher-priced products. " > > Some of the key traditional players targeting beef > include the Consumers Union, Public Citizen, > Consumer Federation, PETA, Humane Society of the > U.S., and Earth Liberation Front, listed by the FBI > as the number one domestic terrorist organization. > ELF activities alone have resulted in more than $100 > million in damaged property in the U.S. over the > last 10 years. > > There are many others, groups like Institute for > Agriculture Trade Policy, Center for Food Safety, > and the Organic Consumers Association. > > " The Organic Consumers Association openly states > that they want to end all forms of animal > agriculture, " he reminded. " Why do you think some of > these foundations and allied activist groups are > giving money to some of these organizations that say > they represent grassroots farmers and ranchers? Not > because they support them. They see it as a very > short-term way to achieve another goal. What are the > organizations claiming to represent farms and > ranches, small or not, doing in bed with folks that > want to end all of agriculture? " > > There are some whose very names tend to mislead > interested parties. The Physicians Committee for > Socially Responsible Medicine is just one example. > Their website, Byrne said, focuses on eating a > vegetarian diet. > > He encouraged everyone to look behind the scenes > before donating to such organizations. > > " In almost all cases, while there may be a > well-intentioned citizen standing up, the money is > coming from and the strings are being pulled by a > group of folks who are seeking an ulterior motive > other than what is seen at face value, " he > reiterated. > > Byrne told listeners, however, that they shouldn't > be fooled by the seemingly long list of these kinds > of organizations. > > " With the exception of ELF, what we know about these > groups is that they are all the same people, " Byrne > commented. " They get their money from the very same > sources, and those sources sit on their boards, and > they sit on each other's boards. They are able to > get their message out so effectively and so quickly > because they are the same people. " > > Byrne reminded his audience of the size of its > opposition. > > " This is a multibillion-dollar professional protest > machine, they’re outspending industry on many > fronts, and they’re certainly out-organizing folks > as well. " > > Some of these organizations, he noted, the Sierra > Club, for example, are considered mainstream. > > " I used to give money to groups like this, " Byrne > admitted. " They have an outstanding reputation in > the public, but they engage in some very extreme > activities with some very nasty people. We all need > to be attentive to what these groups are using the > money for. " > > Members of these organizations or people who donate > money to these organizations, he stressed, need to > hold the leaders of these groups accountable. > > " The Organic Association should not be releasing > press releases saying that organic beef is the only > way that you can ensure that you’re eating safe > beef, because there is absolutely no truth behind > that. That hurts all beef producers. " > > " The Consumer Union says they have 50 million > members and that they are representing the voice of > 50 million members, " he continued. " Those 50 million > members are actually rs of Consumer > Reports, and most who do not share their > views or standards, what I would describe as extreme > social and political agendas. " > > He reminded listeners of the power of the Internet. > > " Activists use it much more effectively because they > have synergies. Industry is competitive, and they > don’t necessarily want to link together. > > " Industry needs to identify ways in terms of issues > management to share content that addresses common > concerns. They need to link together in > non-competitive ways so that they can take advantage > of the Internet in the same way that advocacy groups > do. " > > Follow the money, he reiterated. > > " Environmental Grant Maker’s Foundation is an > umbrella for many of the largest foundations, names > you hear on Public Radio, names that may have even > donated to your local hospitals, " he noted, " but on > issues of environment and agriculture, some are > working hand in hand with very extreme activist > organizations, funneling billions of dollars into > programs that quite frankly target your business and > seek to put you out of business. " > > He reminded listeners that many of these foundations > and advocacy groups are getting government grants. > > " They’re using your tax dollars to attack you. In > almost all of the cases, the number one source of > funding is the philanthropic foundations. Number two > is large single corporate donors, and number three > is government grants. " > > Awareness, he said, is a key part of the education > process. > > " When you make a donation, make sure you understand > where the money is going. This is a massive money > laundering operation. Money is flowing to and from > groups, back and forth, and it's creating an almost > impossible trail to follow. We need better > disclosure so that we can better track the money, " > Byrne added. > > When responding to claims made by some of these > activist groups, the speaker told listeners that > they must think strategically. > > " In some cases, groups like PETA want industry to > react to them. Our initial reaction and response may > be exactly what they want. Think about it like > playing chess versus checkers. " > > The beef industry and its allies, the " rational > center, " need to understand the Internet better and > become more effective in using it to get their > message out, he insisted. > > Finally, he noted that a variety of watchdog groups > keep an eye on these activist groups. One he > recommended is Activistcash.com, which is run by the > Consumer Freedom Coalition. > ------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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