"Monsanto, a US based multinational biotech company, is causing a stir by its plan to patent pig-breeding techniques including the claim on animals born by the techniques. 'Agricultural experts are scrambling to assess how these patents might affect the market, while consumer activists warn that if the company is granted pig-related patents, on top of its tight rein on key feed and food crops, its control over agriculture could be unprecedented. "We're afraid that Monsanto and other big companies are getting control of the world's genetic resources," said Christoph Then, a patent expert with Greenpeace in Germany. The patent applications, filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization, are broad in scope, and are expected to take several years and numerous rewrites before approval.'"
Oh, I don't know.....it may be changing for the not better!
Damn, good to see you back. How's the morel hunting?
formatting link
crops don't boost yields, report finds
UCS Report: Failure To YieldFor years, the agricultural biotech industry has trumpeted that it will feed the world, promising that its genetically engineered crops will produce higher yields. That promise has proven to be empty, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Despite over 20 years of research and 13 years of commercialization, genetic engineering has failed to significantly increase U.S. crop yields. Yield increases over the last decade have been largely due to traditional breeding and conventional agriculture improvements. "The biotech industry has spent billions on research and public relations hype, but genetically engineered food and feed crops haven't enabled American farmers to grow significantly more crops per acre of land," said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a biologist in the UCS Food and Environment Program and author of the report. "In comparison, traditional breeding continues to deliver better results." The report, "Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops," reviewed the three most common GM food and feed crops in the U.S. -- herbicide-tolerant soybeans, herbicide-tolerant corn and insect-resistant corn (Bt corn) -- and evaluated the overall effect genetic engineering has on crop yields compared to other agricultural technologies. The report recommends that USDA increase research and development for proven approaches to boost crop yields, including sustainable and organic farming.
Hmmmmm........makes me think that humanitarian issues aren't the goal behind the monsatano et al. research and practices, eh?
formatting link
Charlie
?We will depend on them for every seed we grow, every crop we grow, and if they control seed they control food, they know it. It?s strategic. It?s more powerful than bombs, it?s more powerful than guns.? Vandana Shiva in India
?If you control the oil you control the country; if you control the food you control the population.? ? Henry Kissinger
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.