Unless we're careful, opponents
of genetically-modified food warn
that decades from now, this could be you on a walk
in the country.
'Reject TTIP, Say No to GMOs': 50 Million
Americans Warn Europe (Polityka, Poland)
"I don't
recall ever having received a letter from so many people at once – and you
probably can't either. … Step by step, talks between the E.U. and U.S. on the
so-called TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership) are progressing toward completion. The concept is
great, but as always, the devil's in the detail. … . Unfortunately, we don't
know the details because the talks are being held in the strictest secrecy. … The
Americans have already lost their battle against biotech corporations when it
comes to agricultural and food products. Now they are warning us about the
effects of adopting American rules under the guise of TTIP."
Last week, 57 million Americans sent a letter to Europeans
and almost no one in Poland noticed. The senders are celebrities, including
Susan Sarandon, Robert Kennedy Jr., Tommy Hilfiger and dozens of consumer,
agricultural, scientific and family organizations with a total of nearly 60
million members. I don't recall ever having received a letter from so many
people at once – and you probably can't either.
I understand that the recent elections were very important, but
luckily they are behind us, and we can again deal with an issue that will be important
not only this week, this year or this decade, but for much longer. The letter from
"57 million" relates, as one might guess, to matters of such
importance.
The thing is that step by step, talks between the E.U. and
U.S. on the TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade
and Investment Partnership) are progressing toward completion. The concept is
great, but as always, the devil's in the detail.
Unfortunately, we don't know the details because the talks
are being held in the strictest secrecy, similarly to those for the Anti-Counterfeiting
Trade Agreement. It is known, however, that one of the key stumbling blocks
is agriculture, namely freedom of movement for agricultural products and
technologies - mainly foods. That includes foods containing GMOs,
or genetically modified organisms.
And here's the rub: a free trade area means uniform standards,
and American and European standards on GMOs differ
significantly. Briefly speaking, we are much more skeptical, cautious and
mistrustful toward GMOs in Europe. We defend ourselves against genetically
modified foods by labeling them and limiting their cultivation and importation.
The Americans have already lost their battle against biotech corporations when
it comes to agricultural and food products. Now they are warning us about the
effects of adopting American rules under the guise of TTIP.
There are arguments and alarming conclusions to be drawn from the
American experience with GMOs are legion. It is worth
knowing about them, thinking them through and discussing them before the
laboriously negotiated TTIP leaps out at us like
the devil.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
There isn’t much point in me quoting these arguments to you.
However, I very strongly recommend that you read the letter. Not just because we
should read letters when they are received - especially when it's from such a
large group - but first of all, because the media debate on GMOs
is distorted by tremendous legal, public relations, economic and corrupt
pressure from interested corporations. It is uncommon under such circumstances to
get to know a more prudent position first-hand, i.e.: without any distortions.
Those who prefer to read it in English will find
it here (or below).
NGOs, scientists, anti-GM groups, celebrities, food
manufacturers, and others representing 57 million Americans today publish an
Open Letter to the UK and the entire EU warning of the serious and manifold
hazards of GMO crops - and promising their support in
our fight against them.
We are writing as concerned American citizens to share with
you our experience of genetically modified (GM) crops and the resulting damage
to our agricultural system and adulteration of our food supply.
In our country, GM crops account for about half of harvested
cropland. Around 94% of the soy, 93% of corn (maize) and 96% of cotton grown is
GM. i
The UK and the rest of the EU have yet to adopt GM crops in
the way that we have, but you are currently under tremendous pressure from
governments, biotech lobbyists, and large corporations to adopt what we now
regard as a failing agricultural technology.
Polls consistently show that 72% of Americans do not want to
eat GM foods and over 90% of Americans believe GM foods should be labeled. ii
In spite of this massive public mandate, efforts to get our
federal iii and state iv governments to better
regulate, or simply label, GMOs are being undermined
by large biotech and food corporations with unlimited budgets v and undue
influence.
As you consider your options, we'd like to share with you
what nearly two decades of GM crops in the United States has brought us. We
believe our experience serves as a warning for what will happen in your
countries should you follow us down this road.
Broken promises
GM crops were released onto the market with a promise that
they would consistently increase yields and decrease pesticide use. They have
done neither. vi In fact, according to a recent US
government report yields from GM crops can be lower than their non-GM equivalents.
vii
Farmers were told that GM crops would yield bigger profits
too. The reality, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, is
different. viii Profitability is highly variable,
while the cost of growing these crops has spiraled. ix
GM seeds cannot legally be saved for replanting, which means
farmers must buy new seeds each year. Biotech companies control the price of
seeds, which cost farmers 3-6 times more than conventional seeds. x This, combined with the huge chemical inputs they require,
means GM crops have proved more costly to grow than conventional crops.
Because of the disproportionate emphasis on GM crops,
conventional seed varieties are no longer widely available leaving farmers with
less choice and control over what they plant. xi
Farmers who have chosen not to grow GM crops can find their
fields contaminated with GM crops as a result of cross pollination between
related species of plants xii and GM and non-GM seeds being mixed together
during storage.
Because of this our farmers are losing export markets. Many
countries have restrictions or outright bans on growing or importing GM crops
xiii and as a result, these crops have become responsible for a rise in trade
disputes when shipments of grain are found to be contaminated with GM organisms
(GMOs). xiv
The burgeoning organic market here in the US is also being
affected. Many organic farmers have lost contracts for organic seed due to high
levels of contamination. This problem is increasing and is expected to get much
bigger in the coming years.
Pesticides and superweeds
The most widely grown types of GM crops are known as
'Roundup Ready' crops. These crops, mostly corn and soy, have been genetically
engineered so that when they are sprayed with the herbicide Roundup (TM) - the
active ingredient of which is glyphosate - the weeds
die but the crop continues to grow.
This has created a vicious circle. Weeds have become
resistant to the herbicide, causing farmers to spray even more. Heavier use of
herbicides creates ever more 'superweeds' and even
higher herbicide use.
A recent review found that between 1996 and 2011, farmers
who planted Roundup Ready crops used 24% more herbicide than non-GMO farmers planting the same crops. xv
If we remain on this trajectory with Roundup Ready crops we
can expect to see herbicide rates increase by 25% each year for the foreseeable
future.
This pesticide treadmill means that in the last decade in
the US at least 14 new glyphosate-resistant weed
species have emerged, xvi and over half of US farms are plagued with
herbicide-resistant weeds. xvii
Biotech companies, which sell both the GM seeds and the
herbicides, xviii have proposed to address this problem with the creation of
new crop varieties that will be able to withstand even stronger and more toxic
herbicides such as 2,4-D and dicamba.
However it is estimated that if these new varieties are
approved, this could drive herbicide use up by as much as 50%. xix
Environmental harm
Studies have shown that the increased herbicide use on
Roundup Ready crops is highly destructive to the natural environment. For
example, Roundup kills milkweeds, which are the key food source for the iconic
Monarch butterfly xx and poses a threat to other important insects such as
bees. xxi
It is also damaging to soil, killing beneficial organisms
that keep it healthy and productive xxii and making essential micronutrients
unavailable to the plant. xxiii
Other types of GM plants, which have been engineered to
produce their own insecticide (e.g. "Bt" cotton plants), have also
been shown to harm beneficial insects including green lacewings xxiv, the
Daphnia magna waterflea xxv and other aquatic
insects, xxvi and ladybugs (ladybirds). xxvii
Resistance to the insecticides in these plants is also
growing xxviii, creating new varieties of resistant "superbugs" and
requiring more applications of insecticides at different points in the growth
cycle, for instance on the seed before it is planted. xxix
In spite of this, new Bt varieties of corn and soy have been approved here and
will soon be planted.
A threat to human health
GM ingredients are everywhere in our food chain. It is
estimated that 70% of processed foods consumed in the US have been produced
using GM ingredients. If products from animals fed GM feed are included, the
percentage is significantly higher.
Research shows that Roundup Ready crops contain many times
more glyphosate, and its toxic breakdown product AMPA, than normal crops. xxx
Traces of glyphosate have been
found in the breastmilk and urine of American
mothers, as well as in their drinking water. xxxi The
levels in breastmilk were worryingly high - around
1,600 times higher than what is allowable in European drinking water.
Passed on to babies through breastmilk,
or the water used to make formula, this could represent an unacceptable risk to
infant health since glyphosate is a suspected hormone
disrupter. xxxii Recent studies suggest that this
herbicide is also toxic to sperm. xxxiii
Likewise, traces of the Bt toxin
have been found in the blood of mothers and their babies. xxxiv
GM foods were not subjected to human trials before being
released into the food chain and the health impacts of having these substances
circulating and accumulating in our bodies are not being studied by any
government agency, nor by the companies that produce them.
Studies of animals fed GM foods and/or glyphosate,
however, show worrying trends including damage to vital organs like the liver
and kidneys, damage to gut tissues and gut flora, immune system disruption,
reproductive abnormalities, and even tumors. xxxv
These scientific studies point to potentially serious human
health problems that could not have been anticipated when our country first
embraced GMOs, and yet they continue to be ignored by
those who should be protecting us.
Instead our regulators rely on outdated studies and other
information funded and supplied by biotech companies that, not surprisingly,
dismiss all health concerns.
A denial of science
This spin of corporate science stands in stark contrast to
the findings of independent scientists.
In fact, in 2013, nearly 300 independent scientists from
around the world issued a public warning that there was no scientific consensus
about the safety of eating genetically modified food, and that the risks, as
demonstrated in independent research, gave "serious cause for
concern." xxxvi
It's not easy for independent scientists like these to speak
out. Those who do have faced obstacles in publishing their results, been
systematically vilified by pro-GMO scientists, been
denied research funding, and in some cases have had their jobs and careers
threatened. xxxvii
Control of the food supply
Through our experience we have come to understand that the
genetic engineering of food has never really been about public good, or feeding
the hungry, or supporting our farmers. Nor is it about consumer choice. Instead
it is about private, corporate control of the food system.
This control extends into areas of life that deeply affect
our day-to-day well-being, including food security, science, and democracy. It
undermines the development of genuinely sustainable, environmentally friendly
agriculture and prevents the creation of a transparent, healthy food supply for
all.
Today in the US, from seed to plate, the production,
distribution, marketing, safety testing, and consumption of food is controlled
by a handful of companies, many of which have commercial interests in genetic
engineering technology.
They create the problems, and then sell us the so-called
solutions in a closed cycle of profit generation that is unequalled in any
other type of commerce.
We all need to eat, which is why every citizen should strive
to understand these issues.
Time to speak out!
Americans are reaping the detrimental impacts of this risky
and unproven agricultural technology. EU countries should take note: there are
no benefits from GM crops great enough to offset these impacts. Officials who
continue to ignore this fact are guilty of a gross dereliction of duty.
We, the undersigned, are sharing our experience and what we
have learned with you so that you don't make our mistakes.
We strongly urge you to resist the approval of genetically
modified crops, to refuse to plant those crops that have been approved, to
reject the import and/or sale of GM-containing animal feeds and foods intended
for human consumption, and to speak out against the corporate influence over
politics, regulation and science.
If the UK and the rest of Europe becomes the new market for
genetically modified crops and food our own efforts to label and regulate GMOs will be all the more difficult, if not impossible. If
our efforts fail, your attempts to keep GMOs out of
Europe will also fail.
If we work together, however, we can revitalize our global
food system, ensuring healthy soil, healthy fields, healthy food and healthy
people.
