The ‘Big Six” pharmaceutical and chemical companies have acquired, created joint ventures with hundreds of seed companies over the past 15 years
In order to help assist his readers in understanding the state of the seed industry, Prof. Howard developed a very informative graphic that displays the reality of who really controls the seed industry.
Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, and BASF collectively own or partially-own hundreds of formerly-independent seed companies — and Monsanto, of course, dominates them all.
You can view the graphic for yourself at the following link:
http://www.naturalnews.com/files/seedindustr…
As you will see, the blue circles in the diagram represent seed companies, while the red circles — which happen to all be chemical or pharmaceutical companies — control the vast majority of them. Solid gray arrows indicate complete ownership of a company, while gray lines indicate partial ownership.
One of the most obvious first impressions to be gathered from the diagram is Monsanto’s excessive and widespread control over the seed industry. According to Prof. Howard’s analysis, Monsanto acquired more than 50 seed companies just during the time represented by his study period, which spans the years between 1996 and 2008.
Monsanto had little-to-no involvement in the seed industry prior to the mid-1980s, but since that time has been rapidly eating up seed companies and furthering its development and control over the food supply through GMOs. Today, Monsanto is the world’s largest seed company, and the transnational behemoth continues to acquire or otherwise create “partnerships” with various independent seed companies that are still in existence.
Behind Monsanto, the other five of the “Big Six” that Prof. Howard illustrates — DuPont, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow, and BASF — collectively own or control a great portion of the remaining major seed companies not owned or controlled by Monsanto. And one of the biggest factors that has contributed to this dismal setup is GMOs and transgenic, patentable seed traits that are shared among the industry players.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/033148_seed_companies_Monsanto.html##ixzz2mcbDIMls
Monsanto is attempting a public relations makeover. In recent months the company has shaken up its senior public relations staff, upped its relationship with one of the nation’s largest public relations firms and helped launch a website designed to combat the fallacies surrounding genetically modified organisms.
More here: http://gmoinside.org/monsanto-confronts-devilish-public-image-problem #StopMonsanto #Monsanto #GMOs #LabelGMOs #GEFoods
Source: https://www.facebook.com/GmoInside
READ: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/organic-kale_b_4125015.html
MONSANTO CORPORATIONS
~~5 Reasons to avoid GMOs~~
~~GMOs are unhealthy~~
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.
Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.
~~GMOs contaminate – forever~~
GMOs cross pollinate and their seeds can travel. It is impossible to fully clean up our contaminated gene pool. Self-propagating GMO pollution will outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste. The potential impact is huge, threatening the health of future generations. GMO contamination has also caused economic losses for organic and non-GMO farmers who often struggle to keep their crops pure.
~~Genetic engineering creates dangerous side effects~~
By mixing genes from totally unrelated species, genetic engineering unleashes a host of unpredictable side effects. Moreover, irrespective of the type of genes that are inserted, the very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies.
~~Independent research and reporting is attacked and suppressed~~
Scientists who discover problems with GMOs have been attacked, gagged, fired, threatened, and denied funding. The journal Nature acknowledged that a “large block of scientists…denigrate research by other legitimate scientists in a knee-jerk, partisan, emotional way that is not helpful in advancing knowledge.” Attempts by media to expose problems are also often censored.
~~GMOs harm the environment~~
GM crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in amphibians, embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptions, and organ damage in animals even at very low doses. GM canola has been found growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass on its herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds.
~~Excellent websites on GMOs~~
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/
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