Follow the Money: How Does That Apply to GMOs?
Dan Flynn, Editor-in-chief at Food Safety News, wrote something that resonated with me and which I could not help but comment about. In Flynn’s June 6, 2013 article “Oregon’s Isolated Plantings of GM Wheat Has Consequences” [1] the following remarks about how GMO crops negatively affect U.S. farm and agricultural exports need to be taken seriously:
Monsanto’s biotech wheat, however, was never approved for commercial use because the company cancelled the project when world wheat markets turned their backs on GMOs. Half of the U.S. wheat crop is for export, a $9 billion market.
Wheat growers do not want to see a repeat of the debacle experienced in 2006 when unapproved genetically engineered rice was found in U.S. harvest, causing it to be locked out of world markets and costing growers millions in lost foreign sales.
While both Korea and Japan are suspending shipments, there is no evidence yet than any GM wheat has entered the supply chain.
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The above would seem like “fighting” words! Fighting for survival of a U.S. economy and farmers’ livelihoods who, in this writer’s opinion, certainly are necessary and more valuable to society than scientists who give us “Frankenfoods,” which have been causing problems but apparently not disclosed in the media—especially in corporate-controlled U.S. newspapers, magazines, and TV reporting.
Now that the ‘cat is out of the bag’ partly due to the Millions Against Monsanto global march May 25th, some issues are beginning to surface. Perhaps better late than never; however, it may be too late for U.S. farmers as a whole, including the big agricoms, but particularly for family-owned farms put out of business due to Monsanto’s penchant for filing law suits against farmers who bought their GMO seeds.
According to Food Safety News, “The Oregon farmer tried to kill the suspect wheat plantings with Roundup and called in OSU when the growth would not die.” Read that sentence again. Isn’t that scary? An apparent ‘monster-like’ crop that could not be killed! Therein we find an apparent reason for countries other than the USA rejecting GMOs and a valid reason for their not growing GMO crops. If a crop cannot be killed in the growing fields, what does that say?
According to The Washington Post May 1, 2013 article, “The rise of genetically modified crops, in two charts,”[2] we realize that the USA leads in GMO agriculture, followed by Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and India. As the chart points out, the USA stupidly, in my opinion, has been growing GMO crops since 1997. One interesting aspect I observed as a natural nutritionist—now retired from practice—most folks I interacted with could trace the beginning of their gastrointestinal problems back to around 1998-1999. Coincidentally, when I suggested going onto an organically-grown diet and eliminating all GMOs from the diet, especially canola oil, their gastrointestinal problems were self-resolving. Interesting?
June 23, 2010, my article “Economic Issues Surrounding Genetically Modified Foods” was published on InfoWars. In that article I pointed out
Globally in 2005 farmers paid a premium of $2.2 billion for GMO seeds, which represent the “technology fee”.
And, furthermore,
Moe Parr, a United States seed harvester for nearly thirty years, said that in 2007 he was sued by the bio-tech company Monsanto for “aiding, abetting and encouraging” farmers to break patent laws by collecting seeds from their crops for re-use in the next season. As part of a court settlement, Mr. Parr has to now send the results of contamination tests to Monsanto from all seeds he harvests. As a result of such practices, he says that farmers are being sued for breach of patent because their supposed non-GM crops contain GM seeds.
The above illustrates just how economically unreasonable and unprofitable it is for farmers—aside from other issues—to plant GM crops if they can be sued because of crosswind pollination, something they cannot prevent nor control, i.e., breezes and wind patterns. That does not include insect pollination.
So, actually it’s all about following the money, which apparently leads back to Monsanto’s corporate coffers. Now that you know about following the money trail regarding GMOs, what do you think?
Sources:
[1] http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/06/oregons-isolated-plantings-of-gm-wheat-has-consequences/#.UbDip0jD_oy
[2] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/01/the-rise-of-genetically-modified-crops-in-two-charts/
Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies.
Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.
Catherine’s latest book, A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.
Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).
