What's going on with the food in America?

United States
January 6, 2007 9:44am CST
The new Friends of the Earth International report states that: * GM crops are not ‘green’. Monsanto’s Roundup Ready soybeans, the most extensively grown GM crop today, has led to an increase in herbicide use. Independent reports from the US show that since 1996, GM corn, soybean and cotton have led to an increase in pesticide use of 122 million pounds (55 million Kilos). The intensive cultivation of soybeans in South America is fostering deforestation, and has been associated with a decline in soil fertility and soil erosion. * GM crops do not tackle hunger or poverty. Most GM crops commercialized so far are destined for animal feed, not for food, and none have been introduced to address hunger and poverty issues. GM crops in developing countries have been grown mainly as export cash crops. In Argentina, the second biggest producer of GM crops in the world, only 2% of the soya stays in the country. Other developing countries, such as Indonesia and India, have experienced substantial problems with Monsanto’s GM crops, often leaving farmers heavily indebted. * The world's largest producer of GM seeds, Monsanto, has a formidable influence over governments and international bodies. The company is responsible for around 90% of all GM traits used around the world. Monsanto’s success in overcoming regulatory hurdles and preventing the adoption of strong biosafety laws is well documented. * The biotech industry has failed to introduce the promised ‘new generation’ of GM crops with consumer benefits as well as “pharma’ crops modified to contain pharmaceutical drugs. After 30 years of research, only two modifications have made it to the marketplace on any scale: insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. The biotech industry is still mostly focusing on the traits, crops and applications that it did in the 1990s, and animal feed is the exclusive or primary intended use of most new-generation GM crops. After ten years of GM crop cultivation more than 80% of the area cultivated with biotech crops is still concentrated in only three countries: the US, Argentina and Canada. So why isn't the USA government doing anything about it? Instead, the government is participating by giving companies such as Monsanto huge government contracts and deciding in all legal battles on Monsanto's side. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1005653980897954362&q
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