Cleaning up some anti GMO disinformation that has been littering the internet

It is very disheartening to see so many concerned gardeners that are clueless, and it seems like the majority of these people believe every anti-GMO meme and article posted on the internet. There are a plethora of reputable blogs and health sites that continually spread untruths and this post is to basically arm the home gardening anti-GMO crowd with a few facts. Even if you aren't a gardener, you need to know this stuff. Monsanto has a lot of science to back up their claims, so when it comes to representing an anti-GMO agenda it is important to be versed with the truth when opposing something so controversial. Hysteria does nothing for the cause and only makes the worried gardener look like a modern day hippie.

GMO seeds are NOT available to the general public!

First and foremost, GMO seeds are expensive and come with the costs of buying in bulk and very complex contracts. If you see a seed company claiming “Non-GMO”, they are simply implementing a marketing technique that was forced upon them. Much like how the poultry and pork industry labels their meat as “hormone free”. All poultry and pork are hormone free so there is no need to label it as such, but they have to in order to avoid the hysteria associated with meats. The only GMO you will be able to purchase on the market are plant parts that come in the form of “food” or ethanol, and so forth. If you are making decisions to purchase seeds marketed as “GMO free”, then you are simply the victim of creative labeling and/or misinformation.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/of5252defe.jpg[/atsimg]

Second, some very popular websites have circulated blacklists of seed companies and vegetable seed varieties such as eggplant (Black Beauty), peppers (Yellow Wax), and tomatoes (Big Beef) to avoid the concern of GMO because De Ruiter and Seminis, which are large hybrid seed developers, is owned by Monsanto. They disburse their selectively bred seeds to growers and seed companies such as Burpee, Park Seed, Ferry Morse, etc. These family owned seed companies and growers that obtain their supply from Seminis are not in the business of marketing GMO's and have been wrongly accused of being owned by Monsanto. Meanwhile, it’s a violation to even provide GMO seeds to non-commercial growers or seed companies without licensing, inspections, contracts, and other regulations.


USDA website not available due to government shutdown
Germplasm Technology Usage Guide
Guide to US Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnology
Seminis FAQ
About De Ruiter

Third, Monsanto has a strict control program of their seed. You cannot just save any second generation GMO seed that they have patented. This is because Monsanto spends 2.7 million dollars per day to research and develop disease and herbicide resistant, as well as high yield GMO commodity crops in order to generate billions in profits. It would not be lucrative to allow commercial growers to save and regrow their seed. GMO seed is a one season grow-out ONLY, and you will NEVER see these seeds in some willy nilly home garden center, nor will you have any seed company selling you a packet of GMO seeds. Knowingly replanting or selling Monsanto's seed will result in a heavy lawsuit.

Monsanto - Saving Seeds
Farmer Specific Lawsuits

To conclude, GMO seeds are only profitable for the high commodity markets, and not the home gardening seed markets. A gardener only has to use his/her common sense to understand this. Unless you plant loads of your ornamental or sweet corn out in the open while living in the same hood that's growing 100 acres of Genuty SmartStax RIB, then your chances of obtaining GMO seeds are very very slim. Rather than spreading lies, causing unnecessary panic, and falsely accusing family owned seed companies of being owned by Monsanto, it would be nicer to see our energies being focused on the science and research that these GMO crops entail. I hope the above information has helped.

Funniest thread ever. Me love Monsanto; thank you for bullying the farmers out of their land by hassling them with frivilous lawsuits and spurious claims. Thanks for all the glyphosate you introduced into the soil. Monsanto you're the best. I'm glad they allowed ex-monsanto employee Michael Taylor to run the Food & Drug Administration. No conflict of interest there whatsoever.

Oh and of course Monsanto wants to help end world hunger. That's why they never try to stop the labeling of their products that are used in many foods.

On another note, I think you'd make a great car salesmen.

reply to post by qwerty12345


Your comment has absolutely nothing to do with the post. Did you read it? It's about seeds for the home gardener.

It would be easier if you just said that Monsanto is innocent of any wrongdoings and are actually a helpful part of our society rather than the Monster that so many Countries are trying to ban.

Do you honestly believe that Nations banning Monsanto are doing it because they are ignorant and uneducated?

I won't even begin to go into the research done, papers published, results found and just how and why Monsanto is deemed by many as perhaps the biggest criminal corporation in the World and the most dangerous threat to our food supply that the World has ever seen.

Nope, not gonna do it...

As for not being a threat to the home gardener...give it time. Ask how much of a threat it will be when you can't buy seed for your garden anymore.

Peace

Hollie
reply to post by qwerty12345

 

Your comment has absolutely nothing to do with the post. Did you read it? It's about seeds for the home gardener.

A bit hard to focus on your article with that avatar staring at me.

Gross

But I think most people agree that GMO research is good but the business practices by those conducting it are bad. Still, it is good to see others who know some of the facts that are lies about the producers but to add validity to your post you should also have contributed some of the negatives associated with them that are also fact.

Such as the lawsuits against farmers that have been won even though, as you claim, you cannot harvest second generation seeds. I'm sure someone shortly will provide you with those court cases.

reply to post by Hollie


Well all I've garnered from your post was that you love Monsanto and will die for their cause. I figured it was my civil duty to make the reply I did to remind my fellow earthlings that no corporation is out for the interest of the population. It's ALWAYS about control & profit; that's the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.

Oh and I apologize for not posting the various links littered on ATS itself about the claims I've made against Monsanto, but they're there.

Your Desk ( location) at Monsanto ?

Nice thread tho i disagree. Monsanto isn´t the only company marketing GMO seed there are others too so i find this humorous as you speak for Monsanto only.

GMO seeds might be expensive at the start of creation at labs BUT as any other seeds and plant which produces seeds.. the expenses goes down.. in the long run

reply to post by jude11


They may be a criminal corporation but as far as threatening the worlds food supply, that is just fear-mongering.

Nobody is dropping dead from Monsanto seeds or even getting sick.

reply to post by Hollie


If Monsanto is so innocent and their product is so safe, why do they need their own private army? Seriously, please explain to everyone why on Earth they need a bunch of mercenaries at their disposal. Worried about those hippies and their backyard seeds maybe?

Monsanto Owns Blackwater (Black Ops)

reply to post by Tinkerpeach


If you look under the 4th paragraph, you will see a source to notable farmer lawsuits. I am simply trying to let people know that you cannot just buy GMO seeds. A lot of people, especially on here, assume that every seed is GMO unless it is labeled as a non GMO seed. Labeling it as non GMO is totally unnecessary obviously.

Ameilia
reply to post by Hollie

 

If Monsanto is so innocent and their product is so safe, why do they need their own private army? Seriously, please explain to everyone why on Earth they need a bunch of mercenaries at their disposal. Worried about those hippies and their backyard seeds maybe?

Monsanto Owns Blackwater (Black Ops)

I cannot answer that. I can only tell you that GMO seeds cannot be bought through Burpee LOL.

reply to post by Hollie


" Monsanto has a lot of science to back up their claims "

Sure they do , the Science of Death . Tell it to the Honeybees Honey..........

Tinkerpeach
reply to post by jude11

 

They may be a criminal corporation but as far as threatening the worlds food supply, that is just fear-mongering.

Nobody is dropping dead from Monsanto seeds or even getting sick.

That may be, however the fear mongering and disinformation is extended to home growers now.

Zanti Misfit
reply to post by Hollie

 

" Monsanto has a lot of science to back up their claims "

Sure they do , the Science of Death . Tell it to the Honeybees Honey..........

Honeybee's are not native to North America in the first place so, as most introduced species will do, they will eventually either take over or perish.

Kind of hard to blame that one on Monsanto.

reply to post by Zanti Misfit


I cannot go into the honey bees. I am talking about seeds on the open market. That is what this article is about.

qwerty12345
reply to post by Hollie

 

Well all I've garnered from your post was that you love Monsanto and will die for their cause. I figured it was my civil duty to make the reply I did to remind my fellow earthlings that no corporation is out for the interest of the population. It's ALWAYS about control & profit; that's the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.

Oh and I apologize for not posting the various links littered on ATS itself about the claims I've made against Monsanto, but they're there.

edit on 7-10-2013 by qwerty12345 because: 9-11

I am sorry qwerty, I am talking about seeds. Not control and profit, but seeds and plants that people buy online or in home gardening stores.

Hollie
reply to post by Zanti Misfit

 

I cannot go into the honey bees. I am talking about seeds on the open market. That is what this article is about.

I don't think that buying GMO seeds on the open market is even a concern among most people though. Its all the other issues regarding this that have a larger priority, this is why not many are addressing your actual post.

Its a bit irrelevant to the larger issue.

Kind of like saying product A causes cancer but it doesn't affect your fingernail growth as some have said. Its like, so what?

reply to post by Hollie


i'd like to clear something up for you: its mostly the people who eat food- which is a lot of people- who are concerned about GMOs and the gardener has already figured this manure out. Why not bring up "heirloom" seeds as well? they are GMO-free and historically meaningful.

gardening is almost as old as humanity itself- they really have got it figured out. you don't have to go on a rampage about how Miracle-Gro isn't really organic next.....

reply to post by Hollie


I understand what you are trying to get across with your OP.

But I respectfully have to disagree with your assessment.

Why would I as a consumer purchase seeds from a company that is owned by the likes of Monsanto, whether they are GMO or not?

Voting with your wallet is way more powerful than voting for a politician whom will promise you the world then go in the total opposite direction once they are in office.

Corporations depend on money, NOT votes. So, by those like me whom do not agree with GMO's being in our foods, (especially, when we DO NOT have the right to know) voting with my wallet seems to be the only option I have left.......

reply to post by Hollie


No, maybe local farmers or "gardeners can not get GMOs seeds" but that is ok, we already are getting GMOs on anything else made by big food manufactured companies, so polluting the environment is not needed because is already been populated with the GMO crap on most of the food we have readily available in our markets.

What a joke and a blatant propaganda.

Is ok, GMOs seeds are not readily available by the small farmer, but get the full effects of GMOs in your local grocery store when you by GMO food.

I am laughing at this one.