Saturday, April 6, 2013

Maria Rodale: The Virus in Our Food Supply

President George Washington once said, "It is miserable for a farmer to be obliged to buy his seeds; to exchange seeds may, in some cases, be useful; but to buy them after the first year is disreputable."

Now, I'm all for making money, but profits should never be made at the expense of human health, fairness, and our food system. Unfortunately, this is happening right before our eyes.

I have many reasons for being against GMOs: They've been linked to an increase in pesticide use, the proliferation of superweeds, our bee population decline, and an array of adverse health effects like immune problems, reproductive health issues, and behavioral abnormalities. But added to that list are the disturbing practices of agricultural giant Monsanto, which, in its relentless pursuit of profits no matter what, has dedicated countless hours and dollars to persecuting and prosecuting U.S. farmers for "patent infringements."

I won't get started on how wrong I think it is to be able to patent living organisms, but I will say this: If the wind carries a GMO seed onto a farmer's land and takes root there, it's the farmer (if anyone) who should have reason to prosecute, not the seed company. And yet, Monsanto has been allowed to sue farmers for growing its seeds without paying for them.

This is the height of ridiculousness.

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Maria Rodale: The Virus in Our Food Supply

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