b'searching for measures to curb it, NHF hadimplicated as a contributory cause for increasedpaterol discussion began on November 10th sown the seeds of truth, exposing the factbacterial problems coming off commercial feed- and finished on November 17thkind of. that glyphosate is a major culprit in thislots. That discussion will never be over.growing problem. Regardless, the Commission adopted theFor those unfamiliar with it, Zilpaterol is It is hugely ironic, though, that on theCode of Practice at Step 8 and dissolvedMercks special steroid-like veterinary drug one hand Codex Alimentarius is fightingthe Ad hoc Codex Intergovernmental Taskfor cattle, pigs, and poultry that unnaturally antimicrobial resistance while at the sameForce on Antimicrobial Resistance. But notpushes them to make more muscle and less time adopting numerous standards permit- without a last-minute appeal by CropLife fat. It harms animals who get it, and it harms ting glyphosate usage around the Worldthe Monsanto front group at Codexwhichsome of the humans who eat them. There that lead to antimicrobial resistance! Theevidently had felt so threatened by NHFsis no therapeutic benefit whatsoever to the people of the World today need antimicro- earlieranti-glyphosatecomments,bothpoor animals, only financial benefit to the bials much more than they need toxic gly- written and oral, that CropLife asked forfarmers and vet-drug companies. And, yet, phosate; the time has long since arrived topermission to file its own written, respon- you should have seen some of the fierce emo-prohibit all glyphosate use worldwide. sive comments after the deadline for writtentions on display at this Codex meeting when comments had passed. This was an extraor- country proponents of Zilpaterol pleaded Antimicrobial Code of Practice dinary request; but one to which NHF didwith the Commission to push the Codex When the separate agenda item on an- not object (as CropLife would have donestandard just one step further up the 8-step timicrobialresistancewasdiscussedthehad the roles been reversed) because weapproval process at Codex so that Merck and following morning (November 10th), thestand for open information at Codex and,others could make more dollars around the Commission was poised on the point ofbesides, we can easily defeat their lies. Per- World. With such passion, you would have adopting the Antimicrobial Code of Prac- mission was granted, and CropLife did filethought they were trying to save lives; but, tice at the final Step 8 to address the grow- its own late Conference Room Document onno, it was only about the money.ing problem of antibiotic resistance. Perglyphosate. Chairman da Costas sympathies on this Codex, a Code of Practice (CoP) definesIn parting, CropLife made a commenttopic were apparent for all to see, as the the production, processing, manufactur- to the Commission delegates that was lessdiscussionspider-webbedoutinapre-ing, transport and storage practices for in- than honest. Glyphosate, its spokesmandictable pattern to entrap nearly all coun-dividual foods or groups of foods that aresaid, is not an antimicrobial or an antibiotic.tries into asking for the floor so that they considered essential to ensure the safetyQuickly given the floor by the Chairman, Icould give their opinions, for or against. and suitability of food for consumption. then asked CropLife, Then why does Mon- For those countries in favor of adopting a The European Union (EU) delegate wassanto have a patent for glyphosates use as anZilpaterol standard, da Costa just thanked the first to speak and he expressed the EUsantimicrobial? [U.S. Patent No. 7,771,736the delegate; but for those opposed, he felt support for the CoP but urged the Com- B2] They had no response. compelled nearly every single time to offer his mission to give it a higher level of urgencyown opinion as to why they were wrong. while eliminating all growth-hormone anti- Zilpaterol Standards Tellingly, the Codex head table was hav-microbials immediately. The Russian dele- The Zilpaterol debate at this meeting wasing trouble handling the fierce opposition gatethe ever outspoken and well-spokenjust as passionate and lengthy as the oneit encountered, as evidenced by the many Anna Korolevasupported the EU positionheld at the Codex Committee on Residuesfive-minute breaks that it had to take and even went further. In Russias view,of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF)during the discussions.she argued, certain principles in the CoPvirtualmeetingheldinmid-July2021,TheEuropeanUnion,Norway,Swit-allowed critically important antimicrobialwheretheEU,Russia,China,Norway,zerland,Russia,China,Kazakhstan,Tur-agents to be used routinely for control andSwitzerland, and NHF were able to stop thekey, Iran, Thailand, and NHF all spoke up prevention of diseases and therefore couldZilpaterol standard dead in its tracks. (Seestrongly against Zilpaterol and its use in lead to misuse of such agents for purposesmy article CODEX ALIMENTARIUS: Oneanimal husbandry. The EU was admirably other than treatment and, therefore, Rus- Victory, One LossNHF Helps Stop Vet Drugstubborn in its opposition, while Norway, sia could not fully support the CoP. Norwayfrom Flooding the World, But Stands Alonethe Netherlands, and Russia especially gave and a smattering of other countries agreed,against Glyphosate at https://thenhf.com/ strong arguments against any advancement as did NHF, in stating its support of Rus- codex-alimentarius-one-victory-one-loss/)towards adoption of a Zilpaterol standard, sias position. The CCRVDF, as a subsidiary committee,arguing, in part, that there was no consensus.NHF had already spoken out on the keythen referred the matter up the chain toBut when NHF had its turn to speak at role of glyphosate in fostering antibiotic re- CAC44. long last, I was the only one to actually de-sistance worldwide. Then, NHF was calledUnsurprisingly, the Codex Commissionfine consensus for the Commission: The upon once again and it was my opportunitywas reluctant to tackle the Gordian knotabsenceofsustainedopposition. And to give the delegates yet one more reason toof the Zilpaterol agenda item upfront, soNHF reminded the delegates that there was, turn their backs on the toxic vet drug Zilpa- it pushed back that discussion, and, evenin fact, sustained opposition and therefore terol, so I took it. As a catecholamine, I alsothen, chopped up the discussion into dis- no consensus, and therefore no advance-told the other delegates, Zilpaterol has beentinct segments over several days. The Zil- ment was possible, not even through a false H ealtHF reedomN ews /w iNter2021 7'