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The Politics of Genetically Modified Food
Fact or Fiction?: Genetically modified food will be vital to solving world
hunger by increasing crop yields. By incorporating natural pesticides it
can reduce the need for spraying herbicides and pesticides and add
diversity to the gene pool by expanding genetic combinations not possible
through natural evolution. Despite worries of unlikely experimental
mishaps, life science companies are out to do their best to help farmers
and feed the world.
In "Against the Grain: Biotechnology and the Corporate Takeover of Your
Food," Marc Lappe and Britt Bailey reveal some deeply rooted problems with
this rosy assessment.
1. Early evidence suggests that genetically modified crops have per acre
yields that are 10 percent lower, not higher than their unmodified
counterparts.
2. By next year, Monsanto, one of the largest companies, is aiming to
have 100 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. be genetically modified.
Such monoculture will destroy, not enhance genetic diversity.
3. While some genetically modified crops such as corn have been altered so
that natural pesticides are built in, others like soybeans are genetically
modified to withstand more herbicide spraying -- herbicides made by
Monsanto. By selling the seeds, and forcing farmers to sign contracts to
use their herbicide, Monsanto ensures a monopoly and a lock on profits for
both seed and spray.
4. Monsanto's herbicide, called Round-Up, can now be sprayed more heavily
thanks to the EPA, which tripled the amount of Round-Up residue permitted
to remain on crops.
5. Crops that incorporate pesticides have other problems. Where once Bt
was seen as a natural pesticide safe for use by organic farmers because it
is an organism that occurs naturally in the soil, now widespread use of
the Bt gene inserted into crops such as potatoes may end its own
usefulness as bugs become resistant to it. But in the short term, it's a
great way to build profits -- for the so-called life science companies.
Dow chemical scientists estimate that, because of this growing resistance,
the usefulness of Bt will end within a decade.
6. Monopoly almost always means the ability to raise prices, which will
further destroy small farms in favor of big ones. This decreases local
self-reliance -- a lynch pin in the fight against famine -- in favor of
corporate entities focused on maximizing investor profit.
7. With no requirements for labeling, consumers have no choice but to eat
genetically modified food. Worse, epidemiological studies that look at
large populations, which are the only means by which health effects of
these modifications could be determined, can't be carried out--because
there's no way to determine who in a study has eaten what.
These facts come from "Against the Grain: Biotechnology and the Corporate
Takeover of Your Food" by Marc Lappe and Britt Bailey.
http://www.commoncouragepress.com/against.html
Also available is the Beyond the Book interview with the authors, "You Are
What They Want You to Eat," in which we ask them questions like: what's
wrong with Monsanto's good intentions; they may be trying to make a buck
but why do you posit ill will toward them?" Click
http://www.commoncouragepress.com/againstinterview.html
for a complete list of questions and how to order the transcript of their
answers.
TOMORROW: Using Hot Air to Deny Global Warming
This is the free Political Literacy Course from Common Courage Press: A
backbone of facts to stand up to spineless power. Email 53, November 16
1999. Week 11: The New Math of Science + Corporate Power Homepage:
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