If Liz were Queen

Efforts by Monsanto to introduce genetically modified maize into the European Union hit a fresh roadblock on Monday when member states upheld bans imposed by Austria and Hungary.

A protest against allowing GM crops in Hungary

The European Commission had pushed them to drop the ban on MON810, a variety of genetically modified (GMO) maize produced by Monsanto, the world’s largest seed producer, after its scientific panel determined that it posed no health risk.

Only four states – the UK, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden – supported the proposal in a vote by environment ministers. A separate measure to rescind an Austrian ban on a variety of GM maize produced by Germany’s Bayer was also defeated by a wide margin.  MORE

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The industrial food chain is complex - and highly profitable for those who control it. In India, ancient traditional grains have been patented by multinationals, while drought- and pest-resistant strains of food crops are engineered in laboratories and planted in massive monocultures worldwide. Harsh pesticides and herbicides have become the rule instead of the exception. GMO soybeans are crowding out the Amazon rainforests; meanwhile, massively subsidized, nutritionally-challenged corn finds its way into almost every aspect of the American diet, especially fast food. The corporations (Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, McDonald’s, etc) behind what we eat exert power in their best interest, rather than in ours. What’s good for their bottom line is not necessarily good for our waistlines, our coastlines, our treelines … [from Corporate Watch]