eco-farming can double food production

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But will that stop the Monsantoing? Not a chance.

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love, 99
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max tap dances on monstanto like no one ever before

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Today in tell-it-like-it-is....

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love, 99
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united states rammed through approval of gmo food in europe

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Ah, well....

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love, 99
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economic depression, wars, environmental catastrophes, famine

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Spike their food with hallucinogens.

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love, 99
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today in that hopey changey shit

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Now he's going for finishing REAGAN'S third term.

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love, 99
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the combo plate

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You SO should not miss this. They cover a lot of VITAL ground.

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love, 99
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the wast stwaw

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Pick yer poison:

This Poison — That Poison

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love, 99
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we MUST do it ourselves

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There is no other way. The government won't fix it. It exists to facilitate it.

No, really.

No, REALLY.

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fascism day

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Since today is Fascism Day on my blog:

Monsanto Wins as Supreme Court Backs Alfalfa Seed Planting
By Greg Stohr - Jun 21, 2010

The U.S. Supreme Court, ruling in favor of Monsanto Co., overturned a judge’s ban on the planting of alfalfa seeds engineered to be resistant to the company’s Roundup herbicide.

The 7-1 ruling shifts the focus of the environmental dispute to the Agriculture Department, which under today’s ruling now can consider allowing limited planting. That would be an interim measure while the USDA finishes an environmental impact statement that ultimately might clear the way for unrestricted planting.

The justices said a federal judge in San Francisco went too far when he placed a nationwide ban on so-called Roundup-ready alfalfa seeds because of the possibility they would contaminate other plants.

“An injunction is a drastic and extraordinary remedy, which should not be granted as a matter of course,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority. Justice John Paul Stevens was the lone dissenter.

Today’s decision may affect a similar fight being waged over Monsanto’s Roundup-tolerant sugar beet seeds.

Alfalfa, the fourth-most-planted U.S. crop behind corn, soybeans and wheat, is worth $9 billion a year, with annual seed sales valued at $63 million, according to a USDA study. Dairy cows are the primary consumers of alfalfa hay.

The trial judge who blocked all planting was U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, brother of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. As is his custom in such cases, Stephen Breyer didn’t take part in today’s ruling.

Appeals Court

A San Francisco-based federal appeals court upheld Breyer’s order banning the planting. The Obama administration backed St. Louis-based Monsanto in the case.

Farmers and environmental groups, represented by the Washington-based Center for Food Safety, sued to halt use of the alfalfa seeds.

They contended -- and Breyer agreed -- that the Agriculture Department was required to prepare an environmental impact statement before authorizing unrestricted planting of the seeds. That finding wasn’t at issue in the Supreme Court case, which focused on whether the nationwide planting ban was an appropriate interim step.

A draft environmental impact statement released in December reported no significant effect from the seeds on the environment or human health. The USDA said Roundup Ready alfalfa can reduce costs and yield more valuable hay because it contains fewer weeds. During arguments in December, a government lawyer said the final statement would probably be ready in about a year.

Organic alfalfa production has nearly doubled in recent years, while still accounting for less than 1 percent of total output, according to the USDA.

About 5,500 growers planted 263,000 acres of Roundup Ready alfalfa before the ban went into effect, Monsanto says. Monsanto doesn’t produce the seeds itself, instead licensing the technology to alfalfa seed makers including Forage Genetics International.

The case is Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms, 09-475.

Should I bother writing a love letter to Justice Stevens? Does it matter anymore?
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the stupidity of greed

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Turns out to be as bad as the audacity of hope.
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sixties relics unite

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Degenerate peace faggots forever....

I did this because I ran out of room for the labels to today's main post....

So, if yer confused, sorry, deal with it.
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diet aids

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Stop eating.
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holy mother of vishnu! some GOOD news!

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India refuses genetically modified crops, citing ‘inadequate’ science
Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 — 10:45 pm

India refused to grant permission Wednesday for the commercial cultivation of its first genetically modified (GM) food crop, citing problems of public trust and "inadequate" science.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said he was imposing a moratorium on the introduction of an aubergine modified with a gene toxic to pests that regularly devastate crops across India.

"It is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary, principle-based approach and impose a moratorium on the release," until scientific tests can guarantee the safety of the product, said Ramesh.

However, he added there was still no agreement among scientists on what constitutes "an adequate protocol of tests".

Ramesh said the moratorium was effective immediately and it would last "for as long as it is needed to establish public trust and confidence."

"I cannot go against science but in this case science is inadequate," he added. "I have to be sensitive to public concerns."

Indian regulators had approved the new aubergine back in October and its introduction would have made it the first GM foodstuff to be grown in India.

But the decision roused huge opposition and a broad spectrum of voices, including farmers, environmentalists and politicians of all stripes had urged the government to prevent its cultivation.

Ramesh spent the months since the decision travelling across the country holding public consultations with citizens.

Backers of the genetically modified aubergine said the product would boost yields by up to 50 percent, while reducing dependence on pesticides.

But critics pointed to possible long-term health problems, and warned it would open the doors to a flood of other GM food crops.

Mathura Rai, the Indian scientist who led the group that came up with the modified aubergine, declined to comment directly on the moratorium, but insisted that GM crops had a crucial role to play.

"We need a technology for increasing the quality production of vegetable crops," Rai, head of the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, told AFP from his headquarters in Varanasi city.

"In certain areas where traditional methods of breeding is not possible to improve the production or productivity, biotechnology can play a vital role," he said.

"So this is the best option for increasing the production of quality aubergine in the country," he added.

The government's decision on Tuesday came at a sensitive time with growing public frustration over soaring food prices, following a particularly poor 2009 monsoon.

But Ramesh said there was "no overriding food security argument" for the introduction of GM aubergines.

He said he had considered the views of different interest groups in making his decision but denied he had been pressured by members of his cabinet or by companies producing genetically modified crops.

"My conscience is clear. This is my decision and my decision alone," he said.

India is one of the largest aubergine producers globally.

The seeds had been developed by local scientists but would have been marketed by an Indian company partly owned by the US multinational Monsanto.

India already allows the use of genetically modified cotton and supporters say it has sharply improved yields.

Of course, uhm... this probably means war.........
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monsanto will solve the climate crisis

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Aren't you relieved?

nature vs. incorporation

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I really don't know if this has to do with CCD you guys, but Monsanto clearly doesn't mind playing dirty.