Bee SAFE presents “Impacts of GMO Crops on our Farming Future” based on: GMO MYTHS AND TRUTHS An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops. 1
Report written by Genetic Engineers: Dr. Michael Antoniou, PhD is in molecular genetics at King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK. He has 28 years’ experience in the use of genetic engineering technology investigating gene organization and control, with over 40 peer reviewed publications of original work, and holds inventor status on a number of gene expression biotechnology patents. Dr. John Fagan, PhD holds a PhD in biochemistry and molecular and cell biology from Cornell University and is chief scientific officer of one of the world’s first GMO testing and certification company. Claire Robinson, MPhil, is research director at Earth Open Source and has a background in investigative reporting in public health, science and policy, and the environment. 2
Introduction Huguette Allen for Bee S.A.F.E (400 subscribers) that is part of: Local “Sustainable Environment Network Society” SENS Provincial GE FREE BC and National Canadian Biotechnology Action Network CBAN These organizations work towards sustainable farming & communities and for food security. 3
Hopes for this Presentation Clearer understanding of how GMO crops affect our agricultural future This is NOT against GMO farmers but FOR a sustainable farming future Solutions exist but will only be found if we understand the problems 4
Goals of this Presentation Follow up on presentation given Spring 2011 Very complex subject to be condensed in 10 minutes. Will address Impacts of GMO Crops on Farmers & our Communities and show why our future is at a junction Will not address GMO foods since we can only pass resolutions concerning what happens within our boundaries 5
GMO Crops at a glance 4 Major crops now grown in Canada, 3 in RDNO, major one is corn ● GMO apple, alfalfa, wheat, trees are next to be approved in Canada ● GMO farmers sign contract agreements with corporations ● GMO farmers cannot own their seeds but must purchase seeds and chemicals ● yearly from corporations who, from then on, own the means of production. Corporations create GMO to own patents on plants. ● 6
Co-Existence between GM and non GM crops is IMPOSSIBLE (GMO Myths and Truths) Contrary to Corporation's early assurances, GM crops cross-pollinate with organic and conventional crops AND also with wild and cultivated plants of same family. Canola is in the brassica family that includes cabbage, cauliflower, kale, broccoli as well as wild mustard. Hard corn with Sweet corn. Organic and conventional farmers can no longer guarantee the purity of the seeds and plants grown in areas where GMO plants of the same family are grown. 7
Genetically Modified Crop on the Loose and Evolving in U.S. Midwest ERIE COUNTY, OH – Bayer Admits It Cannot Control GE Crop Contamination Results of GMO Contamination range from: ● plants' inability to take up needed nutrients ● plants' resistance to antibiotics (due to antibiotic marker gene used in lab) that is passed on to animals and people ● destruction of biodiversity ● resistance to pesticides, creating Super weeds 8
Super Weeds GM canola passed its glyphosate-tolerance (Roundup) genes to wild mustard and others, turning them into difficult-to-control superweeds. As Roundup stops working, even more toxic chemicals such as 2,4-d are approved - polluting the air, water and soil. 9
GMO crops increase Pollution & Problems GM crops have increased pesticide use by 383 million pounds in the US in the first 13 years of their introduction. Roundup persists in the environment, has toxic effect on wildlife and humans, increases plant disease, notably Fusarium, a fungus that causes sudden death and wilt in soy plants and is toxic to humans and livestock. (GMO Myths and Truths) 10
GMO Crops - Impacts on Farmers Contamination has already severely impacted non GMO farmers. They have lost many export markets and suffer lower yields due to superweeds. Canada's annual $300 Million canola export to EU disappeared due to GM contamination. 11
GMO Crops - Impacts on Farmers Non GMO farmers whose lands are contaminated with GMO plants can be sued by corporations – Percy Schmeiser case went to the Supreme court of Canada in 2005. “ No one should control nature. No one should control life. No one should have that right, to put patents on nature and life. As long as my wife and I have life within us, we will always go down to fight for the rights of farmers, always to be able to use their seed.” 12 GERMANY PASSED LAW MAKING CONTAMINATION RESPONSIBLE.
Industrial Farming or AgriBusiness at a glance GMO Crops, are at the core of Industrial Farming that includes CAFOs – Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or Factory Farms. A detailed analysis of negative impacts to property values found that CAFOs can cause surrounding properties to lose between 50% to 90% of their values. 13
Can Swine Flu Be Blamed on Industrial Farming? Some have linked the new strain of H1N1 to an industrial hog farm in Mexico, David Biello reports (2009) Industrial Agriculture inevitably converts arable land to wasteland, as evidenced by the fate of regions like Western Asia's Fertile Crescent, Greece, and America's Dust Bowl. ( Hemenway, Scientific American, 2010). 14
Union of Concerned Scientists “Industrial farming, once hailed as a revolution, is now an outmoded and unsustainable approach to producing our food . Today, the majority of American farmland is dominated by industrial agriculture... featuring enormous single-crop farms and animal production facilities. It is time to transform agriculture into a sustainable enterprise, one based on systems that can be employed for centuries -- not decades -- without undermining the resources on which agricultural productivity depends.” 15
We still have a choice, but... We fear that as more areas ban GMO crops, more GMO farmers will congregate where they feel welcomed. As this occurs, we fear losing much of our Diversified Food Crops. (DFC) 400 350 300 250 200 Acres in GMO Acres in D. F. C. 150 100 50 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 16
By supporting Industrial Farming We lose: family farms and local growers, biodiversity local food security. Food Action Society 17
Local Food Means Food Security http://www.dailymail.co.uk “Food prices in Britain have risen 32% since 2007 - twice the EU average Costs of weekly shop expected to go on increasing by 4% a year for the next decade Britain has been particularly vulnerable to price rises because it imports 40 per cent of the food it consumes” 18
Local Food is Where Security and $ are at Save On Food going local Farmers' markets experiencing growth: University of Northern British Columbia “the rising interest in purchasing food directly from farmers has led to a tremendous growth in the number of farmers’ markets in BC over the past ten years. A consequence of this growth in local food is that more farmers’ markets are looking for new farmer vendors.” As global food prices rise, more and more people turn to local foods. 19
Local Food increases Local Economy Using Stats Can food expenditure estimates, keeping 25% of food dollars local would bring: Yearly Gains in Millions $2,571,429 Enderby Armstrong/Spall $4,127,143 Lumby & area $4,714,286 Vernon $34,285,714 RDNO Total $70,285,714 Every dollar spent locally goes around 3 times. 20
Family Farms, not GM Crops create local jobs “Small diversified farms can help reinvigorate entire rural economies, since they employ far more people per acre than large monocultures. In the UK, farms under 100 acres provide five times more jobs per acre than those over 500 acres. Moreover, wages paid to farm workers benefit local economies and communities far more than money paid for heavy equipment and the fuel to run it: the latter is almost immediately siphoned off to equipment manufacturers and oil companies, while wages paid to workers are spent locally.” From “Bringing the Food Economy Home” 21 Written by Helena Norberg-Hodge and Steven Gorelick
GM crops not sustainable - Failure to Yield For years the biotechnology 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 - the UCS report concludes that genetically engineering herbicide-tolerant soybeans and herbicide-tolerant corn has not increased yields. Insect-resistant corn, meanwhile, has improved yields only marginally. The increase in yields for both crops over the last 13 years, the report finds, was largely due to traditional breeding or improvements in agricultural practices. 22
Sustainable Solutions: Soil Science... Transitioning is Moving Forward: 23
Who is banning GMO? 62 countries banned GMO foods or have mandatory labelling. In the US, 23 states including Washington, are presenting petitions to ban or label GM foods In BC, 10 municipalities and one regional district have now banned GM crops 24
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