Gasland -usa

I've just watched the program "Gasland" about the way they "frack" drill shale gas in America without constraint and the effects on the population, animals and land around the drilling. It's completely out of control, without any restraints, with contamination of wells, rivers, land, and even tap water. They showed a tap being turned on and applied a flame to the water and it burst into flames!! The water, no surprise, tastes bad, turns all sorts of colours and is flammable. Yet the Drilling Companies are just lying and refusing to admit they're to blame when their complained to. There's over a 100,000 drilling wells throughout the States. All the State governments are in a complete mess, they appear to be on the side of the Companies demanding evidence and when they get it dispute it. The Drilling Officials say it's not been caused by them and that there's nothing wrong with the water, and yet when offered a cup of the water they refused point blank to drink it!! All that's going on is lying, delaying, denying by the Drilling Companies who seem to be so powerful that they can carry on regardless without proper regulation or inspection while the State authorities just shrug their shoulders. Could this happen in the UK bearing in mind they've just discovered a huge gas shale deposit in the Blackpool area where they will be using the same "frack" drilling method??

 

The problem is that they inject hydraulically chemicals into the ground to dissolve mud etc, chemicals that in America has got into the water shed and also disperses the gas in the shale into the water shed. The chemicals get into the water system, which affects the food chain and you end up eating the chemicals as well as the drinking it. They use some diabolical chemicials in the frack drilling that you really don't want any where near you. What is amazing in America is the way the powerful companies are allowed to get away with it when it's blatantly clear they're damaging the evironment just for a dollar.

 

They hate regulation and safety measures that stop them making a buck by running over people and the planet. And yet when the oil spill happened there they were screaming bloody murder, it was kept quite that one of the major shareholders in the company that owned the Rig was the Vice President of the USA!!
There was another program tonight about Food USA inc and that was an eye opener. They farm without proper regulation on a massive scale and the chemicals they use in the processed food to kill the ecoli bug etc is really crazy. They farm like we used to with cows unable to move because of the smallness of the pens and stand hock deep in their own manure, we've learnt, they haven't.

 

Granted, Jiffy, I wasn't trying to say that British farming was perfect, we all know that's not true. But we are regulated and the legislation on farming has teeth. I think what worried and surprised me was the lack of "come back" any individual has against the powerful companies controlling the food chain in America. In the USA there are just 4 companies that control over 80% of food production, processing, packaging and retailing.
The mass production of cattle, chickens, pigs, etc on the scale that the Conglomeration of Food Producers does encourage the low standards that in general we used to have. While we have isolated pockets of bad farming the food producers here would be under real fire and commercial loss should they be found wanting. Not so in America, the 4 food producers are so powerful they appear to be able to do what they want, and put into the food any chemicals they want without telling the public or checking on the long term health consequences to the consumers.

 

If only we could change the word "collude" with one letter "i" , and think how much better food would be.