Monsanto in Gates' Clothing? The Emperor's New GMOs

[superconnected]

Source: Huffington Post

If you had any doubts about where the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is really placing its bets, AGRA Watch's recent announcement of the Foundation's investment of $23.1 million in 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock should put them to rest. Genetic engineering: full speed ahead.

If you are one of those people who believes the axiom that Monsanto is the farmer's friend (and the corollary, that its climate-ready, bio-fortified GMOs can save the world from hunger) you will not be surprised, disappointed, or find any conflict of interest in this investment.

But if you are part of the growing population who gets their information about GMOs from scientists who are not beholden to corporate funding, has a problem with anti-trust issues, or is getting queasy about the increasing monopoly power of philanthropy capital... it's time to say the Emperor has no clothes.

Under the guise of "sustainability" the Foundation has been spearheading a multi-billion dollar effort to transform African into a GMO-friendly continent. The public relations flagship for this effort is the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a massive Green Revolution project. Up to now AGRA spokespeople have been slippery, and frankly, contradictory about their stance on GMOs.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-holt-gimenez/monsanto-in-gates-clothin_b_696182.html

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. LOL

:thumbsup:

[superconnected]

2. I don't see anything funny here. They're trying to make Africa a GMO continent

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Good.

Progress.

[superconnected]

4. I don't think this means free food for the poor.

The article is talking about freeing up Africa for corporations and ultimately for Monsanto who will reap the reward.

Natural seed would have been just as good had this been about planting crops for the poor - but that's not what this is about - this is about GMO and corporate take over of a continent.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. "Natural seed would have been just as good"

No it wouldn't have.

[superconnected]

7. From what I've been reading, monsanto seed was said to be better but never

stood up to the tests. Please correct me without debunked propaganda.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. What seeds in particular?

GMO seeds, by there very nature, offer desirable traits over non-GM crops.

Pest resistance.
Herbicide resistance.
Disease resistance.
Improved nutrition.

The article was not about any seed in particular. Which one are you interested in?

"I also haven't seen where Monsanto has been giving food to the poor."

I don't think Monsanto's in the food business, but the seed business. As for donations, I believe there was a story a few weeks ago where they donated large amounts of seeds to Haiti, following the earthquake. These were non-GM seeds (they're also in the non-GM business), but there was an attempt by non-Haitians (who probably weren't going hungry) to get Haitians to burn the donations.

Not that this really has anything to do with the story either, as it's not about food donations to Africa.

As for Bill Gates, he's donated many of millions of dollars to help people in Africa. Everything from personal electronics, to mosquito nets, to vaccines. And that's a whole lot more than anything that's come from the anti-science tin-foil luddites.

[superconnected]

11. They're so great Europe bans them!

Looks like they let corn through but countries are banning it:

Germany bans Monsanto GM maize
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7998181.stm

"MON 810 is controversial in the EU. Several countries have banned it, defying the European Commission."

"In March EU governments resisted European Commission pressure to get bans on MON 810 lifted. The commission wanted Austria and Hungary to allow cultivation of MON 810. The variety is also banned in France and Greece."

"The UK was among a handful of countries that supported the commission's position, the AFP news agency reports. "

[superconnected]

12. start reading - you have no clue

About Monsanto
http://www.newfrontier.com/asheville/bad_seed.htm

Monsanto Uses False Advertising to Promote GMO’s in Brazil
http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/brazil011004.cfm
"According to studies done in the US, genetically modified soy beans produce 5-10 less than conventional soybeans. Concerning other types of plants, production has been less or at most equal to that of conventional crops. "

"The commercial implies that GMO's make for healthier food and healthier people. Concerning this claim, no country in the world has properly evaluated the effects of GMO's on people's health."

"Besides being deceitful, Monsanto is producing propaganda for
products prohibited in the country. In spite of Provisionary Measures
113 and 131 which authorized the commercialization of transgenic soy,
the sale of transgenic sees continues to be prohibited by the Justice
Department."

"All this being the case, we urge the Brazilian authorities to suspend
Monsanto's deceitful advertizing and oblige the company to pay for ads
which will correct their misinformation and present clearly the facts
concerning transgenics."


Better than nature?
http://www.themarknews.com/articles/507-better-than-nature

Europe's even trying to stop cow meat where the cows were fed GMO's:
http://www.non-gmoreport.com/Soybean_meal_trading.php

GMO potatoes - not better
http://www.euronews.net/2010/03/03/gmo-potato-approval-has-critics-gnashing-teeth-in-europe/

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. I've seen all that propaganda before.

If it's not better then why do you think farmers want to plant it?

[superconnected]

18. Wow! you haven't read it have you. Farmers don't want to plant it.

Read the links.

Monsanto is putting big farms next to the farmers - their seeds are getting into the farmers crops via wind and then Monsanto is suing the big farmers and putting them out of business. If the famers use GM seeds then they have to buy them every year because they're aren't allowed to use the new ones their crop produces each year. Read the links.

You are really really uninformed on this. And you do sound like you work for them.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. LOL, oh wow.

Do you really think that's how the real world works?

Why do you think farmers by GM seed? Why do you think they sign contracts? Why do you think GM companies are profitable? Why do you think frauds like Percy Schmeisser purposefully plant Monsanto seed, and then try to get rich quick by selling the next years' seed to other farmers under the table.

"You are really really uninformed on this."

It's apparently that the only source of information your getting your facts from are loony conspiracy sites, and you're entirely wrong.

"And you do sound like you work for them."

Ah, the last resort of a tinfoil luddite, who hasn't got a real argument.

[LanternWaste]

21. Referring to the one's who choose to sign a contract...?

"Why do you think farmers by GM seed? Why do you think they sign contracts?"

Referring to the one's who choose to sign a contract, or the ones litigated into signing a contract?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

23. Courts don't work that way, LW.

Apply some common sense.

Please.

[superconnected]

25. You're applying no common sense. There has been lawsuit after lawsuit over this.

You are grossly uninformed and not worth listening to at this point. I hope you find google someday.

[EmilyKent]

6. Yes, a major step forward for Africa.

[Recursion]

8. How will this help? Africa already grows enough to feed itself many times over

Will adding more food (assuming the higher yields do in fact happen) suddenly make governments stop using food as a weapon against their own people?

[EmilyKent]

13. .

[superconnected]

14. So give them real crops because they are proved to yield more with natural soy and the same

with everything else, and they won't run the risk of future health effects as well as have all the farmers around them go out of business by having to re-buy seed from Monsanto every year.

"genetically modified seeds offer a key advantage over traditional seeds: because genetically modified seeds are patented, it is illegal for a farmer to retain seed from this year's crop to plant next year.

To use these patented seeds, farmers must buy new seeds from Monsanto every year. Thus, a farmer who adopts genetically modified seeds and fails to retain a stock of traditional seeds could become dependent upon a transnational corporation. "
http://www.newfrontier.com/asheville/bad_seed.htm


Nice pic btw. Do you work for Monsanto?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Do I work for Monsanto? No.

Do you work for the Texas School Board?

[superconnected]

19. I asked Emily Kent if she worked for Monsanto - can't even follow the posts?

Or are you also Emily Kent?

Monsanto plants propaganda - I posted a link stating that.

It's scary how closed minded you are to even being corrected.

[Recursion]

15. How will this help that kid? There's already enough food in Africa. It's not getting to him.

How will increasing agricultural output fix the distribution problems that are killing that child?

[Panaconda]

10. This is very bad

news but no surprises.

So much propaganda has confused people on this matter. No doubt we will hear the canard about how GMO's will feed the world and other such lies.

[Cleobulus]

22. The problem with GMOs is not that the are Genetically Modified, but that the law is inadequate...

in dealing with patents on living organisms. The problem is that patented GMOs cost more, sometimes a lot more, than non-patented GMOs(standard hybrids/breeds, mostly). This means they will do nothing to solve starvation or anything of that sort, if a GM version of soy or corn came out that requires, let's say, only 1% of the water of traditional crops, that's great, you can grow it in all but the most arid of conditions on the planet, but its not so great if it costs farmers several times more than it does to buy traditional crops, and the costs recur year after year. Same thing with increasing yield per acre, its only practical of the increase in yield is larger than the additional costs of the seed. If I'm buying cotton seeds at 200 dollars a ton, and the GM seeds cost 250, I better see at least a 10% increase in my yield of cotton at harvest time, otherwise its a waste of time and money.

[Blue_Tires]

24. ttt