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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBrazil: GMO 'Bt corn' no longer resists pest attack
GMO corn varieties that express insecticidal Bt toxins are failing in the field, with reports of infestations of the fall armyworm on Bt corn in Brazil and the USA. Now the EU is poised to approve one of the failing varieties for use on European farms.
The Association of Soybean and Corn Producers of the Mato Grosso region (Aprosoja-MT) has complained that its members' genetically modified 'Bt corn' crops are no longer resistant to insect pests.
That's corn which has been genetically modified to produce an insecticidal toxin that repels or kills pests - principally Spodoptera frugiperda, also known as fall armyworm, corn leafworm or southern grassworm.
The Bt toxin is meant to provide protection to the crop without needing to be sprayed with insecticide. But reports from farmers allege that the Bt corn is actually less resistant to attack by Spodoptera caterpillars than non-GMO varieties. Now farmers have been forced to apply insecticides to their crops, racking up additional environmental and financial costs - after having already paid a premium price for the GM corn seeds.
The loss of resistance to Bt corn caterpillars was identified by Aprosoja-MT in March, when the first reports of emerged from Mato Grosso producers frightened by what they saw on the field. Aprosoja-MT began to gather technical reports with data, photos and economic analysis of producers' financial losses, estimated at $54 per hectare in terms of extra insecticide and application costs.
The association is now calling on Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, and Dow companies to offer solutions as well as compensate the farmers for their losses.
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http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2501027/brazil_gmo_bt_corn_no_longer_resists_pest_attack.html
Trillo
(9,154 posts)For the organic farmer, who would dust BT only at a narrow time window (vs 24/7) this will represent the loss of a valuable tool. Who will compensate them?
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)The smart farmers who choose not to go for the propaganda will also be hurt by this. Or worse yet, sued when some of the GMO varieties pops up in their fields. And now their crops have to face resistant bugs and weeds.
How everything changes in science.
But we have to redefine organic. And by the way everything is gmo. So this news is wrong.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Who could have known???????????????
villager
(26,001 posts)BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I'm sure they'll be along to explain it all to us Luddites soon.
villager
(26,001 posts)and what if the lack is cut from the per-post-pay rate!?
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)How will they ever afford the folksy graphic charts telling us how everyone in the world (except for dumb, superstitious, science-deniers such as yourself) loves them!! Or the folksy videos that were just put together by concerned citizens telling us all how wonderful and safe they are. Oh, the humanity!
McCamy Taylor
(19,240 posts)What a scam.
Overseas
(12,121 posts)say that of course the insects will evolve resistance and they'll just have to keep purchasing more and more toxic seeds to mix in.