1.European Commission could open GM pandora's box
2.Report: new GM crops would cause dramatic increase in EU herbicide use
EXTRACT: Currently, less than 1% of European crop soil is used for genetically engineered crops. Getting herbicide tolerant genetically engineered (HTGE) crops approved for commercial use will give companies like Monsanto a vital and potentially devastating foothold in Europe. For a warning we can look to the devastation brought by the same herbicide tolerant crops on communities in the US and Argentina.
NOTE: The report, its summary, and the Growing Doubt documentary (in 12 languages), can be downloaded at http://www.growingdoubt.org. Photos from the tour can be accessed at http://bit.ly/YXtXiM
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1.European Commission could open GM pandora's box
Kumi Naidoo
Guardian Professional, 7 November 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/european-commisson-gm-glyphosate-pandora-mosanto
*The EC could soon approve glyphosate-resistant GM crops but reports from the US and Argentina show devastating effects include more pesticides and farmers locked into seed contracts
The European Commission will soon decide whether to approve 26 genetically engineered crops for cultivation on European soil; 19 of which are genetically engineered to be tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate. The decision could irreparably affect farmers, the environment and the way food is produced in Europe.
So drastic is the outlook that we need to call on the European Commission not to open this Pandora's box. Here's why.
Currently, less than 1% of European crop soil is used for genetically engineered crops. Getting herbicide tolerant genetically engineered (HTGE) crops approved for commercial use will give companies like Monsanto a vital and potentially devastating foothold in Europe. For a warning we can look to the devastation brought by the same herbicide tolerant crops on communities in the US and Argentina.
In October, Greenpeace commissioned agricultural economist Dr Charles Benbrook to examine the possible consequences of approving HTGE crops. Benbrook based his work on extensive US studies of where HTGE crops had been approved for commercial purposes since 1996. Since then they have assumed close to total domination. Focusing on HTGE corn, sugar beet and soya – the crops most likely to be authorised – the study predicts an increase in the use of glyphosate over a period of 14 years (2012-2025) of more than 800%.
Benbrook paints a grim picture for Europe: if EU farmers take up HTGE technology as quickly as US farmers did, glyphosate use in maize crops – the most important and widely grown crop in Europe – will increase by more than 1,000% by 2025 over current use, and total herbicide use will double. This is because HTGE crops are followed by glyphosate resistant weeds, which leads to an increase in the amount of herbicides used to tackle them.
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that was first marketed by Monsanto under the name Roundup in the 1970s. Numerous companies now produce glyphosate under different trade names. Twenty years after the herbicide came onto the market, Monsanto developed genetically-engineered plants (Roundup Ready plants) that are resistant to glyphosate, and therefore allow a wider application of the herbicide, in order to deal with the unwanted weeds. While the plants may be glyphosate resistant the wider environment is not.
Benbrook's work also incorporated evidence from Wendel Lutz and Wes Shoemyer, two American farmers featured in the recently released Greenpeace documentary Growing Doubt. In the documentary, farming communities describe how herbicide tolerant crops have affected their economy, environment and communities.
The documentary's protagonists, Luts and Shoemyer, are currently touring Europe to warn their European colleagues about the consequences of adopting HTGE and repeating their mistake. Their 18-day Greenpeace-sponsored tour started in Warsaw on 22 October and will end in Brussels with a presentation of Benbrook's forecast study on Wednesday 7 November.
If we are to learn anything from the experiences of the American farmers, European farmers can expect inflated seed prices, more expenses for buying much more pesticides and the heavy labour and increasing costs trying to get rid of resistant weeds that inevitably follow HTGE crops.
Where there are HTGE crops, farmers struggle, communities suffer and food costs increase. The effects ripple out across rural communities and onto our supermarket shelves.
When farming with GE seeds, farmers will have to buy seeds every year according to contracts with seeds manufacturers. In the US, Monsanto has sued a number of farmers for breaches of such contracts. The problem is not only in the inability of farmers to keep and replant their seeds, but also the continually increasing costs associated with GE seeds and, as is the case in some places in the US, the lack of availability of conventional seeds.
The European Commission must reject HTGE. It must support farmers and the environment and protect constituents rather than fold to the heavy handed lobbying tactics of the agroindustry.
Kumi Naidoo is the executive director of Greenpeace International. You can follow him on twitter @kuminaidoo and Facebook
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2.Report: new GM crops would cause dramatic increase in EU herbicide use
Greenpeace press release, 7 November 2012
http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/en/News/2012/growing-doubt/
*Activists and US farmers deliver "toxic warning" to the European Commission
Brussels – The cultivation of new GM crops in Europe could increase herbicide use by up to 15 times, warned an agricultural forecast commissioned by Greenpeace and presented in Brussels today. Activists took this "toxic warning" to the doorstep of the European Commission, concluding an eight-city tour of Europe alerting citizens, farming communities and decision-makers of the impending threat [1].
Twenty seven activists (one for each EU member state) displayed a banner reading “toxic warning” outside the Commission headquarters. The activists, wearing hazmat protective gear, sprayed the banner with mock fumigators to reveal another hidden message: “GM crops = more agrochemicals”.
The Commission is considering authorising the cultivation of 26 new GM crops, 19 of which are genetically modified to be tolerant to herbicides – mostly glyphosate, the active ingredient in many herbicides sold throughout the world. Many similar crops are already being grown in North and South America, with devastating environmental and social consequences on rural communities, as documented in Growing Doubt, a new documentary by Greenpeace.
The report, produced by agricultural economist Dr. Charles Benbrook [2], reveals that the introduction of herbicide tolerant GM crops would lead to substantial increases in the use of glyphosate and other pesticides, sharp increases in seed prices and the spread of corporate domination of food production.
The report predicts increases of over 800% – up to 1500% in the case of GM soy – in the use of glyphosate in the EU over a period of 14 years (2012-2025) for herbicide-tolerant GM maize, soy and sugar beet.
“Europe has a chance to learn from the mistakes made in my country,” said Wendel Lutz, a US farmer in Brussels today. “Every time I've described the difficulties I've experienced on my farm, farmers in Europe have sympathised. And when they hear that the same corporate model could be employed here, they are naturally apprehensive about their own futures. We hope the Commission will recognise these concerns and heed the warning we are here to deliver.”
"Farmers in the US are already struggling, as they try to spray their way out of the corner they’re backed into. The reliance on herbicide-tolerant crops in the US has triggered the emergence and rapid spread of nearly two dozen glyphosate-resistant weeds, driving up farm production costs, as well as the volume and eco-toxicity of herbicides needed to prevent major yield loss," said Dr. Benbrook.
“This study should act as a wake-up call. Given the toxic legacy of herbicide-tolerant GM crops, it would be utterly irresponsible for the European Commission to allow their cultivation on our fields,” said Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director.
“Today we bring the voices of US farmers and concerned Europeans to Brussels. The European Commission must decide: are they going to protect the farmers and consumers or are they going to side with the agrochemical industry breathing down our necks?” said Lasse Bruun, Greenpeace International sustainable agriculture campaigner.
Contacts:
Marco Contiero – Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director: +32 (0)477 777034, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lasse Bruun – Greenpeace International campaigner for sustainable agriculture: +31 (0)65 381 9121, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Notes:
[1] The 18-day tour included public screenings of a documentary on the effects of herbicide-tolerant GM crop monocultures on the economy, the environment and local communities in the United States and Argentina. The tour visited cities in Poland, Denmark, Germany, Romania, Spain, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, before arriving in Belgium.
[2] Dr. Benbrook is a research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University (USA). He recently published the first ever peer-reviewed estimate of the impacts of herbicide-resistant GM crops on herbicide use, based on an exhaustive analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service. Greenpeace commissioned Dr. Benbrook to produce a forecast for the EU, assessing the effects of herbicide-tolerant GM crops, should the Commission allow their cultivation.
For breaking news and comment on EU affairs: www.twitter.com/GreenpeaceEU
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments, the EU, businesses, or political parties.