After the recent press release from Monsanto announcing that the company will cut about 3600 jobs globally, more news of the biotech company’s failure rises to the surface.
Plans to construct a $90 million GM corn processing plant in Independence, Iowa have reportedly been scrapped due to a ‘struggling farm economy.’ [1]
Greenpeace said in a report released last Wednesday that farmers in northeast China are illegally growing genetically modified corn. [1]
The environmental group led an 8-month investigation last year into what it describes as large-scale production of GMO corn in the northeastern province of Liaoning, a major breadbasket region. GMO strains of corn were found in 93% of field tests and in 20 of 21 samples from grain markets and supermarkets.
Six major food manufacturers – including Nestle, PepsiCo, and Mexican baking company Grupo Bimbo – have been slapped with fines by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, which alleges the companies failed to include labels indicating the use of genetically modified ingredients.
The fines range from $277,400 to just over $1 million, for an estimated total of $3 million.
Residents in Oregon have been trying to deflect genetically modified crops on their land for years, with numerous counties taking action against the genetically engineered crops. Recently, after some back-and-forth concerning GMO farming, a ruling was finally made that, while not perfect, is a win for farmers growing non-GM crops in Jackson County, Oregon.
The world is already well aware of the many nasty effects of pesticides, but in missing its own risk assessment deadline in 2015 for atrazine, glyphosate, and imidacloprid, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sends a clear message to those concerned about biological diversity and human health. If the EPA isn’t doing the business of pushing biotech’s agenda, the agency isn’t interested in protecting life.
There’s a reason that Monsanto recently made a suicide bid for its competitor Syngenta’s business. The company continues to lose profits, with the latest numbers painting a continued stark financial picture for one of the most hated companies in the world. [1]
The number of countries saying NO to GMOs is growing as more nations express their desire to protect their territories from biotech’s greedy hands. In a meeting held in Bern, Switzerland on December 18th, 2015, the Swiss Federal Council decided to extend the country’s moratorium on the cultivation of GM seed until at least 2021. [1]
On Monday December 21, students from Livingston High School joined Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, an American scientist with a PhD in systems biology from MIT, to debate the ‘safety’ of GMO crops. Monsanto was invited to come and prove that there are indeed GMO safety assessment standards, and was even offered a $10 million enticement to send representatives to argue its side. But the company was entirely absent from the event. [1]
The Yurok Tribe, the largest Native American tribe in California, will join other peoples such as those from Russia, Italy, and Germany in saying NO to genetically modified organisms. The tribe has just announced that it is implementing a ban on all GM crops and GM animals. [1]
A committee meant to review the Yurok Tribe Genetically Engineered Organism (GEO) Ordinance, which was first allowed public comment, has now been enacted this December, 2015.
Agricultural leaders aren’t giving up on the fight to halt foods from being labeled if they contain genetically modified ingredients. Even though the bill that would have ruined GMO labeling initiatives across the country was stopped dead in its tracks in Congress, leaders say the issue of GMO labeling will be ‘top priority’ when they get back to work in January.
