MEDIA BLACKOUT AS FRANCE AND RUSSIA BOTH ANNOUNCE MONSANTO GMO BANS BY NICK MEYER
Russia and France both announced their intention to ban GMO crops. PHOTO: Brecorder.com
When two of the most modernized and economically powerful countries in the world decide to ban a type of food crop that has made its way into roughly 70-80% or more of the U.S. food supply, you’d think it would be considered newsworthy.
But the United States media has missed the boat yet again on major happenings relating to GMO crops overseas.
Both Russia and France officially announced bans on Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops this past week, cementing their positions and upholding the will of the people in nations where public opinion is dead set on keeping the food and farming system natural.
“As far as genetically-modified organisms are concerned, we have made decision not to use any GMO in food productions,” Russia’s Deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich announced at worldwide conference on biotechnology in the Russian city of Kirov according to the website RT.
“This is not a simple issue, we must do very thorough work on division on these spheres and form a legal base on this foundation,” he said. Russia has announced similar plans in the past but the announcement feels even more official considering the wave of GMO bans sweeping Europe these days.
France Plans to “Opt-Out,” Stay GMO Free
Meanwhile France also announced its plans to stay GMO Free by opting exercising its “opt-out” clause through the European Union.
In total, five nations in Europe have announced plans to ban the growth of Monsanto’s GMOs within their borders including Germany, Scotland, Latvia, and Greece.
The crops are allowed to be grown within the European Union but each country has its own ability to opt-out.
As noted in this article from Eco Watch, France’s main concerns stem from the environmental risks created by the crops, which are capable of contaminating non-GMO crops via wind pollination and causing other harm, especially when used with the herbicide, glyphosate, they are designed to withstand.
Monsanto’s MON810 genetically engineered corn, the only crop of its kind allowed in Europe, is a specific threat to natural agriculture in the country because of this concern.
American Media Silent on GMO Bans
A quick Google News search turns up virtually no results for the bans by Russia and France, aside from a few scattered alternative news sites.
With more Americans than ever before learning about GMOs and making their own decisions on whether to include such foods in their diet, and a huge vote looming in the Senate over a possible ban on mandatory GMO labeling in America (click here to learn more and take action), you’d think the news giants like NBC, Fox News, CNN and others would be chomping at the bit to get this news out to their readers and viewers.
But alas, they have chosen not to cover these stories, once again giving the American people an incomplete picture about the ongoing food experiment that they never consented to in the first place.
Nick Meyer writes for March Against Monsanto and the website
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