Controversy over genetically modified crops has been heating up as questions concerning genetically modified organisms (GMOs) multiply; Are they safe for consumer consumption? Do they have broader unforeseen ecological consequences?
The political discussion of GMOs is focusing on whether these crops should be accompanied with labels identifying them as genetically engineered. Numerous anti-GMO groups have emerged including Non-GMO Project, Just Label It, and the Institute for Responsible Technology, which warn of the potential health risks of GMO consumption, citing dozens of countries that require labeling of genetically modified crops.
Monsanto is the same company that manufactured DDT, Agent Orange, PCB, dioxin and aspartame. Cancer is being linked to PCB exposure. Thousands of U.S. soldiers as well as Vietnamese civilians have cancer because of being exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnamese war. These people are suffering the horrible consequences of this chemical being sprayed in the jungles, leaching toxic and deadly chemicals into the water, soil and the air. Children are being born with birth defects, and thousands are dying of cancer caused by the exposure. There are many cover-ups and lies about these toxic effects. And no one wants to take responsibility for this travesty.
Labeling of genetically modified foods is expected to be an issue this week as diplomats from the United States and European Union meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss a new trans-Atlantic trade deal.
But the issue also has become a flash point here in New Jersey.
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about honeybee mortality and big die-offs and fears about things like Monsanto’s genetically modified corn.
A report issued last October by the US Department of Agriculture found that “overall losses” for commercial beekeepers in the U.S. continue to be high, and described hive collapse as a mystery.
Beekeepers are desperately battling colony collapse disorder, a complex condition that has been killing bees in large swaths and could ultimately have a massive effect on people, since honeybees pollinate a significant portion of the food that humans consume.
A new weapon in that fight could be RNA molecules that kill a troublesome parasite by disrupting the way its genes are expressed. Monsanto and others are developing the molecules as a means to kill the parasite, a mite that feeds on honeybees.
Not too long ago, popular wisdom ran that molecular biologists were going to save billions of people from starvation by genetically engineering crops resistant to flood, freeze, and drought; crops that could blossom from desiccated soil and bloom in salty sand; crops that could flourish despite an atmosphere saturated with carbon dioxide and rays of sunshine riddled with radiation. A waterless seed was the next killer app.
Monsanto Australia increased its shareholding in InterGrain on June 28th to 26 percent from its current 19.9 percent. The opportunity for Monsanto Australia to increase its stake in InterGrain was part of the initial agreement announced in 2010.
U.S. and EU officials begin talks Monday on an ambitious free-trade agreement aimed at generating billions of dollars of new trade. But negotiators must overcome barriers created by cultural and philosophical differences over sectors like agriculture. In Europe, the cultivation of genetically modified crops is banned, while in the U.S., they are a central part of food production. NPR’s Jackie Northam visited a farm in Delaware and NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley visited one in Burgundy, France, to look at those deep-seated differences. We hear from Jackie first.