by Natasha Longo
September 7, 2012
from
PreventDisease Website
Natasha Longo
has a master's degree in nutrition and is a
certified fitness and nutritional counselor. She
has consulted on public health policy and
procurement in Canada, Australia, Spain,
Ireland, England and Germany. |
A September 11th deadline is
around the corner for a new round of herbicide resistant genetically
modified (GM) crops that are coincidentally on the table for
fast-tracked approval.
Since the introduction of GM
crops, the US has seen herbicide use increase by over
300 million pounds.
Big Biotech originally claimed
that weeds would not develop resistance to glyphosate (RoundUp), but
they have and these new "superweeds" have become the
driving force behind new crops engineered for stacked, or
multiple, herbicide tolerances.
Adoption of these new crops will lead to
dramatic increases in the use of higher risk herbicides perpetuating
the herbicide treadmill that is already in place.
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Glyphosate (herbicide)
Tolerant Soybeans
-
Bayer's petition to force its new controversial
herbicide (isoxaflutole) tolerant soy on the market conceals
crucial information on potential allergenicity and toxicity
that came to light when EU experts examined the GMO soybean.
-
BASF's petition
-
Dow AgroSciences' petition
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Glyphosate (herbicide)
Tolerant Canola
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Monsanto's petition
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Pioneer's petition
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Glyphosate (herbicide)
Tolerant Corn
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Genective's petition
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Hybrid Corn
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Monsanto's petition
Four of the nine are genetically engineered with a soil
bacteria that keeps them alive even when they're sprayed
with massive doses of the herbicide glyphosate (Monsanto's
RoundUp).
More of these so-called "RoundUp
Ready" crops mean more RoundUp sprayed on our food. This is
horrible because Monsanto's RoundUp causes birth defects.
Instead of "RoundUp Ready" we should call these GMOs
"Birth-Defect Ready"!
According to a report published by
Earth Open Source, industry's own studies - including
one commissioned by Monsanto - showed as long ago as the
1980's that RoundUp's active ingredient, glyphosate, causes
birth defects in laboratory animals.
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High Yield Soybean
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Monsanto's petition
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Non-Browning Apple
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Okanagan Speciality Fruits petition
Okanagan's "Arctic" apple would be the first genetically
engineered version of a food that people directly bite into.
According to the latest study by the
Environmental Working Group, conventionally grown apples
are the most pesticide contaminated fruit or vegetable on
the market. Conventional apples are dangerous, and GMO
apples are just a dumb idea - one not even supported by many
in the apple industry itself!
-
Rootworm Resistant Corn
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Syngenta's petition
Syngenta's genetically
engineered Bt crops have been banned in many countries
because of the documented harm they cause to people, animals
and insects.
Bt corn produces its own
insecticide that kills bad bugs and good bugs alike, Bt corn
pollen has reportedly killed peasants in the Philippines, Bt
livestock feed harms animals, and the Bt toxin is now found
in the blood of over 80% of women and their unborn children.
Despite massive public opposition, last
year the USDA
announced plans to streamline its genetically engineered
petition process under the Animal Plant and Health Inspection
Service (APHIS).
Earlier this year these controversial
changes were implemented, speeding up the approval process for new
genetically engineered seeds and crops. The new process will cut in
half the time it takes for new GE seeds and crops to enter the
market.
Last year, the USDA deregulated a GM product made by Monsanto giving
the agricultural giant's Vistive Gold soybeans the green light for
production within the United States and Canada.
Monsanto already has low-linolenic soybean oils on the market under
its Vistive brand - KFC and Kellogg's have both used Vistive to
slash trans fats from their products - but the company claims that
its new generation traits confer "significantly extended fry life"
and are more stable at high temperatures than either existing
Vistive oils or conventional soybean oils.
After all, this what a unhealthy
populations striving for fresher and wholesome foods need... longer
fry life?
Most soy products block the production of thyroid hormone and reduce
energy in the body by inhibiting tyrosine kinases, enzymes involved
in the transfer of energy from one molecule to another. These
enzymes drive cell division, memory consolidation, tissue repair,
and blood vessel maintenance and regeneration.
USDA claims that the new fast-track process allows for earlier input
from the public to improve the quality of its environmental
analyses.
But according to a USDA
press release, the new process is a part of efforts by the
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, to,
"transform USDA into a
high-performing organization that focuses on its customers."
The customers that USDA is so keen on
assisting are none other than Monsanto, Dow, Dupont, BASF, Syngenta,
and the rest of the Biotech bullies!
In addition to the
serious health risks associated with consuming genetically
modified foods, soy poses another risk: hexane. Used in processing
soy ingredients to make isolates and concentrates, whole soybeans
are bathed in synthetic petroleum-based solvents including the
neurotoxin and pollutant, hexane.
Monsanto tried for years to gain approval for its genetically
modified Roundup-Ready alfalfa seed. On January 27, 2011, it finally
got the green light in the form of "deregulation."
This means that farmers are free to
plant GE alfalfa, and the USDA does not keep track of who plants it
where.
Sources
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