Green Options

Honey bees are disappearing. The story has been in the news on and off since 2006, but for one reason or another, most people have paid little attention. And the situation is significantly dire.

In the European Union, there is only one permissible genetically-modified crop — and that is Monsanto’s MON 810 engineered corn.  But current law allows individual countries to bar the production of genetically-modified crops, and the MON 810 ban has been gaining momentum throughout the continent. This is despite the European Union’s continuous fight to force GM production, such as in the recent failed attempt to overturn Austria and Hungary’s ban.

Late last month, Luxembourg joined Hungary, France, Austria and Greece in banning Monsanto’s corn.  According to Luxembourg’s Health Minister Mars Di Bartolomeo, studies addressing the grain’s safety have failed to “conclude that MON810 is completely innocuous”.

Yesterday, Germany brought the number of dissenting countries to six by also banning MON 810.  German Agriculture Minister, Ilse Aigner, went a step beyond Luxembourg’s position, and stated outright that she feels “there are just reasons to assume that the genetically modified maize MON 810 represents a danger for the environment.”

On the table in the European Union yesterday was the question of MON 810 Maize, a genetically-modified type of of corn.  Developed by the United States-based Monsato Company, MON 810 releases an insecticide intended to kill European corn borer larvae before the pests can harm the plant.  Although the engineered corn is currently approved for cultivation in the European Union, individual member-states within the EU have the authority to enact bans against growing GM crops.

Hungary, Austria, Greece and France have already made a stand against MON 810 by completely banning its cultivation within their borders.  But yesterday, the European Commission attempted to reverse Hungary and Austria’s ban.

Many of my friends and family members have struggled with fertility issues.

Whether the cause is hormone disrupting chemicals, the pill, or aging mothers, the issue of infertility is complex and probably compounded by a variety of factors.  According to a new study, you can add genetically engineered corn to the list of causes of infertility.

An Austrian study released in November 2008 has found that GM corn has a damaging effect upon the reproductive system of mice.

Hats off to Derry Brownfield, a Missouri radio broadcaster who spoke truth to Monsanto’s power and, as a result, lost his access to the broadcast studio in a company he co-founded.

The Corporate Crime Reporter tells the story in great detail, but here’s the tale in a nutshell:

Thirty-five years ago, Brownfield and Clyde Lear established Learfield Communications, now one of the top college sports radio broadcasters in the U.S. Lear bought out Brownfield in 1985, but Brownfield continued to broadcast for the company from its studios, eventually hosting a daily show called The Common Sense Coalition. On that show, he recently started assailing Monsanto, the multinational king of genetically modified crops and a company known for going after farmers who knowingly or unknowingly grow Monsanto-patented crops.