Forums / Discussion / General

it's happening again

"March Against Monsanto" live updates on RT.com

Can someone give me a legitimate reason to be against Genetically Modified crops? Hardier crops that yield more seem to be a pretty good thing, but maybe there is something I'm not aware of? Serious question.

Monsanto has been for the use of genetic use restriction technology (GURT), also known as terminator technology or suicide seeds.

V-GURT: This type of GURT produces sterile seeds meaning that a farmer that had purchased seeds containing V-GURT technology could not save the seed from this crop for future planting.

T-GURT: A second type of GURT modifies a crop in such a way that the genetic enhancement engineered into the crop does not function until the crop plant is treated with a chemical that is sold by the biotechnology company.

The V-GURT technology is the most troubling because if a neighboring crop is pollinated by a V-GURT crop, then the neighboring crop is sterile. This will leads to a drop in the verity of corn available on the market and a loss of biodiversity within crops. It will also give Monsanto the monopoly on crops because they would be the only ones which would be capable of providing seeds that can grow every season.

They want to suppress and conceal research that investigates the affects of GMO on the environment and humans. All the while bankrupting family farmers with heavy fines and lawsuits for the simple natural act of cross pollination of crops. According to Monsanto these farmers are guilty of illegally growing crops that contain their gene patents. In reality these crops were pollinated by Monsanto crops nearby. I would hardly consider Monsanto ethical by any industrial standard.

Dac said:

Can someone give me a legitimate reason to be against Genetically Modified crops?

I don't dislike GMOs (hardier crops = less diseases and more food), I dislike Mosanto for being a bunch of dickheads who've abused the patent system and sued farmers into oblivion, living up to the Standard Oil Robber Baron, twirling mustache stereotype that multinational corporations have.

This is exactly it. GMOs, in and of themselves, are good. It's what the corporations that patent them are doing that's bad.

And if you think about it, humans have been genetically modifying plants for over 10,000 years. It's called agriculture. It's only recently that we've become way better at it.

Thanks for the answers. The majority of protestors were holding signs agaisnt GMOs, something I am for.

When you think about, it's because GMO has only been bad for the farming community. What good is strong harvest this year if you can't plant next year?

I'm only against Monsanto's GMOs due to independent research stating the problems Monsanto's GMOs cause.

I'm not against GMOs in general, only Monsanto's ones (Or the current ones we have)

Here's a link to get a better understanding of the situation.

http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/the10-gmo-myths-that-monsanto-wants-you-to-believe-07202013

Wait a minute. March Against Monsanto on Russia Today? Why?

Oh, it's a global march. Though not, apparently, in Russia. And the link is all advocacy and scaremongering, not news reporting. There is no questioning of anyone's claims, no demands for evidence, no attempt to prove that GMO products have anything to do with the bee kills or Agent Orange. And I am not a fan of Monsanto or untested GMO, just not a fan of being yanked around by the powers that be either.