Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Last Saturday, as many as two million people in 436 cities in 52 countries marched against Monsanto

AntiMonsanto march in San Diego
Also: Is the University of Nebraska whitewashing Bayer culpability in collapse of bee populations?

St. Louis­based Monsanto is certainly one of the most despised corporations on earth.
     Its lobbyists ensured the rejection in the U.S. Senate this week of a bill that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.
     Earlier this year, French researchers announced results of a study showing that not only did rats doped with Monsanto Roundup weedkiller die prematurely, but even rats who just ate "Roundup Ready" corn (genetically-engineered to be resistant to Monsanto's herbicide) suffered premature deaths.

French rats fed Monsanto's genetically engineered 'Roundup-
Ready' NK603 — a seed variety made tolerant to Monsanto's
Roundup weedkiller — died early: 50% of male and 70% of
female rats died prematurely, compared with only 30% and
20% in the control group, said the researchers.
 From Salon:
     The “March Against Monsanto” movement began just a few months ago, when Canal created a Facebook page on 28 February calling for a rally against the company’s practices. “If I had gotten 3,000 people to join me, I would have considered that a success,” she said Saturday. Instead, she said, two million responded to her message.
     Together with Seattle blogger and activist Emilie Rensink and Nick Bernabe of Anti-Media.org, Canal worked with A Revolt.org digital anarchy to promote international awareness of the event. She called the turnout “incredible” and credited social media for being a vehicle for furthering opportunities for activism.

Farmer Jake Conner stands in a field choked by weeds resistant to Roundup.
Forty-nine percent of U.S. farms now report glyphosate-resistant "superweeds."
From 2011 to 2012 the acres with resistance almost doubled in Nebraska,
Iowa, and Indiana.


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