A few years ago I became really interested in the subject of genetic engineering when I learned how much GMO foodstuff crap is on our supermarket shelves here in the United States and how quietly it has been allowed to become part of the American diet despite our absolute lack of consent. Supermarkets here say such corn and tomato products do not differ in any way from the natural varieties--also official USDA policy--and they have no means of preventing it from coming on the shelves. This is a lot of bullshit because an American supermarket chain doing business in the UK, for example, is not allowed to stock GMO products on its shelves over there and is able to take action to comply with the law.
Well, now from Der Spiegel comes an article about the mass number of deaths occurring in the bee populations and how it could become a world crisis because we need bees to pollinate our plants and create food, etc. The bee population in the United States where thousands and thousands of acres of land are given over to the growth of genetically modified plants is also being decimated; some are referring to it as the bee AIDS.
Now researchers are looking to see if it is genetically modified corn and other plants introduced into our environment that are causing these deaths, that a poison has been created from the "Frankenscience" that is proving fatal to bees.
No doubt big agribusiness will try to obfuscate the facts if this proves the case and we will have to take action to end the 'experimenting' on Mother Nature. When I read articles like this, I am glad the European Union for all its problems and flaws is growing in power. I think Europeans are more aware of the dangers in this area than we are and will, through their actions, move us away from our dangerous indifference.
3 comments:
http://Antonio37500.bebo.com
Actually, countries that don't grow GM crops (like Germany - they effectively grow no GM crops there) are also losing a large number of their bees. That pretty much exonerates GM-crops.
Most entomologists think the bee die-off is being caused by Asian mites or microbial diseases. (And the bees that are dying are incredibly inbred - they're domesticated bees, not wild bees)
http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/04/13/colony-collapse-disorder-a-moment-for-reflection/
http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/info/info/enviro/the-need-for-organic-beek.shtml
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