Poland imposes ban on MON810 GM maize

Poland has now officially imposed a ban on Monsanto's MON810 GMO maize. Recent protests by beekeepers and anti-GMO activists have resulted in a successful conclusion.

Digital Journal reported in late March on a protest by Beekeepers and Anti-GMO activists in Warsaw who were demanding that the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Sawicki ban MON810 in the country. Their protests now have had a successful outcome.
 
Minister of Agriculture in the Polish Government, Marek Sawicki says that as well as being linked to range of health ailments, the pollen originating from this GM strain might actually be devastating to the already reduced bee population in the country.
 
"The decree is in the works. It introduces a complete ban on the MON810 strain of maize in Poland,” Sawicki told the press.

On March 9th, there was similar opposition to Monsanto GMO strains. On that date 7 European countries blocked the proposal by the Danish presidency to permit the cultivation of GMO crops on the entire European continent.

The countries who blocked this proposal were Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland and Slovakia. A week after this announcement, France imposed a temporary ban on the Monsanto MON810 strain.

Worldwide opposition

A report released last week shows that worldwide opposition to the biotechnology giant Monsanto and "the agro-industrial model that it represents" is growing.

La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International, and Combat Monsanto, the groups who issued the report, show that small farmers, groups and communities in every continent are rising up to resist Monsanto's products and environmental harm.

While Monsanto's approach, including genetically modified crops, has been shown to hurt biodiversity, local food knowledge and the environment, the report shows that "food sovereignty is a real and feasible alternative."

This new report documents the intense opposition to this powerful transnational company, which peddles its genetically modified products seemingly without regard for the associated social, economic and environmental costs," said Martin Drago, Friends of the Earth International's Food Sovereignty program coordinator.

In February, a French court found Monsanto guilty of poisoning a French farmer. The Lyon court ruled in favour of Paul Francois, who claimed to suffer from neurological debilities after inhaling a Monsanto weed killer in 2004.

Economic disaster

The report states that genetically modified crops are causing an economic disaster for farmers in the US.

GM crops have cost American taxpayers $12 billion in farm subsidies in the past three years. Within a few years of the introduction of GM crops, almost the entire $300 million annual US maize exports to the EU had disappeared, and the US share of the soya market had decreased.

In addition, GE crops have lead to an increased use of pesticides, while resulting in overall lower crop yields.

The activists state that there is compelling evidence that animals provided with feed containing GM ingredients can react in a way that is unique to an exposure to GM plants. This is revealed through metabolic, physiological or immunological responses in exposed animals.