« Future: Socialism is dead,the government contained,and we are free at last. | DonDi's Blog | Hi-jacking the worlds food supply Part 2 : The "Terminator Seed" »
Hi-jacking the worlds food supply Part 1: Genetically altered plants creating "Super Weeds and Super Pests"
We have all seen firsthand the effects of rampant greed,the lust for
money and power that brought the world economy to it's knees. The greed
of Wall Street that caused many to lose life savings,many to lose the
homes,many to lose employment,that threatens to keep many sick and
dying without health care. That greed reaches even deeper to the desire
to grab the worlds food supply. We were dazzled by scientists who said that
one day we would be able to feed the world with abundant food because
of genetically altered crops. Through hundreds of thousands of years
plants have evolved to survive and co-exist in an eco- system of
balance, and yet we may be arrogantly saying, we can do it better.Are
we like Dr Frankenstein going to awake to find we have tampered with
life and to our dismay have created a monster, or several monsters?
The big players in this gambit are the chemical biological companies who have genetically altered seed to create plants that have weed killer already in them, and creating new new poisons that are having unforeseen effects on insect life . These plants do more than protect themselves they are beginning to effect the ecosystem around them, creating a new breed of hybrids which some call "Super Weeds" resistant to weed killer.Trying to kill the new hybrid with additional weed killers only kills the non hybrid weeds making more room for the super weeds.They flourish and so farmers resort to more weed killer and the cycle continues and escalates.
Here we see some of the problems that biotech is causing , what you didn,t see was how this ties into greed.There are a handful of companies, one being Monsato, who develop these GM seeds and then patent them as new life forms. They have sued and will sue farmers who after using their Frankenstein seeds,keep some stored from the harvest and sell them to other farmers.monsato sues farmer over seed piracy
Over the last decade, Monsanto aggressively bought up over 50 seed companies around the globe. Seeds are the source of all food. Whoever owns the seeds, owns the food. The process of genetic engineering allows companies, such as Monsanto, to claim patent rights over seeds. Ninety percent of all GE seeds planted in the world are patented by Monsanto and hence controlled by them. These few seek a monopoly on the seed supply of the world, Monsato is provider of the seed technology for 90 percent of the world's genetically engineered (GE) crops. Monsatos world Monsato is a story all it's own .To be continued .....
ref:
[1] Super weed explosion
[2] super pests
[3] Monsanto sues farmer pirate?
[4] mosantos world (new movie)
The big players in this gambit are the chemical biological companies who have genetically altered seed to create plants that have weed killer already in them, and creating new new poisons that are having unforeseen effects on insect life . These plants do more than protect themselves they are beginning to effect the ecosystem around them, creating a new breed of hybrids which some call "Super Weeds" resistant to weed killer.Trying to kill the new hybrid with additional weed killers only kills the non hybrid weeds making more room for the super weeds.They flourish and so farmers resort to more weed killer and the cycle continues and escalates.
SUPER WEEDSIt is not only plants that are being changed but insects as well. Some insects considered pest are becoming resistant to the poisons used. The non threatening insects who are the pests natural competitors, and the predator insects which normally keep the pests under control are being eliminated by the poisons.This leaves the super pests free reign to thrive.
The gospel of high-tech genetically modified (GM) crops is not sounding quite so sweet in the land of the converted. A new pest, the evil pigweed, is hitting headlines and chomping its way across Sun Belt states, threatening to transform cotton and soybean plots into weed battlefields. In late 2004, "superweeds" that resisted Monsanto's iconic "Roundup" herbicide, popped up in GM crops in the county of Macon, Georgia. Monsanto, the US multinational biotech corporation, is the world's leading producer of Roundup, as well as genetically engineered seeds. Company figures show that nine out of 10 US farmers produce Roundup Ready seeds for their soybean crops. Superweeds have since alarmingly appeared in other parts of Georgia, as well as South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri, according to media reports. Roundup contains the active ingredient glyphosate, which is the most used herbicide in the USA.How has this happened? Farmers over-relied on Monsanto's revolutionary and controversial combination of a single "round up" herbicide and a high-tech seed with a built-in resistance to glyphosate, scientists say.
Today, 100,000 acres in Georgia are severely infested with pigweed and 29 counties have now confirmed resistance to glyphosate, according to weed specialist Stanley Culpepper from the University of Georgia."Farmers are taking this threat very seriously. It took us two years to make them understand how serious it was. But once they understood, they started taking a very aggressive approach." super weed explosion
SUPER PESTS
Concern is mounting in the United States about the environmental impact of genetically modified [GM] corn.Farmers in the US have traditionally used a natural type of bacteria, known as BT, as an insecticide to keep down pests. Even organic farmers use the spray. But GM corn has the BT bacteria actually built into it. That might be more efficient - but there are some unfortunate consequences.New evidence suggests that the GM technique could cause super-pests to evolve.Rebecca Goldburg, a senior scientist at the New York-based Environmental Defence Fund, said she was concerned about GM corn. There is no mandatory review for food safety of genetically-engineered crops in the US although Monsanto, one of the major companies producing GM crops, says that all their crops have been properly tested by the American authorities.However, Ms Goldburg insisted the truth was not that simple. "When it comes to food safety in the United States, most genetically-engineered crops do not get a hard look by government agencies," she said.Most crops only receive a voluntary review by the US food and drug administration. There is no mandatory review for food safety of genetically-engineered crops.There are now movements in the US to have labelling of genetically-engineered foods.super pests
Here we see some of the problems that biotech is causing , what you didn,t see was how this ties into greed.There are a handful of companies, one being Monsato, who develop these GM seeds and then patent them as new life forms. They have sued and will sue farmers who after using their Frankenstein seeds,keep some stored from the harvest and sell them to other farmers.monsato sues farmer over seed piracy
Over the last decade, Monsanto aggressively bought up over 50 seed companies around the globe. Seeds are the source of all food. Whoever owns the seeds, owns the food. The process of genetic engineering allows companies, such as Monsanto, to claim patent rights over seeds. Ninety percent of all GE seeds planted in the world are patented by Monsanto and hence controlled by them. These few seek a monopoly on the seed supply of the world, Monsato is provider of the seed technology for 90 percent of the world's genetically engineered (GE) crops. Monsatos world Monsato is a story all it's own .To be continued .....
ref:
[1] Super weed explosion
[2] super pests
[3] Monsanto sues farmer pirate?
[4] mosantos world (new movie)
Advertisement
Vanity Fair did a great piece on Monsanto too. The author of the piece was highlighted in an interview on Democracy Now!
Also, you may be interested in watching "The Future of Food". It discusses the bullying nature of Monsanto, regarding Canola crops. To briefly summarize, some Monsanto plants had gotten onto a farmers land, quite possibly the seeds from the crops had blown onto his land. However, Monsanto won an intellectual property lawsuit agains the farmer and he was forced to burn 50 years worth of his OP seeds - a lifetime of seeds.
The company is just rotten to the core. The Vanity Fair piece is really well-worth the read. If you cannot find it. Let me know and I'll provide you with the link.
You might also find German and other EU sources as they have protested against the GM seeds that Monssanto produces through its seed company, Seminis, Inc.
September 2, 2009 5:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Future of Food is a great documentary. I watched it some months ago on hulu and its still up there.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food
September 3, 2009 2:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks LimoLiberal I was at Democracy now a little while ago and they had a lot of interesting stuff, I will go back and look. There are so many crooks and turns in this story I get sidetracked. Monsanto has the "Minus touch" in that everything they touch turns to death, from the day they were founded until today.I am sure for part 2 about Monsato I will need the link you suggest, so thanks again.
September 2, 2009 5:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
oh and all the other link suggestions also.EU is actively resisting these biotechs but we are not here in the U.S. yet.Frankly Im not sure how many know about it since these companies have successfully campaigned to keep a positive spin on what they are doing.
September 2, 2009 6:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope you continue to blog on this. It is so important and virtually ignored by the media.
I agree with you - Monsanto certainly does have the minus touch.
I had a Fox News link (yes, Fox News) on a documentary they did about the labels on dairy regarding the growth hormones. I cannot believe Fox did such a piece, but they did. If I find it, I'll put it on here.
Cheers!
September 3, 2009 11:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
The corporate model....
We are stuck with it. It will never go away just like guns and cable news.
Somebody lost their crop or a significant portion due to some worm.
I WILL SHOW THOSE GODDAMNABLE WORMS A THING OR TWO.
I keep beating a dead horse. But that never stopped me.
When I was a kid both parents smoked and three of four grandparents. That was when there was non smoking seating in the doctors office. There would be one kid in class with an allergy problem.
Both my kids have bad allergies. My son has to use one of those inhalers..
WHERE IN THE FUCK DID THIS PROBLEM ARISE?
I know drug companies and medical care facilities and mental care facilities are 'making up' diagnoses out of thin air to make money.
BUT OUR KIDS ARE HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING. And I thought we had made great progress in ridding ourselves of acid rain.
This is not only a good post its a great post. It took time and some thought.
I SHOULD TRY THAT SOMETIME. HAHAHAHAHAHAH
September 2, 2009 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well dickday, everbody in my family smoked too,ha when I was a kid trapped in the backseat in wintertime while everybody up front smoked, I was a crying smoked turkey back there.The one aunt who did not smoke died of cancer.To say it bluntly,I think the chemicals in our food are to blame for the rise in cancer.The Monsanto story is shocking and reads like a Dick Chenney tale.
September 2, 2009 7:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I do not know how I missed this earlier! Mea Culpa.
Many here get their fruits and vegetables up in the Yukon (stock at our one year round local grocer is, um, shall I say politely not the best). Everyone who drives the 250 mi. round trip to shop always rave about the appearance and taste - but most of is genetically based with a few exceptions.
I usually settle for what's here - in summer we get organically grown fruits/produce at seasonal outlet.
As usual, few actually understand, or seem to care, about the origins and facts re their purchase of the genetic products. I am going to print this out and look forward to the next installment.
Appreciate and Rec'd. This is very interesting as well as providing information we all need to be aware of before we purchase and ingest!
September 2, 2009 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ask where they get their seeds. If they are Seminis seeds, they are GM. Monsanto owns Seminis and prior to that ownership, they were in several joint venture "research" projects together. It is all in the Seminis financial statements, when they were a publicly traded company.
September 3, 2009 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Aunt Sam, The Indian researcher Vandana Shiva is an expert on these things, she says she wont eat American food,it has no flavor. When she is here in the U.S. she grows her on vegetables in pots.I know that home grown veggies do taste better than store bought ones,even the herbs. We need to try and eat more homegrown food.Thanks for reading this Sammy.
September 2, 2009 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Leaving for San Antonio now, hope I can reply when we arrive in 4 hrs. Dondi
September 2, 2009 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Monsanto, Cargill, Dow, Asgrow & Dekalb. I read an article at least 10 years ago regarding investments, that put the smart money looking out beyond the horizon, (50 years), on agriculture. We've all got to eat, no? Thanks for a great post, Dondi. I was not aware of most of what you wrote about. And if we're unable as a society to understand seemingly simple relationships between causal effects in escalating costs of medicine, what chance do we have of comprehending the effect of human manipulation of genetic sequences on our future? Frank Drake perhaps had a clue? It's a steep learning curve, and we're close to the crux move, IMO.
September 3, 2009 3:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
GM food is to a large extent another of those not-so-useful innovations, the criterion being they add to corporate profits but add less than nothing to the common good. Of course, there is room for GM innovations that could be useful, but that requires regulating the market for this stuff to ensure that it does. Unbelievable that it isn't already in place. Europeans are slightly paranoid about GM, but that's overall a better stance than blind indifference and ignorance.
The problem is that incentives right now are fixed so that you make a bundle off an innovation that creates new problems - superweeds - that then create a market for even more radical innovation, and the vicious spiral of agricultural inefficiency accelerates.
I don't personally find that organic crops are a blanket solution, but any regulation of agribusiness has to take into account the dynamics of evolutionary adaptations in the environment rather than the apparently dysfunctional static model that is de facto governing the market place: i.e. we could make crop x more productive by making it resistent to weed/parasite y (while ignoring the capacity for that weed or another, to adapt and take advantage of the altered crop).
Thanks for this. Great blog. Will look out for the rest of the series...
September 3, 2009 9:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obey, I've always had hope for innovations in food production,but as you say it must be regulated and truly tested and not just slapped out there for profit.The greed motivational model prevailing at the moment is nothing but a black hole. In South America the forests are being stripped to make room for cattle ranches to supply the our fast food chains with hamburger meat.
Isnt this deforestation part of the cause of increased draughts,juggernaught winds, and violent storms?
September 3, 2009 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
A couple of thoughts:
I don't think it's fair to blame Brazil, China, or Indonesia for their rising emissions and destructions of forests. We developed countries have long since stripped our own forests, contribute much more per capita to sustain a much higher living standard. What we should do is make it more profitable for them to preserve these forests, cut back on emissions, and incentivize a different development model. But that of course demands higher costs on the part of rich countries, which we would rather not recognize.
That said, much of this transformation of rainforests for agricultural uses is as far as I know not sustainable - the land becomes unproductive very quickly. So that would be a pretty pragmatic argument to put to these governments to get them to change policy. But then they have their own dysfunctional corrupt political system to deal with...
September 3, 2009 12:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nature Knows best
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Everything has to go somewhere
Everything is connected to everything.
Mary Shelley tried to warn us all about the future. It's murder.
The Frankenstein Monster will kill us all, leaving the unanticipated side effects to shape the next story of evolution.
September 3, 2009 9:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
DiogenesJr good points, thought provoking that Mary Shelley in the dawn of industrialism was thinking about man overstepping his bounds by relying solely on his inventions without considering the effects they might have upon nature and thereby life itself. She reveals her theme by her subtitle The Modern Prometheus One might also consider Brahmm Stokers underlying themes in his book "Dracula"
September 3, 2009 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
In defense of the pigweed here are some facts:
It is not called pigweed in Mexico. In the hill villages of Puebla where Nahua culture still lives, it is called huautli or bledos, “feather.” Coras call it bé-be and Huicholes wa-ve. In Tlaxcala, its called alegría, “happiness.”
The alegría amaranth was used as both a cultivated food and a medicinal plant by American civilizations as far south as the Inca (where it is known as kiwicha in the Andes today) and as far back as 6000 years. An Aztec Codex tells of 4,000 tons of amaranth arriving in Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capitol, every year. The leaves were cooked as spinach and the seeds were ground for porridge or bread. An atoli drink was made from water and huautli flour and is still being sold in rural markets today. Huautli flour dough filled with steamed amaranth leaves was called by the Aztecs huauquillamalmaliztli. When fresh seeds are cooked they become gelatinous, lending themselves to a variety of recipes where a binder is desirable.
It is a lot more nutrient than the roundup ready soy bean which agribusiness is pushing all around the world.
September 3, 2009 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, genetic manipulation of plants began when humans first began farming....however long ago you want to believe that was. I mean, it isn't by accident that carrots are orange. Don't believe me? Try this. Pull a Queen Anne's Lace weed up by the root, knock off the dirt and smell it. Yes, I said smell it. That root is white and it smells like a carrot. It's edible, by the way...won't kill ya or anything.
It was the farmers from hundreds? thousands? of years ago that decided to keep the seeds from the weeds with the biggest edible root and plant those, then take the seeds from the best of the next crop and so on......eventually, that white root of a so called weed turned orange....and tasted a whole lot better.
That was genetic manipulation. Old skool. Human intervention. Sloooooooow.
Now they do it in a laboratory. Fast. For profit. And that is where the evil comes in. The very last thing I wish to do is defend Big Chem, and I'm not going to except to say, some of their 'innovations' have been of marginal aid. But, as far as I'm concerned, no one has the legal right to 'own' seed. It's just wrong.
DonDi, I have been keeping up with these issues for decades and I am so happy to see you delving into this and blogging about it. I can't do it, because it is too big for me...I wouldn't know where to start.
I will say this: Plants are smart. They have survival skills Big Chem cannot compete with. So do bugs, for that matter.
Oh, and by the way. Pigweed is edible. Have a salad! :o)
September 3, 2009 11:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
It isn't just food--super germs evolving resistant to antibiotics, and because of the overuse of antibiotics.
I had an old teacher once who said "Build a better mousetrap,nature will build a better mouse."
I've cribbed that line from him ever since.
September 3, 2009 12:52 PM | Reply | Permalink