Monsanto Banned from EU - US approves genetically-modified corn sales?

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EU: France Asks To Ban Monsanto's 810 Corn GMO Crop From EU

BRUSSELS –  The European Commission received a request by France to ban the cultivation of Monsanto 810, a type of genetically-modified corn crop that has been grown in the European Union for 15 years, a spokesman said Tuesday.

"France yesterday sent a message to the European Commission indicating that they had new scientific information on Monsanto 810 and so they requested the commission to take urgent steps to ban the cultivation of this crop," the spokesman said.

The French government said Monday said it has asked the Commission to suspend the authorization to grow genetically-modified corn crops.

Copyright © 2012 Dow Jones Newswires

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/02/21/eu-france-asks-to-ban-monsantos-810-corn-gmo-crop-from-eu/#ixzz1nWEhyOZH

Monsanto genetically engineered corn approved for sale in U.S.
Washington - Monsanto has been given the go-ahead to sell its genetically engineered, drought-resistant corn after the Obama administration quietly approved the variety, with the announcement being made during December’s Christmas break.

Read more: [link to www.digitaljournal.com] 

Washington - Monsanto has been given the go-ahead to sell its genetically engineered, drought-resistant corn after the Obama administration quietly approved the variety, with the announcement being made during December’s Christmas break.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the controversial product after Monsanto submitted a petition for its approval in 2009. Monsanto maintains 40 percent of North American crop losses occur as a result of sub-optimal moisture.

In a news release, Monsanto states the GE corn, MON 87460, carries the drought-tolerant trait to help maintain yield potential during drought stress.

“Our drought system is designed to help farmers mitigate the risk of yield loss when experiencing drought stress, primarily in areas of annual drought stress,” said Hobart Beeghly, Monsanto’s U.S. product management lead, in the company statement. “This spring farmers in the Western Great Plains will have an opportunity to see how the system performs on their farm through on-farm trials.”

Development of Monsanto’s drought-tolerant trait was part of a joint effort with Germany’s chemical giant, BASF.

In a determination (pdf) of Monsanto’s GE corn, the USDA states the

corn and progeny derived from it are unlikely to pose plant pest risks and is no longer to be considered regulated article under APHIS’ Biotechnology Regulations.

According to the USDA, the determination was based on its analyses of field and laboratory data submitted by Monsanto, among other relevant information.

The USDA goes on to note MON 87460 corn and its progeny

would have no significant impacts, individually or collectively, on the quality of the human environment and will have no effect on federally listed threatened or endangered species, species proposed for listing, or their designated or proposed critical habitats.

The USDA states on its website (pdf) the basic charge of its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is “Protecting American Agriculture,” and adds the U.S. government has been regulating genetically engineered (GE) organisms since 1986.

The Cornucopia Institute notes the USDA received almost 45,000 public comments opposed to MON 87460, with only 23 comments in favor.

“President Obama and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack just sent a clear message to the American public that they do not care about our concerns with genetically engineered food and their questionable safety, adverse environmental impacts, and detrimental effects on farmers, especially organic farmers,” said Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst with Cornucopia, in a news release.

Also in the pipeline for genetically modified food is a corn by Dow which is being engineered to be more resistant to 2,4-D, a poisonous herbicide most famous for its being a primary ingredient in Agent Orange, prolifically used during the Vietnam War for defoliating forests and croplands.

In addition to announcing Monsanto’s approval, the USDA is taking public comments on Dow’s 2,4-D corn here.

Monsanto recently made other news when Canada’s NGO Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Conservation (ETC Group) released a report on the growing green economy, which noted large corporations, such as Monsanto, Dow, Exxon, BP, BASF, and the U.S. military, among others, are positioning themselves as conglomerates over who will control biomass development, DNA data generation, and other vital areas of the bioeconomy movement.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/317358#ixzz1nWCoVx7z

Monsanto guilty of chemical poisoning

French beekeepers demonstrate to protest the use of genetically-modified organisms in front of French Monsanto headquarters in Bron. Sign reads, "Principle of Precaution = No to GMO". (Reuters / Robert Pratta)

A French court ruled that a controversial US biotech company Monsanto is guilty of unintentional chemical poisoning of a French farmer. The verdict sets a French precedent for pesticide-poisoning and more cases are expected to follow.

Grain farmer Paul Francois, says he suffered a number of neurological problems, including memory loss, stammering and headaches, after inhaling Monsanto's Lasso weed killer in 2004. He blamed the company for failing to provide adequate warning labels on its products.

"I am alive today, but part of the farming population is going to be sacrificed and is going to die because of this,"Reuters quoted Francois as saying. 

The present case is not the first of its kind. All previous health claims have reportedly failed because of the difficulties with proving the links between health issues and exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. Francois’s claims appeared to be easier to substantiate because he could describe a particular incident – the inhaling of a particular pesticide while cleaning the tank of his crop sprayer. The man was only able to obtain his work invalidity status after a court appeal.

The court in Lyon has now ordered experts to establish the sum of damages. Monsanto’s lawyers have not commented since the court’s ruling.

French authorities claim that they are getting around 200 pesticides-related alerts per year. As few as 47 cases have been officially recognized in the past decade.

Paul Francois’s case dates back to when EU countries actively used crop-protection chemicals. Many have now been banned, and the European Union is targeting a further reduction in pesticide use. Monsanto’s Lasso is now considered dangerous in many EU countries. In France, it was withdrawn in 2007.

France's health and environment safety agency ANSES is reportedly conducting a study on farming-related health issues. The results are expected next year.

The Monsanto company is a multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation which is particularly famous for its genetically modified products and herbicides. It is also notable for its involvement in high-profile lawsuits, where fines and damages have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Most of them were related to health damage caused by Monsanto’s products.