tagged w/ Smartstax
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This is the sixth volume of the Sustainable Agriculture Group's Monsanto Roundup, where I try to bring you up to date on GMO/Monsanto news and what it means to you. In this ediiton we have the DOJ investigation into seed monopoly and American farmers speaking out. Then, Bulgaria saying no to GMOs, one million standing up to ban GMOs in Europe, illegal GMO imports in Kenya and their implications, and pushing Smartstax on South Africa. I also mention PLA and composting bags, and something I have coming up.
Please take some time to read the news and use it for your own empowerment.
It is the only way we will ever take back our food.
Thank you!
http://current.com/groups/sustainable-agriculture/This is the sixth volume of the Sustainable Agriculture Group's Monsanto Roundup,... more
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Monsanto has made an application to the South African GMO authorities for permission to import Smartstax maize, one of the most controversial and risky GMOs ever produced for commercial use.
The ACB recently published a report featuring Smartstax titled 'The stacked gene revolution: A biosafety nightmare'. We pointed out that while the majority of commercially cultivated GM food crops contain 3 new genes at most, Smartstax contains 8! Several prominent scientists at the United Nations have expressed grave concerns about the biosafety implications of this, and also the lax safety assessments carried out. Smartstax has been approved in the US and Canada for commercial cultivation.
According to Mariam Mayet, Director of the ACB, "Stacked GMOs represent the biotech industry's blitzkrieg for increased control of the food chain. The more genes 'stacked' into their seeds, the higher their profits." One and two trait GM seed varieties are being replaced by their more expensive multiple stacked varieties.
In November last year, Monsanto chairman Hugh Grant hubristically claimed that he expected the gene giant to triple its 2007 gross profits by 2012. Smartstax was to be one of the cornerstone’s of this expansion. However, Monsanto is struggling to convince US farmers to grow Smarstax.
In a bid to secure export markets for the risky GM maize, Monsanto has set its sights on South Africa. "South Africa does not need this dangerous GM maize. The Department of Agriculture's latest estimates suggest that in 2009/10 South Africa will produce almost 13 million tons of maize, a 7.5% increase on the previous year, and the second largest maize harvest in South African history.[i] This will leave almost a 6 million ton surplus for export, and the evidence shows that international grain traders are already dumping South African's surplus GM maize in Kenya and Swaziland." Said Mayet.
The ACB calls on the South African authorities to reject out of hand Monsanto’s attempts to entrench its position in the South African food chain, and force feeding consumers with food they have neither asked for nor want.
"The GM Stacked Gene Revolution: a biosafety nightmare" A briefing paper by the African Centre for Biosafety by Gareth Jones can be downloaded from our website www.biosafetyafrica.org.zaMonsanto has made an application to the South African GMO authorities for permission... more
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Canadians Join Global Day of Action Against Monsanto: Challenge approval of new eight-trait GM "SmartStax" corn
Today Canadians opposing Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) crops will join the first "International Day of Action Against Multinational Corporations" that has been initiated by the global farmers' movement called La Via Campesina. Canadians will support this year's focus on Monsanto and GM crops by inundating the Minister of Health with letters and calls asking for the immediate withdrawal of approval for Monsanto's GM "SmartStax" corn, authorized without safety assessment from Health Canada.
Canadians are calling and writing the Minister of Health to ask that she immediately halt the introduction of Monsanto’s new eight-trait GM corn called "SmartStax" because it was not assessed for safety by Health Canada. "SmartStax" corn was authorized this summer by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for planting next year but was not examined by Health Canada for human health safety.
La Via Campesina is calling multinational corporations the "main threat to peasant and indigenous families and humanity" because corporations are privatizing land, biodiversity, water, and seeds. Monsanto is the world's largest seed company and owns almost 90% of all the GM crops sown globally.
"It's extremely significant that La Via Campesina is focusing their World Food Day action on Monsanto and GM crops. It shows us that farmers around the world see GM crops as a major threat to their survival," said Devlin Kuyek, a Montreal-based researcher for the international group GRAIN.
"Monsanto and Dow together own eight patents in 'SmartStax' corn and will charge higher prices and take deeper control over seed," said Benoit Girouard, President of Union Paysanne, a member group of La Via Campesina.
"Health Canada must stop Monsanto's 'SmartStax' corn before farmers start growing a GM crop that was never assessed for human consumption." said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. "The Minister of Health is supporting Monsanto ahead of safeguarding the health of Canadians."
"Monsanto is still pushing GM wheat and GM alfalfa regardless of the major environmental risks and despite the fact that consumers and farmers have soundly rejected both," said Arnold Taylor of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate’s Organic Agriculture Protection Fund.
"Contamination by GM crops is causing deep financial harm to Canadian farmers," said Terry Boehm, Vice-President of the National Farmers Union, also a member group of La Via Campesina. "Right now we see that Canadian farmers face the loss of their most important flax market in Europe due to GM contamination."Canadians Join Global Day of Action Against Monsanto: Challenge approval of new... more
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This is the second of my monthly Monsanto Roundup reports where the news in the world of GMOs and other related issues are disseminated in order that people might have knowledge of what is going on with their food and its effect on health, environment, biodiversity, and sustainabilty.
In this issue we go over Monsanto being a water bully, "Smartstax" GM corn not having the proper environmental assessment, Monsanto being named in 50 cancer lawsuits, African chickens refusing to eat GM maize, and the Cancer Prevention Coalition calling on the FDA to ban Aspartame.
Also, we look into the World Seed Conference now taking place in Rome and the important issue of farmers being denied saving seed which is threatening global biodiversity. We also look into Monsanto in Hawaii, action on GE trees, and the effect of soy monocultures in places like Paraguay.
There is much going on in the race to own food and water as economy, climate change, and resource depletion all bring us to a crossroads where we either stand up for global food sovereignty or we lose it.
We must be prepared. Forewarned is forearmed.
So thanks for watching and supporting this endeavor.
http://current.com/groups/sustainable-agriculture/
Jan
CuratorThis is the second of my monthly Monsanto Roundup reports where the news in the world... more
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On July 15, 2009 Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences announced that they received approval to introduce their new eight-trait GE corn 'SmartStax' into Canada and the US. But Health Canada did not assess 'SmartStax' for human health safety and did not even bother to authorize it. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency authorized the environmental release of 'SmartStax' but never conducted an environmental risk assessment and actually substantially weakened its environmental stewarship rules for the crop.
http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Crops-and-Foods-On-the-Market/Corn/Take-SmartStax-off-the-Menu
Send a message to the Canadian health manager at this link.
http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Crops-and-Foods-On-the-Market/Corn/Why-SmartStax-is-Dumb2
Fact sheet on Smartstax, another unnecessary fake food designed for profit only.
Do you want your food made by chemical companies?
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Just how many governments have they bought?On July 15, 2009 Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences announced that they received approval... more
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