ROUNDUP READY CROPS
Roundup Ready crops are crops that have been genetically modified to be immune to a herbicide called Roundup, produced by Monsanto. Its active ingredient is glyphosate that was patented in the 1970s. Roundup is widely used by farmers in their fields and by the general public growing vegetation on a small scale. As, Roundup Ready plants are resistant to the herbicide Roundup, farmers who plant the Roundup Ready seeds must use Roundup to prevent other weeds from growing in their fields.
The first Roundup Ready crops were developed in 1996, by Monsanto. They first developed genetically modified soybeans that are resistant to Roundup to help farmers control weeds. As the new crops are resistant to Roundup, the herbicide can be used in the fields to prevent the growth of unwanted weeds. Roundup Ready seeds have been developed for a wide variety of crops including soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum. Roundup Ready crop seeds have notoriously been referred to as "terminator seeds" because the crops produced from these Roundup Ready seeds are sterile. Every year, farmers must purchase the most recent strain of seed from Monsanto and they cannot reuse their best seed as the resulting crops are sterile.
Many farmers have started using Roundup Ready crops on a regular basis, as indicated by a recent news article, funded by Monsanto, which suggests they have become so reliant on Roundup that they may be weakening its ability to control weeds. Farmers are now being encouraged to use multiple herbicides to prevent this vicious cycle. However, it is still unclear what impact this will have on the use of Roundup Ready crops, which are only resistant to Roundup. It has become increasingly difficult for farmers to ...
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...e are several complex issues that require resolving prior to implementation. The target of most labeling efforts is food products that contain genes artificially inserted from another organism. However, in some legislative proposals, the term “genetically modified” is more broadly defined to include a variety of techniques that were used by plant breeders and farmers well before the GE era. The commonly accepted threshold level is 1 percent. In other words, if any ingredient of a product has more than one percent GE content, then the product needs labeling. One percent is the threshold level used in Australia and New Zealand while the European Union has decided on a level of 0.9 percent. Japan has a five percent threshold but thresholds as low as 0.01 percent have been recommended. However, the biological reasoning for such a requirement has not been demonstrated.
Monsanto Company are a public American multinational agricultural and agrochemical biotechnology corporation who leads in the production of genetically engineered seeds. Founded by John Queeny in 1901, the organization initially produced industrial chemicals such as sulphuric acid and plastics, including polystyrene and synthetic fibres. It was not until 1983, where the company was among the first to genetically modify a plant cell and conduct field trials of genetically modified crops. This scientific breakthrough shifted the company 's corporate focus towards the agricultural industry with the implementation of biotechnology. The company’s primary line of products consist of herbicides and genetically modified seeds.1
Over Monsanto’s corporate timeline, they have been accused of many crimes, one of them being fraudulent statements or false advertising. In 1976, Monsanto launched a weed killer called Roundup. It “became the world’s top-selling herbicide (Derricks).” Monsanto was then sued
Why we should ban GMO’s? In GMOs 101 Stephen H. Howell, director the Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa State University, stated “Other GM plants, such as Roundup Ready corn, were created to survive the spraying of the herbicide Roundup, which kills weeds and would normally kill the plant, too”. It tells how some crops were made to survive herbicide sprays that would normally kill the plant, like Roundup. Think about that for a minute, the plant can withstand round up, which is deadly to humans, should anyone really be consuming
In an argument, the lawyer representing Monsanto Company stated that the amount of arable land around the world is quickly dwindling. This means that it is time to take extra drastic measures to improve food safety throughout the world. Genetically modified seeds and related chemicals offer the best solution for such food safety concerns and thus the company was right to make such investments. This idea comes from recent realization of a robust population boom throughout the world, an inability for traditional agricultural practices and seeds to withstand changing climatic systems. Modification of the seed’s genetic material to withstand climatic and other environmental threats seems to be a viable solution to the challenge.
One of the most prominent crops in the GMO industry is Bt corn. The Bt pesticide stands for Bacillus Thuringiensis. Scientists transferred the Bt gene into the corn to create a crop that produces its own pesticides. As the corn matures, it grows stronger poi...
Monsanto is a multinational agricultural and agrochemical biotechnology corporation based in America and is the largest producer of genetically engineered seeds. Monsanto argues that using science and newfound research to create genetically modified food is necessary in order to save our world from starvation. Eduardo Blumwald, a professor of cell biology and employee for Monsanto, says that genetically modified food could be “the only viable solution we have for our future” (Ostrander 24) where it is predicted that the temperature and population will soar. Blumwald argues that without genetically engineering food to produce under high temperatures with little water, the world could potentially starve in this predicted future. Yet regardless of “biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit” (“GMO Facts”). Instead, Monsanto genetically modifies food to resist RoundUp, a pesticide the company has created to kill any plants or bugs other than the genetically engineered crop. According to the World Health Organization, this pesticide “is a probable human carcinogen” (“GMOs”) due to glyphosate, a
Next, companies that refuse the use of genetic modifications on their foods must begin to label foods that do not contain GMOs so that consumers can be sure of their safety, even if others that contain GMOs do not label. Due to this labeling, there will be an exposure to which foods are natural because the foods that are the most appealing will have “the ‘Non-GMO Project Verified’ seal [in order] to help shoppers recognize which products meet rigorous GMO avoidance practices” (“Whole Foods Market”).
Food is an essential part of everyday life without it one could not survive. Every day we make choices on what we put in to our bodies. There are countless varieties of food to choose from to meet the diverse tastes of the increasing population. Almost all food requires a label explaining the ingredients and the nutritional value allowing consumers to make informed decisions on what they are consuming. However, many may not be considering where that food is coming from or how it has been produced. Unfortunately, there is more to food than meets the eye. Since 1992, “ the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled, based on woefully limited data, that genetically modified foods were ‘substantially equivalent’ to their non-GM counterparts” (Why to Support Labeling). GM food advocates have promised to create more nutritious food that will be able to grow in harsh climate conditions and eventually put an end to world hunger in anticipation of the growing population. There is very little evidence to support these claims and study after study has proven just the opposite. GM crops are not only unsafe to consume, but their growing practices are harmful to the environment, and multinational corporations are putting farmers out of business.
Monsanto scrutinizes neighboring farms, practicing their right to enforce their patent and contract. What they take into account and chose to ignore is that their genetic product is natural and cannot be controlled completely. Monsanto’s patent allows them to prosecute neighboring farms for any concentration of their patented genetic code in their crops, regardless of whether a farmer knowingly involved themselves in infringement or was the victim of natural pollination. Barlett and Steele cite the increasing number of legal cases and settlements as means of pressuring contracted farmers to follow procedure and of allegedly pressuring uncontracted farmers to sign with Monsanto to avoid
With all of the controversy surrounding GMO foods: health versus biodiversity; benefits versus dangers; pros versus cons, a topic that always arises is the subject of labeling. Labeling has been a matter of discussion for years and
Monsanto have developed many different varieties of sustainable seeds by genetically modifying them in order to give them specific characteristics. Some of these are making them resistant to pesticides growing bigger, etc. This can benefit farmers greatly as it can help feed animals and have higher yields of crops by overcoming common problems that would hold them back especially in poorer countries where bad yields or not enough rainfall can devastate people and lead to famines such as in West Africa, in 2012 where insect infestation and general bad yield meant 18 million people were facing starvation. [http://www.oxfam.org/en/emergencies] (Online) (accessed 12 May). The environment also benefits in a number of ways with GMOs, agriculture accounts for 80% of deforestation around the world;...
Nature practices diversity and for good reason. In nature and organic farming, if there is a threat to one species, there are others to balance the decrease in the threatened species. Conventional farmers and the modern food industry argue that planting the same crop year after year is convenient and profitable because it cuts down on the different types of farm equipment necessary in production, and initially, on the types of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers needed. However, in this unnatural environment, tremendous amounts of pesticides and fertilizers are needed to support crops as increased resistance occurs year after year (Pollan 72).... ...
Meanwhile, detrimental effects of GM seeds might outweigh their benefits. There is lack of researches that can gauge the long-term effects of GM seeds on humans and animals’ health. Critics blame glyphosate which is the main ingredient of Roundup herbicide for causing harm to farmers’ health and also the surroundings because of its lasting residues. In addition to the drawbacks of GM seeds, organic farmers stated that GM products will contaminate their conventional seeds and the combination between those seeds can create mutative one which poses a threat to the
The U.S. food and drug administration defines the term genetically modified organisms as "used by scientists to denote a living organism, that have been genetically modified, By inserting a gene from an unrelated species". In other words, they describe GMOs as an organism which has been inserted with a gene from an unrelated species. It is evident that the majority of American farmers utilize biotech seeds, because of the risks that the insect-resistant and herbicide-resistant traits help reduce. GMOs make the life of a farmer much easier as they do not have to worry about rushing to spray herbicides, keeping weeds out, or worrying about insects damaging crops and having to spray pesticides. For instance, Brian Scott, a farmer in Indiana, when corn root worms start indulging on his organic crops, the worms will cause significant damage before he can react accordingly and eliminate the problem with the use of chemicals.
“Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.” ERS/USDA Data. Web. 12 May 2012. .