GE Free New Zealand in Food & Environment,
19th September 2003
Co-existence does not work. GE crops cause environmental and social
problems.
Minister Marian Hobbs told the Organic producers rally at parliament this
week that Argentina was a wonderful example of co-existence, maintained
diversity and harmony between the GE and Organic industry.
This is refuted by Lilian Joensen, Biologist PhD (molecular biologist) who
says " In reality GM soy has been planted on 13 million hectares of land.
It has destroyed forests and replaced traditional food crops. It has
destroyed the biodiversity and led to the agony of a thousand rural communities.
Crop spraying has been carried out using
Glyphosate (e.g. Roundup), with additives of 24D and paraquat. This has polluted the water supplies
causing health problems to the citizens. Producers have become leasors of
their own land causing an emigration of rural workers. Almost 300,000
people have been expelled from their land and over 13,000,000 have impeded
mortgages. Co-existence, has polluted traditional maize in Mexico regardless of a GE ban.�
�How can anybody say that Argentina has been a success? Argentina started
to plant Roundup Ready soya in 1997 and now we have 13 million hectares of
RR soya, (between 95 and 99% of all soya in Argentina is now RRsoya),� she
says. �Organic soya is imported to Argentina. I know small farmers who
had really problems with keeping a few hectares for organic soya farming,
so they just gave up. They had to go to RR soya.�
�A list of the resistant weeds to glyphosate that those who promoted RR
soya have detailed themselves: Commelia erecta, Convulvulus arvensis
(Bindweed), Ipomoea purpurea (Morning glory), Iresine difusa (Iresine),
Hybanthus parviflorus (Violetilla), Parietaria debilis (Pellitory), Viola
arvensis (Violet Wild), Petunia axillaris (Petunia), Verbena sp (Verbena).
Tragopogon sp (goats beard), Senecio pampeanus (Ragwort) and Taraxacum
officinale (Dandelion).�
�Chemicals now adopted in control of third generation GE crops and
resistant weeds include 2,4D; 2,4DB; Paraquat; Atrazine; Paraquat; Metsulphuron Methyl;
Imazethapyr�.
�The insects that attack RR soya monoculture in Argentina are: Nezara
viridula, Piezodorus guildinii, Edessa meditabunda, Dichelops furcatus. In
order to fight them they use Endosulphan together with cipermetrine in
air-fumigation (also glyphosate and other herbicides). Endosulphan and
cipermetrine together are extremely toxic to bees, fishes and birds".
The poverty that has befallen Argentina through the introduction of crops
reliant on agrochemicals has caused a catastrophe that need not be repeated in New Zealand.
GE Free New Zealand in Food and Environment calls on the government to keep GE contained in laboratories. Our small
country cannot cope with more biosecurity and chemical pollution problems.
Claire Bleakley (06) 3089842
"Biotechnology and the origins of the Argentine Catastrophe" Eduardo Rulli
de Jorge, Ecopartal 11-09-02. Movimiento Campesino de Formosa ( Peasant
Movement of Formosa) September 8th 2003.
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