#687 – The Expat Files: Agricultural Practices, Pet Care, and Health Concerns in Latin America

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now as I wander Hello there all you expat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started You know the last couple shows we've been talking about food organic GMO Bimbo of Mexico the world's biggest wonder bread and Twinkie factory And of course you've heard me say over and over again that you just won't believe these Gigantic produce markets that are everywhere in Latin America, but you know people ask me all the time

[00:50] How much herbicide and pesticide do local farmers use on their crops? Really because down here, you know, the average local truck farmer probably barely makes a couple hundred bucks a month after expenses I mean you have to see some of the trucks they bring this produce in on none of them would ever be roadworthy by our standards Except the big truck farmers the giant operations to have fleets of trucks Of course, very few of them are dropping off their produce at big or small produce markets here Those big farm operations with the fleets and huge acreage are in the produce export business And when they sell local it's to big outfits like Walmart Costco and some of the big Supermarket change you see down here is one local truck driver explained

[01:35] There are dozens if not hundreds of little neighborhood markets in every Latin town and city and it's just not worth it for those big truck farmers to drop off a couple of lows when they can sell a hundred truck loads to Walmart to them small-scale Logistics with all those multiple stops just doesn't make sense And of course, they're the ones who are using all those modern pesticides and nitrogen-based fertilizers, etc So if you're looking for very low herbicide and pesticide use it's gonna be with the local small-time farmers Why because store-bought pesticides and herbicides just simply cost too much that stuff's just normally not in the budget Though pretty much in the same breath that farmer told me he'd just love to do what the big boys do He'd love to buy sack after sack of nitrogen-based fertilizer and all that junk

[02:22] In fact, he said he does apply it once in a while, especially when the government or some first-world NGO like from the States or Holland or Switzerland Give out a few sacks a couple times a year, which is what the government does right before elections. Oh Brother not too obvious, huh? which is why he said many many small-time farmers have a flock of chickens and not just for the eggs and meat and for something to Amuse them when they're sitting on the porch after eating one for dinner. Well, it's for the aforementioned and the poop factor Yep, that's what they call a bono here. Chicken poop fertilizer is ubiquitous here in Latin America Especially with the local truck farmers the small guys In fact, you go to pretty much any one of those agropeccario stores and pick up a mess of it yourself

[03:12] It comes dry in a plastic sack and surprisingly enough. It doesn't stink you long-term listeners should remember I spoke about those agropeccario stores a few times kind of like the Latin version of a farm and garden store You guys in the Midwest think of fleet farm or farm and fleet stores where you can buy seeds and farm supplies and Medicine and for your animals big and small However, the cool thing is they've all usually got a horse doctor on staff or nearby So it's a great place to get some very cheap supplies and free advice if you have an animal or two In fact, here's a realistic example If you have a cat or a dog or any kind of animal every once in a while, you're supposed to get them dewormed, right? Hmm. I know a couple of humans that could benefit from that too Anyway, if you buy a puppy or a kitty, you'll get a little vet card with them usually, right?

[04:01] That says they've had some vaccinations which probably aren't good at all and down here anyway It'll say on that little card whether they've been dewormed or not The Spanish word is not easy. It's dis paracetado Dis paracetado if you notice that word has the English word parasite in it, which says it all And you know if you take your critter to a regular vet down here you'll probably notice right off that their gringo wannabes and love everything and anything first world a Storefront vet down here has all kinds of gringo products on the shelves to sell you and that means unfortunately they'll follow the us veterinarian guidelines until you need all these vaccinations and Checkups and heartworm and blood tests and they make you feel guilty if you don't come back on a regular basis

[04:48] You guys and gals up in the states know that drill now I know i'm gonna piss off a couple of vets when I say Vaccines and multiple checkups are mostly 100 bs because you'll see the street dogs and critters down here, man A lot of them are in great shape and they've never once seen a vet Anyway, just recently my sister up in shy town took her boyfriend's dog to the vet Because it says, you know on his little treatment card you get him bring him in once a year and get his shots Heartworm, etc. You know the drill. Like I said more bs By the way, if you're interested. I have a really nice current report That spells out exactly why it's ridiculous to give your dog or cat all those injections It tells how puppies and cats are vaccinated way too soon and are the cause of many problems when the dogs and cats get older

[05:34] In fact the kind of problems like cancer and diabetes that barely existed before the advent of all those vaccines For example in the report, it says for puppies. You can give them just one combo vaccination That's just one time and they'll have immunity for life In other words all the booster shots they get year after year are useless and potentially damaging So the truth is and according to this very well researched report Just one time and you never have to give them vaccines again Of course, the american veterinary society doesn't like that report, but I have it So send me an email the expat files at gmail.com and i'll shoot it right off to you You'll be shocked So anyway, my sister up in shy town took her boyfriend's dog to the vet got the usual round of harmful and unnecessary

[06:23] vaccinations and a deworming Not my sister the dog which begs the question. Did he need a deworming? Well, I think so because my sister's boyfriend is are you ready for this a retired chicago politician? Yeah, I know. I know time to pass the vomit bag around another reason it's nice to be 2 000 miles away from your family, huh? Which begs yet another question. Did he and obama another notorious political pus bag who got his start in chicago Get their scheduled booster shots and deworming this year hmm So just how do vets deworm animals anyway? Well, there'd be a pill, you know that you and I can't buy over the counter because it's a controlled veterinary drug I know I know there are other ways to deworm a dog naturally

[07:13] Using garlic and other things but here for the sake of argument and understanding. Let's talk about the traditional way Aha, but this is latin america where you don't need a prescription for anything So if you want a deworming pill you go to one of those agua pecadillos You tell the guy behind the counter how much your dog weighs and he'll give you the exact thing that your vet up in the states Will administer my sister said the chicago vet charges 25 bucks for that service and down here Well, depending on the weight of the dog, would you believe three to five bucks? Now I know it's tough giving a dog a pill even when they say yeah, it's chewable and tasty. They don't like it Try this it really works anytime you need to give your dog some kind of medicine in pill form Just put a little glop of peanut butter on a spoon and shove the pill in there and guess what he'll beg you for more

[08:04] Did I tell you vets down here will do house calls for around 20 bucks? Oh, and my sister said once a year they take the dog for a dental cleaning costs 200 bucks Because for one thing they have to knock them out Yeah, I remember when I was up in the states many years ago dogs had nasty teeth You know from eating all that soft kibble leftover human food and sugary doggy treats and such A long time listeners might have heard me mention that i've always had dogs Generally big ones even here in latin america, especially here in latin america and my dogs never have nasty yellow grungy looking teeth Here's the secret and I found it by hook and crook. I just go to one of those big markets They've always got a butcher section there and I buy what's called wesso colorado

[08:51] Wesso is bone and colorado is just like colorado in the states It's the long bones of cows that are cut up in cross section But they're not just bone. They have a little meat on them They're just basic raw soup bones and for size they could be as small as a shot glass or as big as your fist Down here you can buy them in a package or tell the butcher exactly what size you're looking for and it'll cut them up for you And they cost well down here around 50 to 75 cents a pound For years i've been giving these things to my dogs. They're great distractions You know now my dogs know when i'm leaving the house because they can hear the garage door open That's when they know they're gonna get one of these bones That'll keep them busy for an hour or so and they'll never run out the door into the street But you know the problem is when you have bones with little meat on them your dog will drag him into the house, right?

[09:42] Or even if he's just outside eating one his paws and front legs will get all monged up because those things Well, they're kind of gross and sticky a little fat meat bone saliva and fur don't mix If you have a dog you've been there and it ain't pretty you don't want him to drag that bone into the house And you don't want him in the house after that either Anyway, about five or six years ago. I went to the butcher and he didn't have any fresh ones But he had some that were frozen rock solid So I said, okay, and I bought a couple pounds threw him in the refrigerator Was leaving the house the next day pulled two of them out one for each dog and damn They were still rock hard dead frozen But the dogs being creatures of habit were sitting there patiently waiting for their treat So I thought what the hell and gave them both a frozen hueso colorado

[10:32] I figured they'd test them find they were way too cold and leave them there for a while until they started thawing But no, they instantly dug right in when I came back a couple hours later No bones all gone and amazingly enough. No matted down mucked up paws Because they gnawed at him and ate him without ever giving him a chance to thaw So then I figured hey i've solved the problem here I started giving them the frozen ones regularly and then I noticed a couple months later their teeth were shiny white None of that yellow scummed up look you see often in especially older dogs Even when I took my nine-year-old radi to the vet She even commented on how unusually clean his teeth were for an older dog Anyway, just a little tip there if you want to avoid those costly doggy dental visits

[11:19] And by the way, it serves to eliminate or at least greatly attenuate That ever-present scourge found in animals politicians and many of your old high school teachers That would be dog breath. Oh and another thing my sister up in chicago Told me she had that dog neutered cost around 300 bucks what with that cone They wear and the pain meds and the kidney and liver blood work That as opposed to getting your dog neutered down here You're looking at anywhere from 50 to 100 bucks total unless of course, you're an avid reader of spanish newspapers Then you're really in luck in that case every once in a while You'll see an ad placed by some gringo do-gooder organization or animal welfare ngo offering a free castration day

[12:06] So by all means bring your pets the neighborhood strays and any politicians you can round up But I digress as usual man. I'm way off topic Oh, yeah The discussion was about how tainted or untainted might the local food supply be here in latin america Well, you know, you haven't gotten much of a chance at a nice healthy gmo-free diet If you're shopping at walmart or costco because a lot of that stuff shipped in from the states Which is why it's always recommended you do most of your food shopping at one of those gigantic produce markets You'd be way ahead of the game But how safe is that or you can do what many gringos and expats do who have some land? Even a tiny piece of land or a garden especially down here with four growing seasons You can grow an amazing amount of stuff

[12:52] But if you live in a densely populated neighborhood or high-rise or condo You just can't do that, which brings me to a little essay someone just sent me No, not essay like in a mexican barrio essay essay By the way south of the mexican border. No one uses the term essay. That's strictly low-class mexican slang used mostly in the u.s All right Now i've got a few excerpts from a very recent article from a gringo in ecuador who does organic farming And i'll paraphrase because it's pretty long. It starts out as with the rest of the world Industrial agricultural methods are damaging soil quality and health in ecuador There are many ways to deceive an uneducated public But one of the most notorious is the promotion of industrial chemical agriculture

[13:41] And that's what's happening right now on a grand scale in south america and then he gives us the dirt Hmm on ecuador again with ecuador international living's pick for the number one expat tourist and retirement destination Then he says most people in ecuador visitors and residents believe the food is natural and therefore organic or close to it A generation ago. It was well i'm here to tell you nothing could be farther from the truth only about 0.3 0.3 of the 14 million agricultural hectors are certified organic in ecuador The big reason is that it's expensive to qualify internationally As an organic grower in the u.s By the way, the federal department of agriculture allows farmers to use pesticides and still be calling themselves organic

[14:34] That's not to say there aren't rural campesinos in ecuador that do not use excessive nitrogen and pesticides Though there are a few and many don't follow acceptable practices. Like for example Some use fresh manure on crops not acceptable The reality is that almost all farmers here in ecuador with few exceptions are controlled by an industry that has zero Interest in the quality or nutritional quantity of the food Then he says just last year there were six big agrochemical companies today. There are only three Bayer just bought monsano dao and dupont merged and chem china bought syngenta And man, are they making a push in south america? And now with all that bad PR coming out of india with those tens of thousands of farmer suicides

[15:23] You may have heard about the agrochemical industry is switching to so-called safer biological products Sounds so much kinder and gentler than petroleum based synthetics, huh? So as an organic farmer myself i've seen that ecuador has been devastated by the chemical agro industry So how'd they do that? Well, they were sneaky and did it from within those big companies now control entire Departments in the ecuador university systems. They merely have to spread their money around Make strategic donations give grants and endowments and those third world public universities Perpetually broke and underfunded jump right on board For example, did you know that agricultural engineers going to school in ecuadorian public universities?

[16:13] Get almost no training in soil microbiology And there's almost no focus on human nutrition with agricultural engineers Where's yet the excessive use of urea nitrogen-based fertilizers that are freely distributed by the ecuadorian government through the ministerial the agro-cultura e That's the prime reason for ecuador's toxic watershed system here in ecuador and most of south america The soils are loaded with salts from the excessive use of chemicals and fertilizers Requiring ever more irrigation leading to severe erosion problems In fact ecuador is lost between 20 and 40 percent of all the organic material that normally occupies the top 10 inches of soil

[16:59] And worse despite what you may have heard in red the average lifespan of an ecuadorian is actually going down meanwhile the use of pharmaceutical drugs in the general population is going up And farmers are under pressure to increase production by using even more chemicals Did you know that there's a proposal from former president korea and current vice president glass to use gmo transgenic seeds? If that happens, then probably well the introduction of these seeds will destroy whatever native population of seeds that existed before Uncontrollable cross-pollination will see to that by the way over 80 percent of gmos are packaged with glyphosate Which means that pregnant women who consume food produced with those gmo seeds will have glyphosate in their blood

[17:46] And in their breast milk while lactating sadly This is the present and future of the agricultural industry in ecuador and it's already showing up as a health crisis in certain areas Take the indigenous native people of tungorua And the boulevard provinces who have increasing thyroid problems the local food They used to eat more than a generation ago That was semi organic or organic had five times more iodine in it than the current food They're eating from the same area, and if they don't buy iodized salt it shows up as thyroid problems Alright me johnny here again. You get the idea But that's not all I want you to hear this late breaking news on the same subject this article is entitled lawsuit challenges equator's new seed law saying it opens the door to transgenic seeds and products it says

[18:36] And I'll paraphrase again for indigenous environmental and educational organizations have filed a suit against Ecuador's new seed law It's called la la de Samia's Samia's are seeds in Spanish some of you former heads out there might remember that famous Street name for a particular kind of weed called sin Samia that just means without seeds Anyway, these indigenous groups are claiming that it will allow the entry of a transgenic seeds into the country threatening native seed varieties and public health in general They say the law was forced through the Ecuador National Assembly by former president Rafael Correa Over the objections of Ecuador's small farmers predictably none of the larger farmers came out against it

[19:22] Also quite predictably so-called agricultural experts from Ecuador's universities Say there's no science behind the allegation that it's harmful Remember just a little while ago was mentioned that Ecuador's public universities are Practically owned and heavily funded by the big three international agrochemical Giants Maybe I should trade in my tinfoil sombrero for a Yankees head Meanwhile speaking of good healthy build strong bodies 12-way wholesome food Just got a notice here from my favorite Latin American business journal. It says here Representatives from a big US restaurant chain will be arriving in Costa Rica in the next few days to meet with potential investors Interested in developing the franchise in that country that famous franchise already has a presence in Panama

[20:10] Guatemala and Mexico and is to open at least 10 more such premises in Costa Rica a spokesman for the franchise says it's focusing on growth particularly in Costa Rica for Several reasons including the fact that Costa Ricans are enjoying more and more meals outside the home on top of that It says the response of the Costa Rican people to US food Franchises and brands has been more than favorable In other words they're saying in this article that Costa Ricans are gringo wannabes on steroids Then it says finally if you're interested in one of these fantastic US franchise opportunities visit our website and send an inquiry Alright, so have you figured out what famous US franchise they're talking about? Well, you'll get it now. Here's the website

[20:57] international dot franchising at I hop Com talk about non-gmo organic healthy choices, huh? And to think people often send me emails saying it would be difficult for me to move to Latin America I'd miss my comfort foods man. Obviously you haven't got boots on the ground yet Oh and speaking of US franchises that have landed in Costa Rica Listen to this in Costa Rica. There are now at least 20 US restaurant chains where burgers are the highlight of the menu Goes on to say international brands include McDonald's with 70 stores Burger King with 40 Wendy's with 20 Carl's jr. 10 locations and smash burger Whatever that is then it says for the remainder of 2017 at least 10 new franchise restaurant chains will open

[21:47] Currently there are around 300 international franchises operating in Costa Rica and that's supposed to be good news Then it says the spokesperson for the International franchise Association says Latin America is the most fertile area in the world for the franchise Industry and if one has the capital to invest the chances of failure are minimal then it says well Most large Latin cities have been hit by the US franchise bug There are hundreds of small and medium-sized cities and towns that are virtually untapped some without a US franchise at all Or just the well-known gut-wrenching standards McDonald's Burger King Domino's Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Well, isn't that just ducky? But what about the dark side like this article entitled obesity epidemic in Mexico Ecuador and Chile

[22:37] Generates billions of dollars in escalating health care costs Holy unaffordable health care Batman this brand-new study says Mexico Chile and Ecuador are the three most overweight obese countries in Latin America already It says they are costing their economies tens of billions of dollars each year Straining fragile public health care services beyond what they were ever designed for It says while the number of hungry and poor people in Latin America has been cut in half in the last 25 years the region now faces an unprecedented obesity epidemic the reasons changing diet more processed food More salt sugar and fat along with a new modern wave of sedentary jobs and lifestyles

[23:24] Beyond that young people from the rural areas are moving to the bigger cities looking for jobs They find processed and packaged food easier and more convenient than their traditional diet of rice beans corn fruit and vegetables Nutrition experts are saying that being overweight and or obese is the largest social and economic burden Latin countries have ever seen implications for the near future are frightening and bleak Then it says what Latin people fail to understand is that obesity itself is a form of malnutrition Saying it impairs proper growth and brain development, too Then there's that loss of productivity because overweight people necessarily take more days off of work Obesity affects women more than men in Mexico, for example

[24:10] Presently the most overweight country per capita in the world 74% of women are obese or significantly overweight compared with 70% of the men Chili, by the way, is making a half-ass effort to combat obesity in 2014 They introduced an 18% tax on sugary drinks for now. It's the world's highest tax on junk food So is it working in a word? No, and finally more bad news in the Latin health care department, man We're talking about the bad and the ugly today. Aren't we listen to this the title the article new vaccine plant in Nicaragua Bet Bill Gates is doing hand flips, huh? It says get this the Russian government invested 21 million dollars in the construction of the plant

[24:56] Which in its first stage will focus on the production of 15 million Influenza vaccines and we know how well those work now, don't we by the way? You know, I've never ever met a single Latin person who's had a flu shot But I've had a few otherwise intelligent expat gringos Tell me they are going for their flu shot and bringing the family along in fact I ran into one such guy the other day He's one of those famous Makila owners a very smart guy who should know better But I know a lot of very smart people up in Chicago who voted for Hillary Oh well, then it goes on to say according to the Nicaraguan government the Influenza vaccines that will be produced at this plant will be marketed at the lowest price in Latin America, which means wide availability and their first client

[25:44] Latin American governments, of course gotta pump those children up at the public schools, right? So my advice parents and kids on vaccination day stay home now with all the bad and the ugly I've been thrown at you here today The good news is in most all of Latin America. There are no mandatory Vaccination regulations though, like I said the government and other NGO do-gooder organizations We'll come around to the schools and pump everyone up not to mention I've seen many signs and banners posted in indigenous towns announcing those free vaccination days So what are the parents thinking then why it's gringos who are doing it? It's got to be good That's all part of the gringo Disadvantage. All right. All right on the next show I promise I'll give you more of the good and the great and less of the bad and the ugly though

[26:32] Sometimes the bad and the ugly are just so much more fun to talk about that said I promise to keep the following plug under one minute first for all of you who are interested in getting on the early bird Waiting list for my January 2018 expat insider seminar. Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com Not only will I keep you updated on the seminar I'll send you a couple of very cool and interesting Reports too now if you can't get your own boots on the ground or get down to the seminar yourself The very best way to get your ducks lined up for your own plan B is to sign up for my expat essentials course Just go to www.expatplanb.com to get my free video that explains it all and remember Wherever you are in your own plan B, even if you're just starting to think about it now You can always do a one-on-one phone or Skype consult with me if you're stuck and need some advice

[27:22] I'll help you work it out and to get started on that Just go to www.thenewexpat.com and download my questionnaire form. Have a look. You'll like it This is the expat files living in Latin America If you want me to help you out with your own plan B Just schedule a one-on-one consult send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to learn how to move forward with your own plan B from right up there in the States go to www.expatplanb.com and check out my three videos. See ya. Nos vemos