martes, julio 23, 2013

Italy Moves To Ban Monsanto GMO Corn – 23 July 2013


ItalianflagMore news from Europe regarding GMOs, as Italy pushes to ban GMO corn from being cultivated in their country. This comes shortly after Monsanto dropped its bid to approve GMO crop cultivation in Europe, you can read more about that here. Due to harsh opposition and a plethora of activism, Monsanto is having a hard time as of late, harder than we’ve ever seen before. It is one of many indications that illustrates our ability to have an impact and start creating change on this planet, step by step. It’s clear what the masses no longer resonate with.
There aren’t many GM crops approved in Europe right now, in fact only two. That includes the MON810 maize, which Italy is now moving to ban. Three Italian ministries have have signed a document that will ban the maize, citing environmental concerns. The decree still needs to become binding, but it’s looking like it will. The ban was also signed off by the health and environmental ministries because the crop’s have a negative impact on biodiversity.

Our agriculture is based on biodiversity, on quality, and those we must continue to aim for  - Health and environment ministry
The response from the European Commission was as follows:
The commission will look into the Italian safeguard measure in more detail, and we have already asked the European Food Safety Authority to assess the scientific basis for the decision – Frederic Vincent, the Commission’s health spokesman
In Europe, any state that desires to ban or introduce safeguards against the cultivation of GMOs is allowed to do so, if they believe it presents an environmental or health risk. There is so much opposition to GMOs in Europe right now that Monsanto gave up the push for cultivating their crops there, except GMO corn. They will now home grow their food, and will then attempt to ship it over to Europe instead.
Hopefully a ban can happen in North America, as GMOs are banned all across the planet in many countries. North America is still struggling with just labelling GMOs!  At the end of the day, it comes down to making better choices in your life.
Nearly 80 percent of Italians are in support of the ban, but the ban will only be valid for a period of 18 months. We will see what happens after that. Five EU member states grew the MON810 maize in 2012, hopefully that number comes down to 0 soon. It’s nice to see so many steps forward with regards to GMOs lately. Let’s keep up the activism, and let’s continue to share information, educate the masses, and wake up the world!
Sources:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/us-italy-gmo-idUSBRE96B0OS20130712
http://naturalsociety.com/italy-ban-monsanto-gmo-corn-mon810-maize-80-percent-public-support/
http://occupymonsanto360.org/blog/italy-moves-to-ban-growing-of-genetically-modified-maize-type/
www.collective-evolution.com / link to original article