The GMOs that were created to tolerate greater levels of roundup / glyphosate are the problem , imho .
Gerard Barry, a native of Ireland, spent more than 20 years in St. Louis working for Monsanto, the company that pioneered genetically engineered crops.
He's listed as first inventor on some of Monsanto's most valuable . He found the gene that made crops immune to the weedkiller Roundup. That gene is now in soybeans, corn and cotton grown on hundreds of millions of acres.
http://www.npr.org/...
"A handful of corporations in developing countries has reaped billions in profits selling genetically modified seeds and proprietary herbicides,"
Without the GMOs the amount of roundup / glyphosate that could be used was limited ,
the roundup / glyphosate would damage or kill the crop .
To apply the amount of roundup / glyphosate to be enough to kill the weeds would also do in the crop . So the idea was to find some way to get the crops to be more tolerant of roundup / glyphosate . Dr Barry at Monsanto found a way to modify the soybeans, corn and cotton so that they could live with an amount of roundup / glyphosate that would have done them real problems before , they could survive an amount that will kill off the weeds .
Its brilliant that they could do this , but the roundup / glyphosate is a problem .
http://www.sciencedaily.com/...
Roundup Ready crops are resistant to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. So, if a farm uses Roundup Ready crops, the herbicide can be sprayed on crops to kill weeds without damaging those crops.
http://guardianlv.com/...
Dangerous Levels of Roundup Found in GMO Foods Across U.S.
GMOIn a recent report released by Norwegian scientists and researchers studying genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other genetically engineered produce in the Unite States, GMO foods across the U.S. have been found to contain absurdly dangerous high, levels of Roundup, a product used to kill weeds and ward off various harmful insects.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/...
Weed-Whacking Herbicide Proves Deadly to Human Cells
Used in gardens, farms, and parks around the world, the weed killer Roundup contains an ingredient that can suffocate human cells in a laboratory, researchers say
But now researchers have found that one of Roundup’s inert ingredients can kill human cells, particularly embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells.
The new findings intensify a debate about so-called “inerts” — the solvents, preservatives, surfactants and other substances that manufacturers add to pesticides. Nearly 4,000 inert ingredients are approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Glyphosate, Roundup’s active ingredient, is the most widely used herbicide in the United States. About 100 million pounds are applied to U.S. farms and lawns every year, according to the EPA.
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/...
Glyphosate’s metal-chelating activity causes bioaccumulation of toxic metals in the body, resulting in an estimated 400 000 cases in Sri Lanka and 20 000 deaths Dr Eva Sirinathsinghji
Sri Lanka is set to partially ban glyphosate-based herbicide use following a new peer-reviewed study linking it to a fatal chronic kidney disease epidemic badly affecting the country [1]. Kidney problems have been further documented in other global regions, prompting an earlier complete ban by El Salvador late last year [2]. A complete ban was initially proposed, but due to plantation sector representatives claiming a shortage of agricultural workers that would not sufficiently manage weeds without glyphosate, the government has now limited the ban to disease endemic areas [3]. Even Brazil, one of the largest growers of glyphosate-tolerant genetically modified (GM) crops has now filed a law suit by Federal Prosecutors to ban glyphosate along with 8 other dangerous pesticides [4]. It is becoming increasingly difficult for government regulators and glyphosate producers to justify the use of this herbicide when other nations are banning the chemical outright in order to protect their citizens.
The study reveals that a previously unknown factor, referred to by the authors as ‘compound X’, originates from agrochemicals and that compound X, when combined with hard water containing toxic levels of calcium and magnesium, causes serious kidney damage. In support of the hypothesis that compound X derives from agrochemicals and is indeed glyphosate, are the observations that CKDu emerged in the 1990s, which fits with the massive influx of agrochemicals in Sri Lanka since the 1970s following changes in economic policies. Further, low concentrations can lead to bioaccumulation of a toxic substance, which would explain the 12-15 year lag time before symptoms emerge. This coincides with the shifting age of patients, with prevalence of disease increasing in younger people in recent years, suggesting a cumulative nature of the toxin. In addition, regions of Sri Lanka that have restricted agrochemical use, as in the North where the concern of political, violent conflict meant that governments wanted to prevent people from using agrochemicals to make explosives, high levels of CKDu do not exist. These areas also have hard water, showing that hard water alone is not sufficient to cause CDKu.
http://readersupportednews.org/...
Vatican Official Condemns GMOs as 'New Form of Slavery'
Even farmers have risen up against Monsanto and genetically modified seeds, with Monsanto forcing thousands of farmers into debt worldwide. In India, Monsanto has ruined the lives of so many farmers that the prevalence of their suicide has led to a large farming area to be titled the ‘suicide belt of India'. Some have even blamed Monsanto for the recent bird and fish deaths, claiming that the poison coming from their factories may have poisoned animals worldwide. Monsanto's destruction isn't limited to the environment, however.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...
The GM genocide: Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide after using genetically modified crops
When Prince Charles claimed thousands of Indian farmers were killing themselves after using GM crops, he was branded a scaremonger. In fact, as this chilling dispatch reveals, it's even WORSE than he feared.
http://web.mit.edu/...
Herbicide Resistance
One of the main concerns about genetically engineered crops such as Roundup Ready crops is the development of weeds and other plants that are also resistant to Roundup (glyphosate). An article recently published in Science Daily (link) suggests that farmers are becoming too reliant on Roundup. The use of Roundup Ready crops has become ubiquitous. This has resulted in weeds such as giant ragweed that are resistant to Roundup, when Roundup was the herbicide developed explicitly to combat these weeds. If a farmer were to grow on Roundup Ready crops, they would have to use Roundup to treat their fields, increasing resistance to the herbicide. It is recommended that farmers rotate Roundup Ready crops with other crops and use alternate herbicides to help prevent resistance.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/...
Roundup Ready crops have made weed control much easier for farmers, but a new study shows their reliance on the technology may be weakening the herbicide's ability to control weeds.
Bill Johnson, a Purdue University associate professor of weed science, said farmers who plant Roundup Ready crops and spray Roundup or glyphosate-based herbicides almost exclusively are finding that weeds have developed resistance. It is only a matter of time, Johnson said, before there are so many resistant weeds that the use of glyphosate products would become much less effective in some places.
"We have weeds that have developed resistance, including giant ragweed, which is one of the weeds that drove the adoption of Roundup," Johnson said. "It's a pretty major issue in the Eastern Corn Belt. That weed can cause up to 100 percent yield loss.
So what do they do ?
They spray more to control the "weeds that have developed resistance".
And next year the same and so on .
http://www.sciencedirect.com/...
Food Chemistry
Volume 153, 15 June 2014, Pages 207–215
Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans ☆