Greenpeace Edinburgh attend a talk on GMOs ( Genetically Modified Organisms)
On Monday 2nd September “Scotland against Monsanto” hosted an interesting and informative talk on why we should be proud of a GM free Scotland, and the consequences of relaxing the regulations which keep it that way. It was a chance to learn from world leading researchers, real life experiences and inspirational campaigners of the risks of GM to our health and to Scottish agriculture, to have the science explained, the GM industries cover –ups exposed, and discover what we can do to keep Scotland green and GM free.
Right around the world consumers remain very sceptical about GM food. The official 2010 EU poll showed 70% of EU citizens think GM food is “fundamentally unnatural” and 58% said GM food is not safe for future generations. Only 22% felt it was safe.
No GM wheat is approved anywhere in the world, however 90% of the corn, soy and cotton grown in the US in from GMOs. Many countries, including Japan, Australia and Canada are opposed to any kind of GM wheat because the market rejects it. Companies know they have to give us what we want to feed our families – or we will buy something else.
Monsanto is an American chemical company founded in 1901 who are responsible for 90% of the world’s GM crops. They have a consistent history of producing chemicals that are harmful to human health and the environment such as Agent orange, DDT, PCBs Dioxin, neonicotinoids ( the insecticides linked to bee decline), and are responsible for the creation of “Roundup “ the most widely used weed killer in the world. Roundup has been linked to birth defects, infertility and cancer. The artificial sweetener Aspartame ( Nutrasweet) was mass produced for 15 years by Monsanto , is a neuro -toxin and has been found to cause cancer and is linked to MS. They have a poor record of knowingly polluting communities and the environment and lying / corrupting officials to cover it up.
Monsanto have rebranded themselves as a “Biotech “ company , are claiming to be able to “ feed the world “ with their GM crops and have been trusted by the governments they have lobbied voraciously. The company have patented both the weed killer and the seeds which are resistant to it so farmers have no choice but to buy from them every year and have bullied and intimidated farmers who do not buy their products.
Against this background the speakers told tales of the effects of GMOs on health and how it has ended up on our shelves.
Prof Gilles-Eric Séralini is Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Caen and resident of the CRII-GEN Scientific Board (Committee of Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering). He has earned numerous accolades for his expertise on GMO and his activities in favour of an independent and ethical scientific evaluation of the technology. The professor told us of Monsanto’s manipulated research findings and studies on health effects which were inadequate to the point of ridicule. Their longest study was 90 days long and one contained only 5 animals! He then told us of his research which tested both the effects of GM foods and GM foods plus Roundup. He found the results disturbing, tumours and early death being significantly higher in the GM group and higher still in the group being fed Roundup too. This crucial research into the safety of GMOs was largely ignored by the mainstream media last year, dismissed by decision-makers, and attacked by some members of the research establishment, many of whom were subsequently revealed to have conflicts of interest with the GM industry or industry-funded lobby groups. Governments have chosen to accept Monsanto’s own results as proof that the products are safe – a ridiculous case of vested interest giving the research no validity.
Ib Borup Pedersen , a pig farmer from Denmark told of how the health and wellbeing of his pig herd was affected by feeding them GM soya feed. He reported a high incidence of birth defects, poor fertility, diarrhoea and early death amongst his animals. All these effects resolved when he stopped giving them the GM feed. He explained that even to the most commercially minded livestock farmer, feeding GM free is financially beneficial even though it is more expensive, as the yield from the herd is better. He showed us a very sad and disturbing video of some of the birth defects he had experienced amongst the piglets whilst their mothers were receiving GM feed. Ib features in a short film by “Stop the Crop” which shows how these same defects are suffered by humans who live near the fields where Ib’s pig food is grown.
Mike Small is the co-founder of the Fife Diet, a consumer network of people passionate about local food. Mike and the Fife Diet have been instrumental in ensuring that Scotland continues to re-instate its commitment to remaining GM Free in the face of opposition from Westminster. Mike explained to us the importance of buying organic food and of keeping Scotland GM free. No GM crops are grown in Scotland thanks to the Scottish Governments regulations but GM soy in animal feed is widely used. Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and the Co-op have ended bans on giving ‘Frankenstein Feed’ to farm animals producing meat, milk and eggs. These three retailers were the last of the big food chains to be holding out against the use of controversial GM crops on their farms. The change means that the vast majority of meat, milk and eggs sold by Britain’s supermarkets will come from animals raised on a GM diet. Alarmingly, none of these products will be labelled as coming from GM-fed animals in what critics call a disaster for consumer choice.
A speaker from the audience, a representative of the organic Soil Association Scotland, reassured us that when we buy products bearing the organic label, we can be sure that they are not only GM free but also free of roundup of any other chemical weed killer or fertiliser.
It was great to hear from all these experts in our home town, our thanks to Scotland against Monsanto . You have inspired us and given us many more good reasons to stick to eating locally produced organic food, to keep ourselves and our planet healthy.
For further reading :
http://www.gmhealthriskweek.org/featured-events/
www.scotlandagainstmonsanto.co.uk
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/global
For further information on the speakers:
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