Betrayal at the E.U.: Commission Approves Sale Of Monsanto’s Gmo Roundup Ready Soybeans
In a surprise move the E.U. Commission has approved the sale of Monsanto’s genetically modified soybeans, after extended debate over the use of the company’s signature herbicide Roundup delayed approval for months.
Environmental groups and food safety organizations expressed their dismay as the company continued to roll over governmental bodies around the world in order to push its products on people who don’t want them. World’s largest importer China approved the import of the company’s genetically modified soybeans earlier this year.
The GMO soybeans, marketed under the name Roundup Ready 2 Xtend, are designed to be resistant to both glyphosate and dicamba, the next generation of weed-killer the company has developed with other chemical companies in order to battle the superweeds their Roundup itself is responsible for creating in response to the profligate application of the herbicide.
And while glyphosate has been swirling in a sea of controversy after a World Health Organization research body found that it is a probably carcinogen, dicamba remains unapproved by the EPA, although testing is said to be in the late stages.
Following the commission’s approval, the soybeans are now legal to sell in the E.U., and to be used in both animal and human food, although they still cannot be planted. The approval lasts for ten years, although the E.U. issued a rather flaccid warning, stating that “…any products produced from these GMOs will be subject to the EU’s strict labeling and traceability rules.”
Which is a little bit like warning a kid not to play with matches after he’s already burned down your house.
For its part, Monsanto couldn’t help but gloat a little bit:
“With both the E.U. and Chinese import approvals and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the final stages of review for over-the-top use, Monsanto can now look forward to a full system launch in the United States in 2017 and continues to be in a strong position to supply roughly 15 million U.S. soy acres when the selling season arrives,” the company said in a press release.
The company added that by 2019 it planned to have around 55 million acres of the GMO crops growing in the U.S.
The E.U. approval also opens the door for grain trader and processors to allow GMO soy into their facilities–fears over the E.U. rejecting the genetically modified beans kept them locked out in recent months.
So welcome to our brave new world, where the legally bribed officials who sit on commissions and roam the halls of government can decide against the wishes of millions and in favor of their well-connected buddies in the business of selling us poisoned food created in a lab.
Next up prepare for the battle to get approval for dicamba to be used on crops, despite the fact that is has been a known carcinogen since the 1960s.
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https://www.rt.com/news/352942-eu-approves-monsanto-soybeans/