* 'The World According to Monsanto.' The documentary exposes Monsanto's controversial practices, which range from concealing knowledge of toxicity of PCBs to producing genetically modified seeds and related herbicides. (2008)
Urgent Consumer Advisory: Genetically Modified Sweet Corn in Canada (July 29, 2011. This advisory is posted at http://www.cban.ca/corn)
The GM sweet cornis being grown by farmers in Ontario who are selling at roadside stands, at Farmers’ Markets, and through some local grocery stores. It is sold under the brand name “Attribute” from Rogers which is owned by the biotech company Syngenta. GM sweet corn is available to buy from US seed companies, including Seedway, selling “Genetically Enhanced” hybrid sweet corn seed. The sweet corn varieties are also called “insect protected hybrids”.
Tips for asking your grocery store, produce manager or farm stand manager:
Questionnaire for grocery store, produce or farm stand manager at http://www.cban.ca/content/view/full/1037 . Ask them to fill it out and get back to you.
You can also print “CBAN’s Quick Guide to GM Foods” to hand to them. Download the flyer at http://www.cban.ca/content/view/full/994
Order to Destroy GE Sugar Beet Plants Overturned (Beyond Pesticides, March 3, 2011) In a federal appeals court decision last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Monsanto won the reversal of the federal judge’s order to destroy genetically engineered (GE) sugar beet seedlings planted last year.
(Beyond Pesticides, January 28, 2011) Environmental and public interest groups are extremely disappointed with the announcement late Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to fully deregulate genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa seed, despite the risks it poses to both organic and conventional farmers.
* Rogers Sugar/Lantic Inc. has chosen to accept genetically modified (GM) sugar beet in their sugar products.
GM Alfalfa Ruling by U.S. Supreme Court has Sweeping Implications (June 22, 2010) National Farmers Union MR). the US Supreme Court ruled that genetically-modified (GM) alfalfa cannot be planted or sold in that country.
(Beyond Pesticides, May 09, 2007) In a precedent-setting decision last week, Judge Charles Breyer ordered a complete environmental review of Monsanto’s genetically-altered alfalfa, making a final ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2005 approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) “Roundup Ready” alfalfa was illegal. The judge called on USDA to ban any further […]
Monsanto Cash Incentives Under Federal Investigation (16 July 2011)By Kathryn Gilje, Pesticide Action Network. 
n some circles, it would be called a bribe, at best. Evidence revealed last week shows that Monsanto's former Chief Financial Officer admitted that the agrichemical corporation planned to spend $150 million in cash and trade incentives in Latin America, North America and Europe to spur the uptake of the pesticide glyphosate, better known as RoundUp.
* GMO crops require more pesticide use.
Report Finds GM Crops Increase Pesticide Use and Resistant Weeds (Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2009) A report authored by Charles Benbrook, PhD, chief scientist at The Organic Center (TOC), finds that the rapid adoption by U.S. farmers of genetically modified corn, soybeans and cotton has promoted increased use of pesticides, an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds, and more chemical residues in foods.
The Organic Center's latest report on pesticides shows that "farmers applied 318 million more pounds of pesticides over the last 13 years as a result of planting GE seeds." Learn more here: http://www.organic-center.org/science.pest.php?action=view&report_id=159}Scientists Confirm Failures of Bt-Crops (Sept. 2005) Ineffective against insect pests, harmful to health and biodiversity, yield drag, pest resistance. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho.
(Beyond Pesticides, April 4, 2008) A study called “Long-term persistence of GM oilseed rape in the seedbank,” recently published in the journal Biology Letters, has found a genetically modified (GM) crop to persist in spite of a decade of efforts to remove it from a field. Researchers from Sweden’s Lund University and the Danish Technical […]
Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Foods (May 20, 2009) excellent article reviewing harm caused by GMOs to animal and human health.
Monsanto forced to withdraw GMO food safety claim (June 2007)
New Report Finds Flaws in Biotech Crop Safety Tests (Beyond Pesticides, November 18, 2004)
Study Shows Monsanto's GE Cotton is Killing the Soil (Organic Bytes 3/6/2009)
GMOs & organics "can't coexist" (PanUps July 17, 2008)
"Since GM cultivation was introduced in Spain in 1998," EurekAlert reports, a controversy has stirred "over the concept of coexistence between transgenic and conventional organic agriculture." "Coexistence" was introduced by the EU in 2002 to deal with concerns about GMO strains contaminating organic produce. "Coexistence" would make it easier to lift existing de facto moratoriums against GMOs in Europe and allow introduction of new transgenic crops. Now a Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics article reports the coexistence concept has "generated new problems instead of solving existing conflicts." The report's author, Rosa Binimelis, studied Spain's Catalonia and Aragon regions, where Bt corn was introduced in 1998. Binimelis found that the "difficulties organic farmers would face in order to claim compensations" for contaminated crops had discouraged organic investments. After GMO corn was introduced in Aragon, the area devoted to organic maize fell by 75% between 2004-2007. The study predicts contamination fears will promote the spread of "genetically modified farming over any other alternative." The European Commission is planning to evaluate the coexistence policy later this year.
Yield
shareMORE - For background see PAN's Genetic Engineering resource page