Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Stop GMO Corn NOW!

UPDATE: 18 February
Please realise that it has been proven that GM products do alter tissue in the human boy and the long term effect of this alteration is unknown.
EU court attacks GM crop secrecy
Europe's top court has ruled that EU governments have no right to conceal the location of field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops.

The European Court of Justice was responding to a case brought by Pierre Azelvandre in Alsace, eastern France.

He wanted to know where GM field trials had taken place in his local area.

The only EU-approved GM crop is a strain of corn developed by the US firm Monsanto. But GM trials for research are legal, under strict controls.

The court in Luxembourg ruled on Tuesday that "information relating to the location of the release can in no case be kept confidential".

It said "considerations relating to the protection of public order and other secrets protected by law... cannot constitute reasons capable of restricting access to the information listed by the [EU] directive, including in particular those relating to the location of release".

On Monday, the European Commission failed in a bid to force the governments of France and Greece to allow Monsanto's GM corn to be grown in their countries.

Opponents of GM crops say more scientific data is needed, arguing that their long-term genetic impact on humans and wildlife could be harmful.

The biotech industry says the crops are as safe as traditional varieties, and that they would provide plentiful, cheaper food.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/7896813.stm
Published: 2009/02/18 12:29:39 GMT
© BBC MMIX
Genetically Engineered Crops Creating More Pesticide Addiction in U.S.
According to a recent (December 2008) global summary report from the Worldwatch Institute:
1) The U.S. leads the world, by far, in genetically engineered crop production and consumption.

2) The widespread planting of crops genetically engineered to resist specific pesticides (which allows farmers to apply more pesticides to their
crops) has created 15 new species of plants known as "superweeds" that are resistant to commonly used pesticides. In 2008, these superweeds were discovered on hundreds of thousands of acres of U.S. farmland.

3) Due to the presence of these new superweeds, GM crop production has already led to a $60 million annual increase in pesticide use in the U.S.
Most of that money goes to the same companies that developed the GM crops that were supposed to reduce pesticide use in the first place.


Respond by this Friday, 6 Feb.

February 3, 2009

Tell USDA "NO" on new untested genetically engineered corn

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has given preliminary approval to Event 98140 corn, the first of a new generation of pesticide-promoting, genetically engineered (GE) crops designed to survive spraying with multiple herbicides. This latest petition to deregulate a new, untested, and complex GE crop poses food safety, environmental, and agronomic concerns that were not adequately evaluated by the previous Administration's USDA. APHIS has failed to adequately address a range of health and environmental risks in its draft environmental assessment (EA), including novel food safety concerns, increased pesticide use and increased prevalence of herbicide-resistant weeds.

To make matters worse, the USDA has limited the opportunity for public input, by only accepting comments until this Friday, February 6th!

Speak out now! Tell USDA to put the brakes on this approval, and prepare and publish a thorough Environmental Impact Statement before making a decision. Visit the Center for Food Safety's True Food Network at http://ga3.org/campaign/PioneerCorn TODAY to learn more and take action.

Thanks for all your support for family farmers and a sustainable future for all!

Sincerely,
The Farmers and Staff of Organic Valley Family of Farms

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