12-05-2008 14:38

Here is more info on decreased yields and increased pesticide demand--fortunately you can buy it from your biotech seed source--I ask you: who really benefits from gm seeds? The starving in Africa or elsewhere or Biotech Multinationals? 
 
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=83242-isaaa-friends-of-the-earth-biotech-productivity-pesticides 
 
Biotech reports spark debate over potential benefits 
By Laura Crowley 
13-Feb-2008  
 
"Friends of the Earth International's GMO coordinator in Nigeria, Nnimmo Bassey said: "GM crops have failed to deliver the long-promised benefits of the biotech industry. Instead, increased pesticide use caused by these crops threatens the environment and communities around the world." 
 
The environmental campaigners also said the growing use of biotech applications has not increased yields nor will they help combat hunger. Moreover, the organization said GMOs are being rejected in Europe, and their popularity is not increasing. 
...... 
It said that the majority of GM crops currently commercialized are destined for animal feed in industrialized nations rather than for feeding the poor. GM crops, as part of the intensive farming model, contribute to small farmers losing their land and livelihoods and do not alleviate poverty. 
 
Moreover, it said GM crops do not yield more than other crops. It attributed the US Department of Agriculture as saying there is no GM crop on the market that has been modified to increase yields. It considers the main factors influencing crop yield to be weather, irrigation and fertilizers, soil quality and farmers' management skills. 
...... 
 
However, Friends of the Earth claimed that GM crops are failing in Europe, with less than 2 percent of the total maize grown in the EU being genetically modified. Furthermore, it pointed out that five EU countries have now banned Monsanto's maize because of growing evidence of its negative environmental impact.  
 
It added that a review of biotechnology in the European Union in 2007 suggested the GM crop sector is not performing well.

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