Venezuela bans GMOs

[theoceansnerves]

CARACAS, April 21, 2004 (Venezuelanalysis.com) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias has announced that the cultivation of genetically modified crops will be prohibited on Venezuelan soil, possibly establishing the most sweeping restrictions on transgenic crops in the Western Hemisphere. Though full details of the administration’s policy on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are still forthcoming, the statement by President Chavez will lead most immediately to the cancellation of a contract that Venezuela had negotiated with the U.S.-based Monsanto Corporation.

Before a recent international gathering of supporters in Caracas, President Chavez admonished genetically engineered crops as contrary to interests and needs of the nation’s farmers and farmworkers. He then zeroed in on Monsanto’s plans to plant up to 500,000 acres of transgenic soybeans in Venezuela.

“I ordered an end to the project,” said President Chavez, upon learning that transgenic crops were involved. “This project is terminated.”

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1254

[Webster Green]

1. Great news!

The International community is increasingly turning against GMOs.

Another blow to the head of the US corporate-fascists.

[acmavm]

2. Well, one more reason for the bush* administration to call Chavez

an evil dictator who represses his people. He won't support Monsanto's efforts to control the world food supply.

[amazona]

3. good for him...when our U.S. butterflies are extinct...

...thanks to Monsanto, at least the better-heeled among us will be able to travel to Venezuela and see some. I just wish I knew how Monsanto had brain-washed so many people in the U.S. to believe that a cheap genetically modified "Roundup Ready" animal feed is a health food!

[treepig]

4. care to explain how the all-powerful monsanto

is causing our butterflies to go extinct?

perhaps they're also responsible for such unpleasantries as celine dion and brussels sprouts?

[AbsolutMauser]

6. Some GMO Corn was deadly to butterflies

But less than 2% of current GMO corn in the United States uses the genes that produce the toxin. The bad gene has been replaced by substitutes which do not have the negative effect on Monarchs.

~AbM

[treepig]

7. sure, when they were kept in the lab and given that as their only food

in the wild, where the monarchs had a choice of food sources, no butterflies were ever harmed by bt-containing gm crops (in fact, bt-toxin crops are purposefully planted with reservoirs of non-gm crops to provide a palatable food source for bugs in attempts to avoid the development of bt-resistance insects).

for some reason - blatant intellectual dishonest is suppose, the anti-gmo crop chooses to focus on only half (or less) of the story, much like the bush crowd does with many science-related matters. doesn't help their credibility much, but hysterical shrieking always does attract more media attention however

[NickB79]

8. GM crops are the least of the butterflie's worries right now

Seeing as how many times more monarch butterflies die annually from loss of overwintering forest habitat in Mexico than are killed from ALL other causes, the monarchs would still become extinct even if GM crops had never been invented. This is like worrying about a cut on your finger when you've just had your legs blown off! Which wounds are more lethal, and deserve more immediate attention?

[amazona]

9. i'm worried about habitat loss in the U.S.

As far as butterflies, what has me concerned is the huge habitat loss in the U.S. If you go out in a soy area, it is agricultural desert. It is not just a matter of Monarchs. They are all gone, the butterflies, the wildflowers, even the birds. When you see an area so dead that you don't even encounter a Mockingbird for miles, that is scary and that is soy. It's good that action was taken quickly on the toxin that affected Monarchs, and it's good to be aware of habitat loss in other nations, but my question is this -- if we are not concerned with the habitat loss in our own country, I don't see how we can sit there and tell Mexico much less Venezuela anything. Maybe I raised this issue in the wrong thread -- the threat is not necessarily GMs versus nonGMs (to my mind although clearly Chavez disagrees). The threat is the huge areas of agricultural wasteland which is what soy-growing areas become. Visit an area where soy is grown and see for yourself. It's the dead zone.

[NNadir]

10. This is an excellent point.

Agricultural production as practiced right now is not sustainable.

This is a very serious environmental problem and is intimately linked not only to issues of habitat and species diversity as you've noted, but also to issues of soil depletion, the use of water resources, and of course, energy.

This is a matter that needs careful examination. The 1930's dustbowl was merely a shot across the bow. It can certainly happen again.

[NickB79]

11. My father still grows 50 acres of soybeans

He used to grow conventional soybeans, but over the past 5 yrs has converted to Roundup-Ready soybeans. You are right, it is a virtual dead-zone for wildlife, even before the Roundup-Ready soybeans were used.

[AbsolutMauser]

5. Do they consider the economic impact

What about the economic impact of reducing crop yields? If competing countries allow transgenic crops, and produce greater yields, the Venezuelan farmers could suffer in the market.

~AbM

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

12. go upscale

Then they can start selling it (for hugely inflated prices) under the "Organic non-gmo Hugo Chavez" brand at upscale food botiques across the US.

[govegan]

13. Viva Chavez!

The GMO scam is such a total waste.