Sayer Ji - Breaking News: Monsanto To Face Biopiracy Charges In India

According to an article published this month in the journal Nature Biotechnology, Monsanto is facing biopiracy charges in India.

In an unprecedented decision, India's National Biodiversity Authority(NBA), a government agency, declared legal action against Monsanto (and their collaborators) for accessing and using local eggplant varieties (known as brinjal) to develop their Bt genetically engineered version¹without prior approval of the competent authorities, which is considered an act of "biopiracy."²

The journal of Nature Biotechnology reported:

"An Indian government agency has agreed to sue the developers of genetically modified (GM) eggplant for violating India's Biological Diversity Act of 2002. India's National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is alleging that the developers of India's first GM food crop--Jalna-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) partnered with St. Louis--based seed giant Monsanto and several local universities--used local varieties to develop the transgenic crop, but failed to gain the appropriate licenses for field trials. At the same time, activists in Europe are claiming that patents on conventionally bred plants, including a melon found in India, filed by biotech companies violate farmers' rights to use naturally occurring breeds. Both these pending legal cases could set important precedents for biopiracy in India and Europe."

Read More:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Breaking-News-Monsanto-To-by-Sayer-Ji-120113-525.html

J dial - Seeds of destruction: It's NOT just about food

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Seeds-of-destruction--It-by-j-dial-111211-50.html

December 12, 2011 By j dial The subject of genetic modification of food may not be sexy, but there are a few things you should know. One is that Monsanto employees do not want GM food in their cafeterias. When first introduced to the notion of modifying food by inserting foreign genetic material, I inclined in favor of it.  After all, changing the genes of a plant to cause it to yield more, resist pests, and altogether serve us better sounded like a pretty good idea.  How attractive it must be to farmers that a GM seed should increase yields while providing its own internal pesticide.  But at the same time, knowing how often well-intentioned quests to mold nature have gone seriously awry, I gathered some facts before forming an opinion.   Today the US seed industry is dominated by two multinational companies, Monsanto and DuPont, with BASF and Syngenta close behind.  Those who buy GM seeds sign contracts establishing how and when the crop can be grown and excluding the right to save seed for the following year (even though many GM seeds are engineered to produce infertile plants).  These are the arguments often espoused in favor of GM foods:

Click to read more ...

Tom Philpott - Monsanto (Still) Denies Superinsect Problem, Despite Evidence

Meanwhile, it draws a rebuke from the EPA over its failed self-monitoring and peddles a dubious solution to a problem it denies exists.

By Tom Philpott | Thu Dec. 8, 2011 4:00 AM PST

http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/12/superinsects-monsanto-corn-epa

---

Back in August—as I reported here [1]—something strange began to happen in isolated Iowa corn fields: Otherwise healthy corn plants were falling over, their roots devastated by a ravenous insect called the corn rootworm.

The weird part wasn't pest outbreaks in vast corn fields; farmers know that when you plant a huge amount of land with a single crop, you're also providing a friendly habitat for insects that like to eat that crop. The odd part was that the fields were planted with seed engineered by Monsanto precisely to kill the corn rootworm. Monsanto's product—known as Bt corn—had failed; rootworms were developing resistance to it.

At the time, the EPA—which is responsible for registering pesticide-containing crops like Monsanto's—maintained an icy silence on the matter. But last week, the agency released areport [2] (PDF) that, in calm bureaucratese, rebuked Monsanto for its "inadequate" system for monitoring. It's one of those delectable reports written not by political appointees or higher-ups, but rather by staff scientists reporting what they see. The document offers a fascinating glimpse into the way the agency conducts business with Monsanto.

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Eliván Martínez - Monsanto's Caribbean experiment

Eliván Martínez   
The Center for Investigative Journalism, 21 November 2011

http://cpipr.org/inicio/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=271

*The largest producer of transgenic seeds in the world is leasing some of the best agricultural lands on the Island [of Puerto Rico] with a pattern of questionable legality, while receiving incentives from the Fortuño administration.

When environmentalist Juan Rosario traveled to an Amish religious community in Iowa, to learn to make compost, he was surprised that they had a laboratory and the services of an expert in chemistry. What was a scientist doing in a place where people live far from technology and practice ecological farming with the simplest of methods?

An Amish dressed in their style, with a wide-brimmed black hat, white shirt, and black pants and black jacket, pointed toward a large cornfield on a nearby farm. "The scientist helps us verify that pollen from genetically modified corn does not contaminate our crops," he told Juan Rosario. "It's the same corn that you develop in Salinas." [Salinas is a small municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico] 

Puerto Rico, laboratory for corn, sorghum, cotton and transgenic soybeans

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Jill Richardson - Why Is the State Department Using Our Money to Pimp for Monsanto?

By Jill Richardson, AlterNet

Posted on October 31, 2011, Printed on November 3, 2011
http://www.alternet.org/story/152921/why_is_the_state_department_using_our_money_to_pimp_for_monsanto

People in India are up in arms about eggplant. Not just any eggplant -- the fight, which is also raging in the Philippines, is over Monsanto's Bt eggplant. Even as increasing scientific evidence concludes that biotechnology and its arsenal of genetically modified crops may be doing more harm than good, companies like Monsanto are still pushing them hard and they are getting help from the U.S.

The State Department is using taxpayer money to help push the agenda of Monsanto and its friends all across the world. Here's a recent example: Assistant Secretary of State Jose W. Fernandez, addressing an event of high-level government officials from around the world, agribusiness CEOs, leaders from international organizations, and anti-hunger groups said, "Without agricultural biotechnology, our world would look vastly different. One of our challenges is how to grow more crops on the same land. This is where biotechnology plays a role."

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PF Louis - How to fight a grassroots battle against Monsanto -- and win!

by PF Louis

http://www.naturalnews.com/033980_Monsanto_boycotts.html

(NaturalNews) Writing to congressmen, the FDA and Obama, to stop Monsanto from contaminating the food chain, has proven fruitless. It's no use pretending we have a representative government when we are faced with a corporate plutocracy that owns the government.

Careerists have used the revolving doors between biotech industry and the USDA and FDA for years. Obama has chosen one of Monsanto's top revolving door careerists, Michael Taylor, as his "Food Czar." "So what now must we do?"

Boycotting GMOs

This makes good sense. But the biotech industry's successful lobbying for exemption from existing label legislation makes boycotting difficult. They are not required to label GMOs or foods containing GMOs. So how can the public know?

Click to read more ...

"Food & Water Watch" - Stop Monsanto's Sweet Corn

We wanted to make sure everyone saw this important alert about Monsanto's new
genetically engineered sweet corn, the first GE crop designed to be
eaten directly by people. This sweet corn will not be labeled, has not
been tested for food safety, and has been genetically engineered to
produce a pesticide and withstand herbicide applications.

We're going to deliver thousands of petitions from people who care
about what they're eating and feeding their families to the top ten
U.S. food retailers, asking them to reject Monsanto's GE Sweet Corn.

Will you add your name to our petition?

Thanks for taking action,

Wenonah Hauter
Executive Director
Food & Water Watch

Keep Monsanto's Genetically Engineered Sweet Corn Off Your Plate
Stop Monsanto's First Crop Designed to be Consumed by People!

Sign the Petition to Keep Genetically Engineered Sweet Corn Off Your
Plate

Why should you be concerned about Monsanto's Genetically Engineered
(GE) Sweet Corn?

1) This is the first GE Crop Monsanto that is marketing for direct
human consumption.

2) It will not be labeled.

3) It hasn't been tested for human safety.

Monsanto's sweet corn variety flew through the approval process,
because it combines two genetically engineered traits that were
approved in 2005 and 2008. The USDA does no independent testing of GE
crops, and the "stacked" combination of these traits for herbicide
resistance, and pesticide production has never been through a safety
evaluation of any kind.

These traits have never been engineered into a food that will be
consumed directly by people. Most of the GE corn that is currently
grown is eaten by animals or processed into corn syrup, corn oil and
other corn ingredients that show up in processed food. Monsanto's
aiming to have their new GE Sweet Corn grown on 250,000 acres next year
(roughly 40% of the sweet corn market). Take action now to make sure
this corn isn't sold at your local grocery store.

As you already know, genetically engineered crops are not required to
be labeled. We have no way of knowing if a food has been genetically
engineered or contains GE ingredients. We believe labeling should be
required so that people can choose whether or not they want to eat GE
foods. Unfortunately GE sweet corn, will not be labeled, and doesn't
look any different from regular sweet corn.

Help make sure GE Sweet Corn is not sold by signing our petition to
grocery stores. We'll be delivering this petition to the top ten
grocery store chains in the country in an attempt to stop GE Sweet Corn
from reaching your plate.

Sign the petition to grocery stores today:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TSCbiNhVvXb87Yt6eH8efPUfCM%2FD7ecz

Thanks for taking action,

Sarah Alexander
Education & Outreach Director
Food & Water Watch
salexander(at)fwwatch(dot)org

Contact

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India files biopiracy lawsuit against Monsanto, says biotech giant is stealing nature for corporate gain

Representing one of the most agriculturally bio-diverse nations in the world, India has become a primary target for biotechnology companies like Monsanto and Cargill to spread their genetically-modified (GM) crops into new markets. However, a recentFrance 24 report explains that the Indian government has decided to take an offensive approach against this attempted agricultural takeover by suing Monsanto for "biopiracy," accusing the company of stealing India's indigenous plants in order to re-engineer them into patented varieties. Brinjal, also known in Western nations as eggplant, is a native Indian crop for which there are roughly 2,500 different unique varieties. Millions of Indian farmers grow brinjal, which is used in a variety of Indian food dishes, and the country grows more than a quarter of the world's overall supply of the vegetable. And in an attempt to capitalize on this popular crop, Monsanto has repeatedly tried to commercially market its own GM variety of brinjal called Bt brinjal. But massive public outcry against planned commercial approval of Monsanto's "frankencrop" variety in 2010 led to the government banning it for an indefinite period of time.

Click to read more ...

"PF Louis" - National Public Radio underwritten by Monsanto?

by PF Louis

http://www.naturalnews.com/033462_National_Public_Radio_Monsanto.html

(NaturalNews) There was a strong reaction recently observed over public radio stations touting Monsanto and running Monsanto's promotional ads. Technically, it wasn't NPR (National Public Radio) as most assumed, but a program called Marketplace that is underwritten by Monsanto. American Pubic Media (APM) produces Marketplace.

But both NPR and Marketplace broadcast during the same time frame from stations that are public radio affiliates. They share the same network apparatus and appeal to the same audience.

Monsanto's use of the APM platform is a crafty PR maneuver to suck in gullible listeners by using the "feeding the world mantra" while ignoring Monsanto's dark legacy of profiting from toxic destruction and harassing farmers who try to do the right thing. (Legacy in source below)

Naive Public Perception of Public Radio

Click to read more ...

"AP" - Monsanto shares fall on bug-resistant corn woes

The Associated Press, August 29 2011
http://m.cnbc.com/id/44314062/

Shares of farm chemical and seed maker Monsanto Co. tumbled nearly 4 percent early Monday on a published report about rootworms that are developing resistance to a natural pesticide made by the company.

Monsanto has been working for years to shift its business focus away from farm chemicals and into genetically altered seeds.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that... entomologist Aaron Gassmann found that western corn rootworms were becoming resistant to the corn that was genetically changed by Monsanto to resist the pest. The paper said that the discovery could cause farmers to switch to insect-resistant seeds sold by competitors, and they could return to spraying fields with insecticides.

Monsanto was the first company to sell rootworm-resistant corn to farmers starting in 2003.