http://www.gmwatch.eu/archives/2-Support-GMWatch-with-a-donation.html or send a check or money order - made out to 'NGIN' - to GM Watch, 26 Pottergate, Norwich, UK, NR2 1DX. *Many thanks*
1.'Zombie' seeds will punish farmers and worsen global food crises
2.Greedier than Exxon: Where's The Outrage?
---
---
1. 'Zombie' seeds will punish farmers and worsen global food crises
The Independent, Letters - GM farming 3 June 2008
http://www.independent.co.uk:80/opinion/letters/letters-gm-farming-838897.html
Sir: As someone who works with poor farmers in Latin America, I find it deeply ironic that UK ministers will be attending this week's food crisis talks in Rome while at the same time the EU and, by implication, British taxpayers are contributing to the development of a new GM "terminator" technology that would put the livelihoods of 1.4 billion of the world's poorest farmers at risk.
The EU is developing what are known as "Zombie" seeds sterile seeds that can be brought back to life with the application of a chemical. This puts at risk the traditional practice of saving and re-sowing seeds, which is how many families survive here in Ecuador. With Zombie seeds, farmers would have to buy chemicals each year in order to restore seeds' fertility. The large companies that control the $19bn global seed market would be the only beneficiaries.
While the UK and EU are contributing to the development of this technology through a GBP3.4m EU research project, groups such as the national seed-saving network, in Ecuador, are fighting to protect their native seeds and biodiversity.
Poor farmers in Ecuador don't want to be forced into a long-term cycle of dependency on large seed companies.
If world leaders are genuinely committed to tackling world hunger, they need to support agricultural practices that promote self-sufficiency and autonomy of poor farmers, not invest in Zombie technology that will make the global food crises worse.
Michelle Lowe
Development Worker,
Progressio, Quito, Ecuador
---
---
2. Windfall Profits for Big Food: Where's The Outrage?
http://seekingalpha.com/article/79701-windfall-profits-for-big-food-where-s-the- outrage
[good chart with this comparing Monsanto's profit increases to Exxon's]
WILLMAR, Minn. (AP) - The steepest run-ups in food prices since 1990 are hurting grocery shoppers, restaurants and school cafeterias but they're making others rich.
The winners in the new food economy include crop farmers selling corn and wheat for near-record highs after years of crushingly low prices. Ingredient makers like Cargill and ADM (ADM) are rife with profits. Fertilizer and tractor companies are cashing in.
Profits at seed and pesticide maker Monsanto Inc. (MON) reached nearly $1 billion last year - a 14-fold increase since 2003. They've tripled to $1.1 billion at agrichemical maker Syngenta (SYT) and agriculture divisions of DuPont Co. (DD) and Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) have also seen their earnings balloon. Cargill, which makes ingredients, boosted its profits to $2.3 billion, up nearly six-fold since 2001. Meanwhile, profits at agricultural processor Archer Daniels Midland Co. have more than quadrupled to $2.16 billion during the same period.
Question: Why don't the "obscene, windfall profits" of Big Food get the same attention as the profits of "Big Oil?" Where are the Congressional hearings and proposals for windfall profits taxes on Big Food? After all, the increase in profits for major food companies from 2005 to 2007 are ridiculously and obscenely higher than the paltry 12% increase in profits for Exxon Mobil (XOM) (see chart above).
Help us fight back against the industry onslaught. Donate online via - Main Menu
- Home
- News
- Articles
- Videos
- Index of speakers
- Glyphosate Videos
- Gene Editing videos
- Must see videos
- Health Effects
- Agriculture videos
- Labeling videos
- Animals videos
- Corporations videos
- Corporate takeover videos
- Contamination videos
- Latin America videos
- India videos
- Asia videos
- Songs videos
- Protests videos
- Biofuel myths videos
- Index of GM crops and foods
- Contact
- About
- Donations
- News
- Articles
- Donations
-
Videos
- Index of speakers
- Glyphosate videos
- Gene Editing
- Must See videos
- Health Effects
- Agriculture videos
- Labeling videos
- Animals videos
- Corporations videos
- Corporate takeover videos
- Contamination videos
- Latin America videos
- India videos
- Asia videos
- Songs videos
- Protests videos
- Biofuel myths videos
- Index of GM crops and foods
- Contact
- About
News Menu
News Archive
- 2023 articles
- 2022 articles
- 2021 articles
- 2020 articles
- 2019 articles
- 2018 articles
- 2017 articles
- 2016 articles
- 2015 articles
- 2014 articles
- 2013 articles
- 2012 articles
- 2011 articles
- 2010 articles
- 2009 articles
- 2008 articles
- 2007 articles
- 2006 articles
- 2005 articles
- 2004 articles
- 2003 articles
- 2002 articles
- 2001 articles
- 2000 articles
PLEASE SUPPORT GMWATCH
If you like what we do, please help us do more. You can donate via Paypal or credit/debit card. Some of you have opted to give a regular donation. We greatly appreciate that as it helps place us on a more stable financial basis. Thank you for your support!
Web Development By SCS Web Design