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In defense of their agricultural methods, big companies
in the GMO industry claim that GMOs are going to solve world hunger and are
needed to feed the world. In reality, the majority of GMO crops don’t even go
to feeding people. Only 2% of GMO soy is consumed by humans, and only 10% of
corn ends up being directly used in foods, with about half of that being in the
form of high fructose corn syrup. Most GMO corn is processed into gums, pastes,
additives, fillers, ethanols and other products. The real push of genetic
engineering is not to make third world agriculture more productive or to feed
more people, but to generate profits. GMO technology has become an industry
controlled by a few large profit hungry companies.
These large
biotech companies and their patents are gaining more and more control over the
nations seed supply. It is rather
challenging to invent a method that would only give the benefits of genetically
modified organisms to the buyer of the product because the reproduction of
plants is a natural process. Yet, Monsanto has found a way to protect its
technology by creating seeds that produce infertile crops. This “terminator” or
“suicide” seed makes it necessary for farmers to buy seeds annually from the
biotech company. Another one of Monsanto’s popular GM technologies that
creates a dependency upon the company is “Roundup Ready” soybeans, seeds that
are tolerant to Monsanto’s herbicide roundup. Because Monsanto has patented the
Roundup Ready soybean, farmers who purchase seeds from the company must sign a
licensing agreement, agreeing to use the seeds for only one season, to not give
the seeds to anyone else for planting, to not save second-generation seeds for
replanting, and to not use or distribute the seeds for breeding or research
purposes. Farmers traditionally save seeds from a harvest for replanting, which
saves them the cost of buying new seeds and reduces their dependence on seed
vendors. Monsanto’s is doing its best to stop this practice, wanting that
steady stream of revenue from farmers who must purchase seeds every year.
The
domination of the seed market by big agribusiness affects farmers growing GM
and non-GM crops alike. Under the licensing agreement, farmers are allowed to
sell second-generation seeds to local grain elevators, where GM and non-GM
seeds are mixed and sold in bulk without restriction. With the popularity of GM
seeds, this practice makes it harder for farmers to avoid purchasing GMOs. “Roundup
Ready” soybeans now account for 94% of soybeans in circulation. GM
contamination is another huge concern for farmers trying to avoid GMOs,
especially organic farmers who can lose their government-issued organic
certification if contamination is discovered. Wind or wildlife can carry seeds
into the fields of neighboring farms, where they grow among non-GM crops
without the farmer ever even knowing. Though the farmer never intended to plant
GM seeds, this still violates Monsanto’s licensing agreement. Many farmers are
worried about being sued for patent infringement if GM seeds contaminate their
fields. Expensive legal fees make it difficult to defend against a lawsuit, and
if a court orders a farmer to pay monetary damages, the financial results can
be devastating.
The principle technologies on the market today reflect the
need of biotechnology companies to intensify farmers' dependence upon seeds
protected by "intellectual property rights", which conflict directly
with the age-old rights of farmers to reproduce, share or store seeds. Now that
these companies have a lot of dependence, they’ve also started to raise the
price of their seeds. Biotechnology companies are determined to extract the
most profit from their investment as possible by controlling crops from
seed to sale and forcing farmers to pay inflated prices for seed-chemical
packages.
Works Cited
Altieri, Miguel A. ,
and Peter Rosset. "Ten Reasons Why Biotechnology will not Help the
Developing World." AgBioForum . University of California,
Berkeley & Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, n.d. Web.
11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.agbioforum.org/v2n34/v2n34a03-altieri.htm>.
Cooney, Scott. "The Economic Argument Against
GMOs: a Top Ten List." The
Inspired Economist. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://inspiredeconomist.com/2013/02/26/economic-argument-against-gmo/>.
Wright, Kristi. "GMO patents squeeze small
farmers." Rogue Valley
Community Press. N.p., 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://rvcommunitypress.com/2013/03/gmo-patents-squeeze-small-farmers/>.
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