Genetically Modified Foods 1/2 quality of natural....

[Viva_La_Revolution]

I'm in the process of tracking down links to this...

I caught a Bioneer conference on FSTV this weekend, It's main focus was a company called Monsanto, that sells seeds and chems. to farmers in Canada and the US. Percy Schmeiser, a Canadian Canola farmer was sued by them for illegally growing their seed..
(link - Monsanto vs. Schmeiser: The Canadian Supreme Court Rules July 6, 2004)
http://westernfarmpress.com/news/7-6-04-column-Monsanto/
This company produces Genetically modified trademark seeds, and they claimed Schmeiser was growing it based on the 2%-6% of genes found in his seed. They also found 60% of their genes in the plants GROWING IN THE DITCH next to his field!! They almost managed to take his whole farm.

Schmeiser sited several studies done in Japan, Netherlands and Sweden(?) that show that genetically modified plants are 50% less nutritious, less productive, and less resistant to blights. It turns out that the information our governments (Canada and US) used to allow manufacturing and selling GMO foods, was produced by Monsanto themselves (and other conglomerate corps.), and is fraudulent.

I'm posting here, in hopes that someone has links to the Scientific studies from other countries... If Schmeister's claims are true, then instead of solving the world hunger problem, we will be exacerbating it.

I'll add more links as I find them...

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. Common Ground article...

http://www.commonground.ca/iss/0401150/percy_schmeiser.shtml

this explains the background of the case, some of Monsanto's business practices against small farmers, and is basically the speech I watched on FSTV.
For instance...

snip>
These are some of the main points in a contract with Monsanto:

1. A farmer can never use his own seeds.
2. You must always buy seeds from Monsanto.
3. You must only buy your chemicals from Monsanto.
4. If you commit some violation of this contract, and they fine you, you must sign a non-disclosure statement that you cannot talk to the media or to your neighbours about what Monsanto has done to you. Monsanto often says there have only been a few cases, but we don’t really know because farmers have to sign this non-disclosure statement.

snip>
In Monsanto’s advertisements they say that if you think your neighbour is growing GM canola or soybeans without licence you should inform on them. If you do this you get a free leather jacket from Monsanto. Believe me, there aren’t many people on the prairies now wearing a new Monsanto jacket.

What happens when Monsanto gets this tip or rumour? They immediately send out two of their detectives. We call them gene police on the Prairies. They’ll go to the farmer’s home or farmyard and say to him or his wife that they have this tip. But, first of all, they’ll always say they are ex-RCMP and a lot of times the farmers don’t hear the "ex." They only hear police. It’s a form of intimidation.


Outragous!

about the GMO's...
snip>

The third issue of nutrition is that what they’re not saying is the quality is way poorer, maybe half, of conventional canola. I won’t go into why that is, but it’s primarily with the erucic acid content, the greens in canola, which makes it more bitter for cooking.

So, now we have less yield, more chemical use, a new super weed and the quality is much poorer.

I’ll say that if anything is going to lead to starvation or hunger it’s the introduction of GMOs around the world.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. Food Fight: The Truth About Genetic Engineering

http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/multimedia/download/1/544183/0/365

snip>
MYTH #2: GMOs can make foods better, more nutritious, longer-lasting and better-tasting.

REALITY:
* The reason for the 70 million acres of GMO crops grown in this country today has nothing to do with nutrition, flavor or any other consumer benefit. There is little benefit aside from the financial gains reaped by the firms producing GMOs. Nearly all of the GMO corn, soy, potatoes and cotton grown in the United States has been genetically altered so that it can withstand more pesticides or produce its own.
Spraying of genetically engineered soya.

MYTH #6: GMOs are necessary to feed the developing worlds growing population.

REALITY:
* In 1998, African scientists at a United Nations conference strongly objected to Monsanto's promotional GMO campaign that used photos of starving African children under the headline "Let the Harvest Begin." The scientists, who represented many of the nations affected by poverty and hunger, said gene technologies would undermine the nations' capacities to feed themselves by destroying established diversity, local knowledge and sustainable agricultural systems.7

* Genetic engineering could actually lead to an increase in hunger and starvation. Biotech companies eagerly pursue a genetic-engineering technique named "terminator" technology that would render a crop's seed sterile, making it impossible for farmers to save seed for replanting.8 Half the world's farmers rely on saved seed to produce food that 1.4 billion people rely on for daily nutrition.

eos>

any experts out there care to comment?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. Then we see press release's like this....

Thanks TreasonousBastard for the link to breaking news!
http://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/agriculture.php

Public Release: 5-Jan-2005
Soil Association Annual Conference
Consumers to benefit from organic potato breakthrough
A team of European researchers, led by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, have found ten varieties of potato which can be grown organically but have significant resistance to blight. Some are newly available on supermarket shelves. Designer composts, which increase yields up to 40 per cent, have also been discovered. This should lead to cheaper and more easily available organic potatoes. Results are being presented at a major UK conference co-hosted by the Soil Association.

[whistle]

6. I'm not an expert but it makes perfect sense that a large....

...corporation like Monsanto would push for genetically modified foods so that they could monopolize world food production making all countries and people dependent on them as the source of food. Pay up or starve would be the motto in their annual reports.

[Cats Against Frist]

8. I have a question

If I always purchase -- or mostly purchase -- organic food, does this mean that the food is always non-GMO. What are the ways that I can NOT support this practice, or these companies.

I swear to God, if I have to eat half of what I eat now, so I can afford to purchase ONLY organic food, I will.

What about the "Seeds of Change" people? Tell me this is not Monsanto in disguise, or something...

[EVDebs]

4. I'm looking into vitamin/mineral deficiencies in US diet since 1900

and according to a book The Magnesium Factor, by Mildred S., Md. Seelig, Andrea, Ph.D. Rosanoff, many diseases and chronic health problems can be traced to lack of magnesium in the diet.

Heart problems, diabetes, kidney stones, etc. A simple blood test can help detect magnesium deficiency also.

With healthcare costs skyrocketing, maybe a little preventive medicine should be prescribed !

[Cats Against Frist]

7. Oh there's that thing that's sort of a "conspiracy theory"

It's some vitamin that's found in millet, fava beans, apricot kernels -- etc., I don't know how accurate this is (the colloidal silver people brought it to my attention, and many of them think that shape-shifting reptillians rule the world (of course they might be onto something...)), but it seems to offer some interesting avenues.

I think it's like B-17 or something. I eat millet and fava beans, just to be safe...

[Elidor]

5. If I was Schmeiser, I'd countersue

For contaminating my crops with their crappy product. But then, that's Monsanto's specialty: sueing small farmers without the means to defend themselves. Evil bastards. May their executives all rot in hell.