Monsanto suffers week of devastating defeats as lawmakers back away from biotech influence and intimidation
Monsanto suffers week of devastating defeats as lawmakers back away from biotech influence and intimidation
Monsanto suffers week of devastating... 
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(NaturalNews) Monsanto may hold a near-monopoly on the world's seed supply, but it cannot control the minds, hearts and voices of those who support and demand clean, healthy and non-toxic food. Advocates have increasingly consolidated to create a powerful health food movement that's gained so much momentum it is now deemed unstoppable.
This doesn't bode well for seed companies dependent on crops laced with foreign DNA and coupled with noxious herbicides. Thanks to the tireless work of food and health activists, bloggers and the indie media, the public is no longer in the dark about the health and environmental dangers of GMOs – and there is no reversing that opinion.
Americans have shown overwhelming support for GMO-labeling, a position reflected in the U.S. Senate yesterday after it blocked a controversial, anti-consumer bill that would have preempted states' rights to pass GMO-labeling laws, as well as reverse existing legislation, such as that in Vermont, which is set to go into effect July 1, 2016.
In order to pass, the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know) needed 60 votes in the Senate. But it fell short, receiving only 49 "yes" votes and 48 "no" votes. Food and Water Watch says that all of the senators they pressured to vote against the DARK Act came through on Wednesday, including the following:
The legislation was essentially Monsanto's dream bill, as it would have put a permanent end to the expensive battles fought by them and other seed giants, as well as Big Food, in several U.S. states trying to pass labeling laws.
More than 70 GMO-labeling bills have been proposed in 30 states thus far, with three states passing the legislation, including Maine, Connecticut and Vermont. New Hampshire is on the verge of passing similar legislation, and is set to vote on the measure before the month's end.
The agrichemical industry is facing yet another blow to its empire, with the introduction of a national, uniform GMO-labeling law, that if passed, could lead to the creation of a national symbol that would clearly disclose the presence of genetically modified ingredients.
Proposed by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the bill is called the Biotech Food Labeling Uniformity Act or S. 2621.
"This is what real disclosure looks like. This bill finds a way to set a national standard and avoid a patchwork of state labeling laws while still giving consumers the information they want and deserve about what's in their food," said Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union.
Monsanto is also facing trouble abroad. This week, India's prime minister showed Monsanto the door amid complaints over its inflated prices on GM cotton. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monsanto will lose its 90 percent dominance of the Indian market unless it agrees to reduce its seed prices.
"India cut the royalties paid by local firms for Monsanto's seeds by nearly 70 percent, also capping GM cotton seed prices at 800 rupees ($11.9) for a packet of 400 grams, starting in April 2017," according to the Russian Times. "Last year the seeds were sold at prices ranging from 830 rupees ($12.4) to 1,100 rupees ($16.4) in different parts of the country."
"It's now upon Monsanto to decide whether they want to accept this rate or not," said Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, the junior agriculture minister. "If they don't find it feasible, then they are free to take a call. The greed (of charging) a premium has to end. ...
"We're not scared if Monsanto leaves the country, because our team of scientists are working to develop (an) indigenous variety of (GM) seeds," he added.
Sources:
BusinessInsider.com
Salsa3.SalsaLabs.com
FoodAndWaterWatch.org
HuffingtonPost.com
ConsumersUnion.org
Science.NaturalNews.com
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/053368_GMO_labeling_Jeff_Merkley_Senate_bill.html#ixzz43RwaGVS1
Re: Indian state of Bihar blocks GM ... InCharge
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(NaturalNews) In India, Bihar's Agriculture Minister, Narendra Kumar Singh, recently announced to the people at a groundbreaking Seed Festival that the state's food supply will be protected from outside companies who are looking to take over the land with GMO seeds. In fact, he said he is committed to blocking the entry of genetically modified corn, even if the central government permits it to come into the country. Singh assured the people that their seeds will be protected from contamination of genetic material drift and that rich harvests full of diverse, nutrient-dense crops will remain the standard in the state.
His speech was given at the 2014 Seed Festival at the A N Sinha Institute of Social Studies. The Seed Festival featured over 500 different varieties of crop seed. The inaugural event featured agriculture experts from Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Kerala who represent a growing movement against genetically modified crops in India.
Singh spoke out about protecting non-GM seed crops: "Seed is the basic unit of input and is the lifeline of agriculture. Attempts are being made by multinational companies to replace our traditional seeds with GM seeds, which would be dangerous for environment and health."
Singh was joined by those with direct field experience, including farmers' commission chairman C P Sinha, Harit Swaraj convener Vijay Pratap, Jacob Nilethan, an expert from the Asha Alliance, and seed savers.
Singh announced that Bihar was the first state in the world to halt field tests of genetically modified seed for the larger humanitarian interests of farmers and society at large.
For the farmers, it's all about seed sovereignty. Saroj, a leader of Paschim Odisha Krushak Sangathan, stated, "Seed sovereignty is not a baseless ideological position, but a pragmatic approach. It is an integral part of food security and sovereignty of a community or a nation. Seed being handed over to multinational corporations, many of them notorious for their monopolistic tendencies and operations, is disastrous for the livelihood of millions."
Saroj believes in sustainable, holistic agriculture and the right of all farmers to be sovereign and independent, uncontrolled by monolithic seed imperialists. He assembled with about 400 other farmers who traveled from Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand and Karnataka to formulate a plan for protecting their liberty going forward, while preserving traditional seed varieties in the country. Saroj believes that the Indian state government should help protect indigenous seeds from being overrun by faraway corporations who contaminate and control agricultural production.
"Government should encourage, and invest in farmer-level seed production of locally suitable, diverse seeds. Community seed banks should be set up with schematic government investment," he said. The group believes that "seed breeding should be in organic conditions" because they do not want seeds to "become a package that brings in other unwanted inputs like chemicals."
Sources for this article include:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
http://www.thehindu.com
http://science.naturalnews.com
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/053359_GMOs_seed_trials_India.html#ixzz43Rz2fiLQ
