good for France - banned modified corn

[donsu]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080209/sc_afp/francefarmbiotechus_080209195118


French GM ban infuriates farmers, delights environmentalists


France officially banned Saturday a strain of genetically modified corn from US agribusiness giant Monsanto, delighting environmentalists but sparking outrage from the company and French farmers.

-snip-

Farmers affected by the decision expressed their frustration Saturday.

"France finds itself isolated and the south-west penalised against Spanish competition, which does not apply the same rules," said Dominique Barrau, a farmers' union leader from the southwest of the country, bordering Spain.

His part of France would be particularly hard hit, he said, as 80 percent of GM crops grown in France were planted in the southwest Pyrenees and Aquitaine regions.

Bove, who launched a hunger strike last month along with 15 colleagues over the issue, said the ban was overdue.

"We are satisfied this morning, that after 10 years of combat the MON810 corn has been banned from cultivation," he said.

-snip-

There was also concern that wind-borne pollen from MON810 could travel much further than previously thought -- perhaps as much as hundreds of miles (kilometres), said Le Grand.
---------------------------

Monsanto wants the wind to carry it, to contaminate normal corn fields.

good on France!

[MadHound]

1. Actually, except for the large farming operations that raise GM corn in France

Virtually every other farmer is against the shit. This article is trying to make out that the farmers are all for GM when actually the opposite is true, only a small minority is. Of course Monsanto is the big loser here, oh well.

I wish that they would get rid of GM crops in this country also. Driving down biodiversity and ruining small farmers.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

2. Vive La France!

→ Plus my 1000'th post

[Flubadubya]

4. Congrats!

Both for your flawless French, and for your 1,000th post :bounce::party::bounce:... not to mention your praise of our brave allies for their stand on FrankenFood! :thumbsup:

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

7. THANKS!!!

[Bill McBlueState]

3. isn't corn already heavily modified?

I heard that before people started messing with nature, or whatever you like to call it, corn was tiny and inedible.

[donsu]

5. the genes weren't changed - the breeding made stronger corn not

changing the genes by subtracting and/or adding other kinds of genes.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Of course they are.

You couldn't have gotten maize from its predecessor without plenty of random mutation.