Genetically Engineered crops and the colonization of Farmers globally

Genetically engineered seeds and the entire selling machine created around it (pesticides and fertilizers) by companies like Monsanto have severely compromised the farmers in Canada and US.  The extent to which Monsanto can go to take a control over the entire food system is incredible and scary!  Why is this so scary?  Well, even if you, as a farmer, make a choice of NOT buying the GE seeds but your neighbor does, you can still lose everything.  Actually, the seeds for the first non-GE guy (which he also uses for his next crop sowing) will be cross pollinated by the bees.  These bees can cross pollinate his crop with the pollen from the neighboring GE crop.  So, that means, his new seeds will be mutant.  Now, this has following issues:

1. His pure seed breed is compromised
2. The company which owns the patent to the GE seeds will claim the ownership of the mutant seeds as well and have won cases where they forced the farmers to destroy those mutant seeds, which meant those farmers lost the entire stock of sowing seeds for the coming season
3. The U.S. Organic standard prohibits GE crops.

Look at this case for example involving Monsanto and their outrageousness [2].  Also a UCS Study found that GE crops don’t provide higher yields:

the UCS report concluded that genetically engineering herbicide-tolerant soybeans and herbicide-tolerant corn has not increased yields. Insect-resistant corn, meanwhile, has improved yields only marginally. The increase in yields for both crops over the last 13 years, the report found, was largely due to traditional breeding or improvements in agricultural practices.

Not only have the GE crops not increased the yields, but they have added to the use of herbicides:

GE crops increase herbicide use by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, with 46 percent of the total increase occurring in 2007 and 2008

Interestingly, the herbicides are also sold by the same companies which sell the GE crops.  Therefore, its a racket!

This problem is hitting home in India as well.  Bt Brinjal is being pushed and thankfully the main states are opposed to its introduction.  And they have succeeded.  That is a great thing and such movements should be strengthened and their voice given more air space!

Please REJECT any Genetically Engineered Crops!

Reference Links:

1. Orissa govt opposes introduction of Bt brinjal
2. Supreme Court to Hear First Genetically Engineered Crop Case
3. Failure to Yield
4. “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use in the United States: The First Thirteen Years”
5. Villagers launch campaign to oppose Bt Brinjal
6. India in no hurry to introduce Bt Brinjal: Ramesh