Sir John Beddington the governments chief scientific adviser is using the possible future global hunger crisis to push genetically modified foods. He, on behalf of some of the fiercest lobbyists in the world, is softening us up.
"GM crops could feed the world", "GM foods are as safe as their non-GM counterparts and pose no additional risk to the consumer", "the general public should drop the term 'frankenstein foods', and embrace the technology." These are some of the weasel words used by the pro GM lobby.
GM foods are derived from genetically modified organisms, and involve the insertion or deletion of genes. The first commercially grown GM crop was the tomato, modified to ripen without softening, this was developed by Calgene, later a subsiduary of Monsanto.
95% of GM crops are grown in N.America with rapid expansion of cotton varieties in India, in Brazil, also in China, Paraguay, South Africa, and Argentina. Monsanto is currently involved with US Supreme Court re 'roundup ready alfalfa', other court cases involve their pesticide - resistant sugar beets.
There is more than enough food in the world, the hunger crisis is caused by problems in food distribution and politics, not production. Vandana Shiva founder of Nardanya a group that represents the seed keepers and organic farmers in India is totally against the use of genetically modified crops, and several countries including Zambia, Venezuala, and Hungary have banned use of GM crops, and the importation of GM rice to Europe has been stopped. India is holding a moratorium on cultivation of GM and France have banned Monsanto's MON-810 corn and similar modified crops.
The US have attempted to retaliate against France and the European Union for their decisions.
The health risks of eating GM foods is almost entirely unknown although already some dangers have been noted. Danger to wild life, birds, and butterflies could be serious, and certain weeds may become uncontrollable. Serious difficulties are experienced by organic farmers, and the fact that GM seed is subject to licensing prevents farmers from sowing their own seed because the intellectual property is owned by the developers (Monsanto).
Beware! Massive lobbying groups are infiltrating our news media in an effort to soften us up. NB. See: Caroline Spelman (DEFRA), her husband Mark Spelman and his senior position with Accenture, and previous post - January 4, 2011, on Monsanto.
Showing posts with label GM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GM. Show all posts
Monday, 24 January 2011
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Monsanto, a huge beast, and a very dangerous one
Monsanto, the notoriously aggressive biotech giant have been caught by Wikileaks with 'their hands in the cookie jar'.
Monsanto was founded in 1901. The first product they made was saccharin, the artificial sweetener that they subsequently sold to Coca Cola. Monsanto established their first foothold in Europe in Wales where they went into partnership with Graesser's chemical works. They expanded in the 1920s, and in the 1940s became leading manufacturers of plastics, herbicides, Agent Orange (a highly carcinogenic defoliant agent used during the Vietnam War), other artificial sweeteners, and bovine growth hormones.
During the same decade they were involved with the development of the first Nuclear weapons, and in 1944 they commenced manufacturing DDT. After forming a partnership with the chemical giant Bayer they marketed polyurethanes in the US. In 1982 they were the first to genetically modify plant cells. It was during the years 1997 to 2002 that Monsanto moved from chemical giant to biotech giant. They have, since 2005, patent claims on the breeding techniques of pigs,developed the so called 'terminator' seed which requires customers to repurchase seed for every planting, and developed bovine somatotropin, a synthetic hormone introduced to increase milk production. Not a pretty history!
Virtually every chemical Monsanto have manufactured has been detrimental to human well being and other animals, and many have been/are excessively dangerous. Like a cancer Monsanto attempt to spread and control the world with their own deadly variation of the disease.
Wikileaks have done a good job exposing the American Ambassador for chatting up the Vatican and generally sucking up to the EU . Thankfully, so far, those in power in the EU have not succumbed to their bribes and aggressive lobbying, but Monsanto play a very long game. We must all beware.
Monsanto was founded in 1901. The first product they made was saccharin, the artificial sweetener that they subsequently sold to Coca Cola. Monsanto established their first foothold in Europe in Wales where they went into partnership with Graesser's chemical works. They expanded in the 1920s, and in the 1940s became leading manufacturers of plastics, herbicides, Agent Orange (a highly carcinogenic defoliant agent used during the Vietnam War), other artificial sweeteners, and bovine growth hormones.
During the same decade they were involved with the development of the first Nuclear weapons, and in 1944 they commenced manufacturing DDT. After forming a partnership with the chemical giant Bayer they marketed polyurethanes in the US. In 1982 they were the first to genetically modify plant cells. It was during the years 1997 to 2002 that Monsanto moved from chemical giant to biotech giant. They have, since 2005, patent claims on the breeding techniques of pigs,developed the so called 'terminator' seed which requires customers to repurchase seed for every planting, and developed bovine somatotropin, a synthetic hormone introduced to increase milk production. Not a pretty history!
Virtually every chemical Monsanto have manufactured has been detrimental to human well being and other animals, and many have been/are excessively dangerous. Like a cancer Monsanto attempt to spread and control the world with their own deadly variation of the disease.
Wikileaks have done a good job exposing the American Ambassador for chatting up the Vatican and generally sucking up to the EU . Thankfully, so far, those in power in the EU have not succumbed to their bribes and aggressive lobbying, but Monsanto play a very long game. We must all beware.
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