Morton Relieved Bill 37 Withdrawn
Thursday, May 31, 2012 @ 10:22 AM
Prince George, B.C. – Bill 37, which would have made it an offence in B.C. to go public with information about disease in animals has quietly been pulled off the table.
For Alexandria Morton, the news is a relief “I was preparing myself to go to jail” says Morton who has been very vocal about the diseases being carried by farmed salmon.
Speaking on the Meisner program on CFISFM this morning, Morton says the bill’s intent was to have farmers report disease to the Province, without fear of that information going public. “So if someone like myself, or the media or a farm worker felt there was a need to tell the public about the disease, then the punishment would have come into place.”
Morton says she has been alerted to a couple of viruses she believes have been coming into B.C. in the eggs of salmon. While not able to access salmon at a salmon farm, she has taken samples from farmed salmon available for sale in stores. Samples have been sent to independent labs for testing, and according to Morton, the results show the presence of a salmon flu and a virus which causes heart failure in fish.
Morton says while her lab results created what she calls a firestorm at all levels of government and within the salmon farming industry, and there was plenty of denial.
But Morton stands by those results, saying the virus is surfacing in the samples she has been collecting. “Someone ( fish farm) has this disease, and I suspect their fish is being shipped to a central location for distribution because it shows up in samples one day, but not in samples taken from the same store in the next day.”
She worries the wild salmon, particularly those travelling by the fish farms on their way to the Fraser River, will contract the viruses. “We don’t know for sure how Wild salmon may be affected as these viruses have never been in the Pacific Ocean, but we do know influenza viruses are very adept at mutating and moving them around is dangerous.”
Morton adds that while scientists say these viruses cannot affect humans “I haven’t seen any work that has looked at the possible impact on mammals”
Morton says while she doesn’t want to cause harm to any business without cause, to ignore the potential of the presence of these fish viruses “is unwise.”
She continues testing on a variety of fish, including steelhead and sockeye, and hopes the public will alert her to any abnormalities they may see “If you see fish, that are yellow or have red speckled bellies, or have popped out eyes, or red fins, or massive die off in your river before they spawn, call me and we will do our best to get samples, and send them off to a lab to see what’s going on.”
Details on contacting Morton can be accessed by clicking here
Comments
This is good news. That bill was frightening.
seriously…..what the hell was all that about? Protectionism at its absolute worst! Sometimes I wonder where the heck society is headed when people can try and get BS laws like this passed.
We have a right to know what happens with our food supply and if some businesses have to fail in order to protect the public health then so be it.
The real question is. Why would our Government try to pass this law???
Are they unable to understand the concept of freedom, or are they so stupid, that they think that they can do anything they please.
Had this law passed it would have been challenged in the Supreme Court of Canada, and would have been thrown the hell out.
These Liberals just dont seem to be able to do anything right. How the hell do they expect to get any votes, when everything they do, is hogwash.??
Our government wants to follow the American model of industrial farming, where giant companies own the food, and control those who would produce it.
With that control comes regulation of free speech, with regard to criticism of industrial farming practices. Denying the common man the right to speak out about fish farm practices and problems with Bill 37 would have been the thin edge of the wedge, for certain. We should applaude and support the tireless work Ms. Morton does on behalf of all people who just want to know that what we are feeding our families is safe and that sustainable practices are being followed. Meanwhile, we can all do our part by purchasing only B.C. wild fish and seafood. While you’re at it, support your Farmers Market.
metalman.
This article would have been way more credible if wingnut Morton’s nonsensical ramblings about prison (and salmon) were left out.
Part of EU free trade talks involves corporations having all the fishing rights. Away with free enterprise in the fisheries and on with foreign workers harvesting for foreign owned corporations… this Bill 37 no doubt would have tied nicely in with that as well.
Don’t let science and truth get in the way of profits!
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