QUOTES
How
do you deal with a whole ecosystem where wild grasses and weeds have become herbicide-resistant,
pest-resistant, and viral-resistant?
It
seemed to me that we needed to have a thorough and thoughtful global discussion
on the potential environmental implications of reseeding the earth with genetically
modified organisms.
In
this country, the health concerns and the environmental concerns are as deep as
in Europe. All the surveys show that. But here, we didn't have the cultural dimension.
This is a fast-food culture.
Many
of the genetically modified foods will be safe, I'm sure. Will most of them be
safe? Nobody knows.
Remember,
these are the same companies that brought us the petrochemical revolution. They
used similar arguments to the ones they're using now, saying, "Look. We'll have
a quick fix. We'll make sure that the chemicals don't ruin the environment."
The
American public is not aware that there might be potential allergenic and toxic
reactions. With regular food, at least people know which foods they have an allergy
to.
The
10 largest antitrust law firms in the United States have gone into the federal
courts charging Monsanto with creating a global conspiracy in violation of the
antitrust laws, to control the global market in seeds.
The
industry's not stupid. The industry knows that if those foods are labeled "genetically
engineered," the public will shy away and won't take them.
They're
now turning those seeds into intellectual property, so they have a virtual lock
on the seeds upon which we all depend for our food and survival.
We
are already producing enough food to feed the world. We already have technology
in place that allows us to produce more than we can find a market for.
We
are entering a new phase in human history - one in which fewer and fewer workers
will be needed to produce the goods and services for the global population.
When
we seed millions of acres of land with these plants, what happens to foraging
birds, to insects, to microbes, to the other animals, when they come in contact
and digest plants that are producing materials ranging from plastics to vaccines
to pharmaceutical products?
