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Sunday, 25 July 2010

Videos: Monsanto and GM

This article shows two videos about Monsanto and genetic modification (GM). The first film is a trailer: The world according to Monsanto, an award winning investigative documentary.  The second video clip is by Greenpeace explaining why biodiversity needs to be protected and why GM as practised by Monsanto (and others, but Monsanto has a 90% share in the market) threatens biodiversity, food security, and sustainable agriculture.

The world according to Monsanto

The film le monde selon Monsanto (The world according to Monsanto) is an award winning documentary produced and directed by French journalist Marie-Monique Robin, which was first broadcast in March 2008 on the Franco-German TV channel Arte TV.  Below is a trailer for the film:



This film exposes the sordid history of Monsanto which is a chemical company first and foremost, and has reinvented itself as a seed company.

Monsanto is responsible for creating the likes of Roundup and other herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, Agent Orange nerve gas, the growth hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST, also known as rBGH, banned in Europe since 2000), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and of course genetic engineering and genetic modification (including creating "terminator genes" and plants resistant to Monsanto pesticides), lobbying of governments, suing farmers whose crops have been contaminated by Monsanto GM seeds, making cotton farmers bankrupt through GM cotton ("Bt" cotton), buying up seed companies worldwide, and so on.

This description only scratches the surface, it is best to watch the film for more information, if you have not already watched it.

The World According to Monsanto DVD is available to buy on the Arte Boutique, which is part of the Arte TV website.  It is available in French, German, and English language versions.

The accompanying book, also written by Marie-Monique Robin, is also available for purchase.

The video is also available on the internet, for example here.  Note that le monde selon Monsanto (The World According to Monsanto) is copyright © Arte TV 2008.

Genetic Engineering: The world's greatest scam?

Below is the Greenpeace video clip on Genetic Engineering:



In March 2008, Greenpeace also produced a factsheet on Monsanto called "Monsanto's 7 deadly sins", you can read it here.

5 comments so far. What are your thoughts?

  1. GM companies are toxic chemical producers who do not know how to cultivate the land and produce food! And they want to feed the world?? Don't make me laugh!

    It's like saying that pharmaceutical (chemicals again!)companies will heal people! Utter nonsense!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Check out the Navdanya movement in India, the fiercest fighter of Monsanto and GM. The movement stands for organic food production, biodiversity, women centered and fair trade among others.

    Also please listen to Vandana Siva's speech about the future of seeds and food security which are threatened by Monsanto.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jeffrey Smith (bestseller author on GMO-s)has 2 books on the issue:
    Seeds of Deception and
    Genetic Roulette
    I urge you to read one of them.

    On his site, "Seeds of Deception",you can get more information about GMO-s and the dangers of drinking rbGH treated milk.

    http://www.seedsofdeception.com/Public/Home/index.cfm

    GM is already present in the EU and the UK!
    There are certain countries that have a ban on GM crops and animals, others have a moratorium on them and atm the UK has none!

    http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/

    There is a huge pressure on governments and EU officials to allow the production and sale of GM crops and animals!
    Please educate yourself about the issue and do whatever you can to keep GMO-s out of Europe!

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.dowagro.com/newsroom/corporatenews/2010/20100730a.htm

    so, here it is!
    the EU approved the import of GM maize (Monsanto's round-up ready corn as well!) for human consumption, animal feed, and processing.

    grave news, lobbying paid off, and the rest will follow very shortly.

    i hope they will at least label it properly, but what about animal products? all of us should just go vegetarian??

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am a vegan so do bypass all animal products in response to the above. However I do not feel that this makes me safe. Yes you can read the labels but then we have to question whether a company willing to do the things mentioned in the video really would label correctly? Remeber, the do not want to waste one dollar.....

    ReplyDelete

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