Dr. Weeks’ Comment: Many thanks to brother Nat for sharing this really important information.
5 Things To Know About The State Of GMOs
Submitted by Alice on May 14, 2014 – 2:12 am Summarized by NatIn the 18 years since (1996) they were introduced, GMOs now represent 12% of the world’s total crop area.
1. They’ve Grown Tremendously
In 1996, farmers planted GMOs across 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres). Today they cover 175 million hectares, according to International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications.
Nevertheless, ETC Group estimates that 80%-90% of the seed planted by farmers in the global South still comes from farm-saved seeds, sharing seeds with neighboring farms and seed sales in local markets and seed fairs.
2. Four Plants Make Up Most Of The World’s Gmo Crops
Soy, corn, cotton and canola together make up 99% of the world’s genetically modified crop acreage. Farmers mostly look for GMOs that are insect resistant, disease resistant, herbicide tolerant and can withstand changes in weather.
3. Countries Lead The World In Genetically Modified Crop Production
The European Union and China, are becoming increasingly restrictive of genetically modified imports. In 2013, 27 countries grew genetically modified crops; 90% of those crops concentrated in five countries.
4. Most Major Crops In The U.S. Are Gmos
The U.S. leads the world in genetically modified crops, with 70.2 million hectares. More than 90% of its top crops, including corn, soybean and cotton, are GMOs. The U.S., unlike the European Union, doesn’t require that genetically modified foods be labelled as such (except for Vermont)
5. Commercial Seeds Are In Few HandsOver 75% of proprietary seeds are owned by 10 companies. These seeds include designer GM seeds as well as non-GM seeds that are considered intellectual property of a company. Although, for companies like Monsanto, many of these seeds are likely to be genetically modified. The commercial seed market in 2011””the most recent year available””was worth $34.5 billion.
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