tagged w/ seed monopoly
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Some 400 hectares of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds have been destroyed throughout Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar said.
The GMO maize has been ploughed under, said Lajos Bognar, but pollen has not spread from the maize, he added. Unlike several EU members, GMO seeds are banned in Hungary.
Authorities have been checking for GMO crops since the beginning of this year as a new regulation came in force this March which stipulates GMO checks before seeds are introduced to the market.
The checks will continue despite the fact that seed traders are obliged to make sure that their products are GMO free, Bognar said.
Compensation unlikely
Controllers have found Pioneer and Monsanto products among the seeds planted. The free movement of goods within the EU means that authorities will not investigate how the seeds arrived in Hungary but they will check where the goods can be found, Bognar said.
Regional public radio reported that the two biggest international seed producing companies are affected in the matter and GMO seeds could have been sown on up to thousands of hectares in the country.
Local farmers complain that the use of GMO seeds has only been revealed now when it is too late to sow again and the entire year's harvest has been lost.
Another problem is that the company that distributed the seeds in Baranya county is under liquidation, therefore if any compensation is paid by the international seed producers, the money will be paid primarily to that company's creditors, rather than the farmers.Some 400 hectares of maize found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds... more
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I'll state straight away, I hate/loathe/despise/abhor Monsanto. They are evil, not metaphorically evil, but actually evil. And as for our politicians who should have protected us from Monsanto; well, there’s a special circle of Hell reserved just for them.
I came across this video in the twitterverse and wanted to share it because it gives you a good idea of what is involved in actually using GM seed and the (hoocoodanode!?) consequences. Farmer to Farmer.
I ask you: What do we do to extricate ourselves from this politico-corporate nightmare?I'll state straight away, I hate/loathe/despise/abhor Monsanto. They are evil,... more
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When most people think of Monsanto, they picture huge Midwest farms growing Roundup Ready GMO corn and soy. But did you know that Monsanto and other agrochemical multinationals are in the home garden vegetable seed business as well?
The commercial seed industry has undergone vast consolidation in the last few decades, with several agro giants buying up many seed companies around the world. The majority of these companies target the commercial agriculture industry, but companies such as Monsanto and Swiss-based Syngenta produce a range of seeds for the home vegetable gardener as well.
Aside from the anti-trust issues raised from having a few large corporations control the world's seed supply, there are other concerns as well. The recent consolidation frenzy has resulted in a drastic decrease in the variety of seeds. Insects and disease tend to attack monocultures, so the strength of any ecosystem is the level of its plant diversity. Monocultures, where the same type of crops grow on large plots of land year in and year out, also lead to an increase in pesticide usage. This is convenient for the giant seed companies, since they're in the pesticide and herbicide business as well.
Farmers are also affected since seed saving used to be practiced by family farms for generations. Many farmers are now forced to buy their seeds from Monsanto every year once they sign up to grow Roundup Ready GMO crops, which puts Monsanto in a very powerful position. According to a recent New York Times article, the prices farmers paid last year for corn seed rose 32% and 24% for soy. These price increases have caught the attention of the US Justice Department which has launched an investigation into the seed industry, with an apparent focus on Monsanto.
In 2005, Monsanto - the world's largest seed company - purchased a large vegetable seed company called Seminis. According to an article written that year by Mathew Dillon of the Organic Seed Alliance, it was estimated that "Seminis controls 40 percent of the U.S. vegetable seed market and 20 percent of the world market-supplying the genetics for 55 percent of the lettuce on U.S. supermarket shelves, 75 percent of the tomatoes, and 85 percent of the peppers, with strong holdings in beans, cucumbers, squash, melons, broccoli, cabbage, spinach and peas." It is unknown what percentage of these seeds may at some point become genetically modified.
The following chart is an excellent overview regarding the seed industry ownership structure which includes Monsanto, DuPont, Bayer, Syngenta, and Dow. Click here for more detail (PDF) ;
This chart and a related article was authored by Phil Howard, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University. Many of the companies listed focus on the professional grower markets and GMO crops, but some provide seeds for the home gardener as well.
As most gardening enthusiasts have probably discovered by now, figuring out where the seeds you buy actually come from can be pretty confusing. Let's say you go to a popular online seed retailer and get some Burpee Hybrid II cucumber seeds. Those seeds are actually produced by Seminis/Monsanto. To see if any of your favorite vegetable seeds are produced by Seminis, go to the following link: us.seminis.com/products/hg_products.asp You may also be buying seeds from Rogers (originally bought by Sandoz), a company now owned by the Swiss multinational Syngenta, a pesticide and herbicide manufacturer also involved with GMOs. To see which retailers sell Rogers seeds, go to www.rogersadvantage.com/dealers/default_homegarden.htmWhen most people think of Monsanto, they picture huge Midwest farms growing Roundup... more
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Meat claimed as invention by multinational company of Monsanto
Multinational seed corporations are following a consequent strategy to gain control over basic resources for food production. As recent research shows not only genetically engineered plants, but more and more the conventional breeding of plants gets into the focus of patent monopolies: International patent applications in this sector are skyrocking, having doubled since 2007 till end of 2009. Further on the multinationals expand their claims over the whole chain of food production from feed to animals and food products such as meat. In a pending patent application from Monsanto even bacon and steaks are claimed: Patent application WO2009097403 is claiming meat stemming from pigs being fed with the patented genetically engineered plants of Monsanto. A similar patent is applied for fish from aquaculture in March 2010 (WO201027788). Far reaching patents on food are even already granted: Monsanto received a European patent (EP 1356033) in 2009, which the chain of food production from seeds of genetically engineered plants up to food products such as meal and oil are covered.
„There is a process going on, multinationals are trying to gain increasing control of the whole chain of food production. Consumers, farmers and food producers are all caught by the same trap. This has to be regarded as an immoral attempt to abuse patent law. The company is heading for maximising its profits by filing patents on food while at the same time one billion people are suffering from hunger," says François Meienberg from the Berne Declaration.
As experience from the US shows, patents on seeds and increasing market concentration are leading to drastic increase in seed prices, reduced choice in seeds and soaring dependencies for farmers. Meanwhile the Department of Justice and state attorneys general in several US states are investigating whether Monsanto Company has abused its market power to lock out competitors and raise prices in seeds. The coalition of 'No Patents on Seeds is warning that market concentration will even increase if the abuse of patent law is not stopped. The coalition is supported globally by more than 200 organisations. The organisations are demanding a clear change in policy and practise of patent offices. Governments are urged to to revise the patent laws in order to exclude patents on seeds, animals and parts thereof.
Download Monsanto's patent: wo2009097403a1 1.89 MbMeat claimed as invention by multinational company of Monsanto
Multinational seed... more
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The Organization for Competitive Markets is a national, non-profit public policy research organization headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. OCM believes America must work together, across all commodities, toward the common purpose of returning its food and agricultural sector to true supply and demand-based competition. Antitrust, competition and fair trade are important areas of interest to OCM.
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This video deals with the seed monopoly of Monsanto and their patents that are killing competitive markets and squeezing out the American farmer.
American farmers must stand up to Monsanto as farmers in other countries around the world are doing. They should not be allowed to get away with their anti-democratic tactics and lack of business ethics that seek world domination of our seeds at the expense of our economy, our health, and our biodiversity!The Organization for Competitive Markets is a national, non-profit public policy... more
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Satyagraha, a non violent method of civil disobedience wherein participants bypass all laws that seek to deprive them of the basic necessities of life (food, water, shelter, medicine, a sustainable planet, freedom.) Gandhi started such a satyagraha when thousands marched to the sea risking beatings to collect salt on their own in defiance of the British and their tax on it. Dr. Vandana Shiva is now defying the laws of those seeking to patent and own the very seeds of life themselves with a seed satyagraha to speak out for our right to environmental democracy.
What Monsanto and other companies are doing in monopolizing seed is a crime of immense proportions in regards to denying freedom and environmental biodiversity which threatens life. But there are ways to move around their schemes to control our food and water. The wisdom of Gandhi and great advocates of freedom, peace, and environmental democracy like Dr. Shiva are greatly needed in our world now.
Make no mistake about it, Monsanto cares not for your health or for feeding you. They care about profit at any cost even at the expense of the sustainability and biodiveristy of this planet.
Would I walk to the sea risking beating to show my support for food democracy and having a sustainable planet for the future in defiance of Monsanto and all those seeking to deny it to me? Damn right I would. Would you?
Thank you Dr. Vandana Shiva for being a voice of truth, wisdom, and freedom for so many people around this world.Satyagraha, a non violent method of civil disobedience wherein participants bypass all... more
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