GMO And The March Of Millions
By Countercurrents.org
29 May, 2013
Countercurrents.org
More than two million people, marched a few days ago against Monsanto, the agro-monster, in more than 400 cities in 52 countries.
There are confusion among many regarding GMO. The following information provided by Earth Open Source* helps understand the issue:
Genetically modified (GM) crops are promoted on the basis of a range of far-reaching claims from the GM crop industry and its supporters.
They say that GM crops:
• Are an extension of natural breeding and do not pose different risks from naturally bred crops
• Are safe to eat and can be more nutritious than naturally bred crops
• Are strictly regulated for safety
• Increase crop yields
• Reduce pesticide use
• Benefit farmers and make their lives easier
• Bring economic benefits
• Benefit the environment
• Can help solve problems caused by climate change
• Reduce energy use
• Will help feed the world.
However, a large and growing body of scientific and other authoritative evidence shows that these claims are not true. On the contrary, evidence presented in this report indicates that GM crops:
• Are laboratory-made, using technology that is totally different from natural breeding methods, and pose different risks from non-GM crops
• Can be toxic, allergenic or less nutritious than their natural counterparts
• Are not adequately regulated to ensure safety
• Do not increase yield potential
• Do not reduce pesticide use but increase it
• Create serious problems for farmers, including herbicide-tolerant "superweeds", compromised soil quality, and increased disease susceptibility in crops
• Have mixed economic effects
• Harm soil quality, disrupt ecosystems, and reduce biodiversity
• Do not offer effective solutions to climate change
• Are as energy-hungry as any other chemically-farmed crops
• Cannot solve the problem of world hunger but distract from its real causes - poverty, lack of access to food and, increasingly, lack of access to land to grow it on.
Based on the evidence presented in this report, there is no need to take risks with GM crops when effective, readily available, and sustainable solutions to the problems that GM technology is claimed to address already exist.
Conventional plant breeding, in some cases helped by safe modern technologies like gene mapping and marker assisted selection, continues to outperform GM in producing high-yield, drought-tolerant, and pest- and disease-resistant crops that can meet our present and future food needs.
Books
• The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter - The Best Resource to Keep Updated on GE Foods.
• Genetic Roulette by Jeffrey Smith
The Health Risks of GE Foods
Resources
• Watch the documentary Unnatural Selection and the entire GMO Trilogy Film Series free online.
• Hazards of GE Foods and Crops - Why We Need a Global Moratorium by Ronnie Cummins
• Download this PowerPoint by Frank Kutka on the effects of the biotech industry and the call for sustainable agriculture.
• The Truth about PLU Codes
• Doctors: Pesticides Used on GMOs Are "Real Chemical Weapons"
* Organic Consumers Association, “GMO Myths and Truths”, http://www.organicconsumers.org/gelink.cfm
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