GMOs in the Garden, But Not on the Label

As the process that regulates the evaluation of risk and the subsequent approval of GMOs in the United States is changed to further favor genetically modified crops, Monsanto is working on bringing GMO seeds to the home vegetable garden.

New GM varieties have to pass the scrutiny of the US Department of Agriculture and once approved civil society associations and organizations can appeal against the decision. In the past, while the appeal was on-going, cultivation was suspended until the matter had been resolved. Now, however, a paragraph in the new Farm Bill, the five-year plan for US agricultural policy, has changed the situation. The USDA’s decision is now valid immediately, and even in the case of a legal battle, the GMOs in question can still be cultivated and marketed.

Another worrying aspect of the new Farm Bill is the Senate’s rejection of the so-called Sanders amendment, which would have allowed states to require clear labels on any food or beverage containing GM ingredients. For the last decade, many American states, led by Vermont and California, have been fighting hard to make it obligatory to indicate the presence of GMOs on food labels, as is the case in the European Union. But Monsanto, claiming that states do not have the authority to legislate on the issue, has even threatened to take legal action against the state of Vermont, because it has put forward a legal proposal regarding labels and GMOs. As for California, it has a referendum on the issue planned for November.

[link to www.slowfood.com]


World Domination: The World’s Top 10 Seed Companies

Company – 2007 seed sales (US$ millions) – % of global proprietary seed market

1.Monsanto (US) – $4,964m – 23%
2.DuPont (US) – $3,300m – 15%
3.Syngenta (Switzerland) – $2,018m – 9%
4.Groupe Limagrain (France) – $1,226m – 6%
5.Land O’ Lakes (US) – $917m – 4%
6.KWS AG (Germany) – $702m – 3%
7.Bayer Crop Science (Germany) – $524m – 2%
8.Sakata (Japan) – $396m – <2%
9.DLF-Trifolium (Denmark) – $391m – <2%
10.Takii (Japan) – $347m – <2%
Top 10 Total – $14,785m – 67% [of global proprietary seed market]
Source: ETC Group
[link to www.groedibles.com]

Last Edited by Fhirinne on 11/11/2012 02:22 PM