Germany Bans Genetically Modified Corn

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Germany Bans Genetically Modified Corn

_http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/05/Germany-Bans-Gene\

tically-Modified-Corn.aspx_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/05/Germany-Bans-Gene

tically-Modified-Corn.aspx)

 

Germany has banned the cultivation of GM corn, arguing that the corn breed

MON 810 is dangerous for the environment. But that argument might not

stand up in court, and Germany could face fines totaling millions of euros if

Monsanto decides to challenge the prohibition.

 

Under the new regulations, the cultivation of MON 810, a GM corn produced

by Monsanto, will be prohibited in Germany. A clause in EU law allows

individual countries to impose such bans. Environmental groups welcomed the

ban,

pointing out that numerous scientific studies demonstrated GM corn was a

danger to the environment.

 

However, it may be hard to prove conclusively that MON 810 damages the

environment, which could enable Monsanto to win a court case opposing the ban.

Monsanto has said that it would look as quickly as possible into whether

it would begin legal proceedings.

 

MON 810 had been the only GM crop that could be grown in Germany. The

plant produces a toxin to fight off a certain pest, the larvae of the corn

borer moth. MON 810 is already banned in five other EU member states: Austria,

Hungary, Greece, France and Luxembourg.

 

Sources:

_Spiegel Online April 14, 2009_

(http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,618913,00.html)

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

 

Germany has now become the sixth country in the European Union to take a

stand against GM corn -- a wise move that unfortunately the United States

has yet to do.

 

Whereas close to 9,000 acres slated to be planted with MON 810 corn in Germ

any will now be GM-free (assuming the ban stands up in court if

necessary), the acres to be planted with GM corn in the U.S. is in the tens of

millions.

 

German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner announced she was banning not only

the cultivation of GM corn but also the sale of its seeds, saying she had

“legitimate reasons to believe that MON 810 posed a danger to the

environment. "

 

 

Why GM Corn is Dangerous

 

French Professor Gilles-Eric Seralini, molecular endocrinologist at the

University of Caen and a member of two French government commissions

evaluating GM food, found that MON 810, along with several other varieties of

GM

crops, showed statistically significant problems in animal studies that

regulators have not pursued with follow-up research.

 

Seralini said the effects of the GM crops were similar to that of

pesticides, including inflammation disorders, and problems with livers and

kidneys,

two major organs involved with detoxification.

 

Further, biology professor Bela Darvas of Hungary‘s Debrecen University

discovered that Monsanto’s Mon 810 is lethal to two Hungarian protected

species and one insect classified as rare. Now _Monsanto_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/07/Monsantos-Many-At\

tempts-to-Destroy-A

ll-Seeds-but-Their-Own.aspx) refuses to give him any more Mon 810 corn to

use in his tests. They also refused his request for Mon 863, another GM

variety.

 

So not only has MON 810 been shown to cause serious damage to animals, but

it may also wipe out protected plant and insect species. Of course, adding

to the potential devastation is the fact that corn is a wind-pollinated

plant, which means it depends on the wind for pollination.

 

While growers of GM food often say their crops will be contained and

unable to contaminate nearby fields, from an environmental perspective

contamination between GM and non-GM crops is generally acknowledged to be

unavoidable.

 

Really what can stop wind, tornadoes or other weather from blowing or

transporting GM pollen or seeds over onto non-GM crops?

 

Not a whole lot.

 

So by planting even a few thousand acres of land with GM crops, there’s a

very real possibility that a much greater area could become contaminated

with the altered seeds, and subject to the potential health and environmental

insults as a result.

 

The United States government‘s support for biotech is no secret. In fact,

it is the official policy in several U.S. agencies to promote the industry,

and some of them have attempted to push acceptance of GM crops in Europe

-- but let’s hope they continue to hold out.

 

MON 810 was currently the only GM crop approved for cultivation in

Germany, so in choosing to ban GM corn, Germany will become an entirely GM-free

country -- a wise, wise move.

 

Of course, it’s not just GM corn that’s the issue here; all GM crops have

the potential to cause great, irreversible harm.

 

 

Are GM Crops Threatening the Future of Humankind?

 

GM crops routinely create unintended proteins, alter existing protein

levels, or even change the components and shape of the protein that is created

by the inserted gene.

 

This results in brand new proteins that have never before existed in food,

some of which may be causing _severe allergic reactions_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/01/genetically-modif\

ied-organisms-

are-a-looming-threat.aspx) .

 

Creating a GM crop can also produce massive changes in the natural

functioning of the plant‘s DNA. Native genes can be mutated, deleted,

permanently

turned on or off, or change their levels of protein expression. No one

knows how this will impact human health, but so far Jeffrey Smith has

documented at least 65 serious health risks related to GM foods.

 

Among them:

 

 

• Offspring of rats fed GM soy showed a five-fold increase in mortality,

lower birth weights, and the inability to reproduce

• Male mice fed GM soy had damaged young sperm cells

• The embryo offspring of GM soy-fed mice had altered DNA functioning

• Several US farmers reported sterility or fertility problems among pigs

and cows fed GM corn varieties

• Investigators in India have documented fertility problems, abortions,

premature births, and other serious health issues, including deaths, among

buffaloes fed GM cottonseed products

 

 

Austrian researchers have now also confirmed a direct link between a

decrease in fertility and a genetically modified diet. In order to protect the

health of humankind and the fertility of women around the world, GM

opponents are calling for an _immediate ban of all GM foods and GM crops_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/06/major-threat-to-h\

uman-fe

rtility-and-very-existence-of-human-life-on-earth.aspx) .

 

I agree with them wholly, as genetically modified foods are, from my

perception, one of the largest threats that we have against _the very

sustainability of the human race_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/01/genetically-modif\

ied-organisms-are-a-looming-threat.aspx) .

 

 

How to Ban GM Foods from Your Diet

 

You may not be able to single-handedly decide to ban GM crops in your

country the way Germany did, but as a consumer you do have power. You can

choose not to be a victim of deception, and you can choose what you feed your

family.

 

Large portions of Europe have already succeeded in removing GM foods out

of their food supply, forcing food manufacturers to use real ingredients in

their European product lines. But here in the United States we’re still

stuck with it to a very large degree.

 

Since GM foods do not need to be labeled in the United States, there are

two main tricks you can use to figure out if something is genetically

modified:

 

 

• Examine produce stickers on the fruits and vegetables you buy. The PLU

code for conventionally grown fruit consists of four numbers; organically

grown fruit has five numbers prefaced by the number nine; and GM fruit has

five numbers prefaced by the number eight.

 

• Buy organic as often as you can. By definition, food that is certified

organic must be free from all GM organisms.

 

 

Keep in mind, too, that soy, corn, cottonseed, and canola are four of the

crops most likely to be GM, and these are also ingredients commonly added

to virtually every processed food. So if you eat processed foods, be sure to

buy only organic varieties or, ideally, cut them largely out of your diet.

 

If more of us begin to refuse GM foods, food manufacturers will have no

choice but to listen.