Monsanto's Big Deal
by Karl Beitel and Nick Parker, Food First
This
serves as a reminder of where we are heading. As you know, Iowa has
already passed the Terminator Gene Bill. In my opinion, not only is
this a crime against nature, but serves as an example of the
irresponsible decisions that are being made in our government on behalf
of the highest bidder. He with the most gold makes the rules… and
evidently, now the seeds! As a mother, do you think I should be
concerned about what I feed my children? The
world's food system is quickly consolidating. Five corporations control
90 percent of the global grain market while five supermarket chains
control most of the global retail trade. Monsanto knows that
consolidation of the global food system in the hands of a small number
of corporations is likely to continue. Wall Street analysts believe
Monsanto's future is dependent on the success of GE seed development.
Increasing its share of the proprietary seed market will allow Monsanto
to exercise significant control over the food we grow and eat. They
already control most of the biotech soy and corn markets. Now they've
extended that reach to the global seed market.
Monsanto's
announcement of their plans to purchase Seminis, the largest fruit and
vegetable seed producer in the world, was quickly followed by a
statement that Monsanto does not intend to apply biotech to develop
these seeds-at least not yet. This is a curious assertion from a
dominant biotech company.
Biotech
crops and food remain unpopular throughout much of the world. In the
United States, biotech corporations successfully fought labeling and
slipped the foods into grocery stores, knowing that these products
would likely have been rejected if consumers had a choice.
Europeans
actively oppose genetically engineered (GE) foods to the point that
major grocery chains in the European Union have vowed to remove GE
ingredients from their name-brand products. Subsequently, biotech
corporations have increasingly turned to the developing world to find
additional markets for GE foods. Even there resistance builds.
The
biotech industry promotes GE foods by claiming these technologies will
help break the cycle of hunger and increase food production. These
claims are not supported by available scientific evidence. Tests run by
the University of Nebraska, and in Australia and Argentina, discovered
significant drops in production associated with the switch to biotech
crops on the order of 10 to 30 percent.
But what if production increases are not the only reason biotech companies invest in GE foods?
Many
have argued that the real motive driving the development of GE seeds is
expanding control over the food system. Biotech crops are not only a
profitable patented product in and of themselves, they are also a
vehicle to sell other products. Monsanto sells “Roundup Ready” soybeans
as a proprietary package in which GE seeds are conveniently mated to
their Roundup pesticide. Farmers, who traditionally save seeds each
year, are prohibited from doing so with these GE seeds, which must be
purchased anew each growing season.
To read the rest of the article, click here.
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