GMO's, Activism and Seeds - By Dan Riehl

There is a large amount of controversy surrounding the safety and usefulness of genetically modified food, there are organizations that have made it their job to participate in activism fighting against GMO production and distribution. Activists and political activism have a lot of power today, these efforts can influence the public through whistle-blowing, raising awareness, educate the public and lobby in the political world, all of which influence the people who make laws and regulations related to food. Activism against the regulations in regards to the sale and spread of genetically modified food doesn’t just occur out on the streets, but it also happens inside the courtroom, through the many law suits imposed upon distributers of GM foods and researchers involved. Of the largest controversies and industries in the genetically modified food world is the dispute over policies related to the use of genetically engineered seeds made by companies, which 1999 accounted for more than 40 million acres of land in the United States, up from 8 million acres two years prior.

One of the largest organizations working against GMO production and research is Greenpeace, most people have encountered street team members asking individuals to contribute $10 or more per month at the grocery store, mall, festivals and college campuses. Greenpeace originated in the late 1960’s in response to nuclear testing in Alaska, their efforts were responsible for bringing the issue to the public in a big way. Greenpeace has put a lot of work into fighting against a company named Monsanto, who released a GM potato strain, which was their first of many GM crops produced. Greenpeace members were “arrested for cutting down and bagging GM trial crops of maize in Norfolk in the UK” says Sally Eden (606), but the charges were dropped eventually. With the help and influence of Greenpeace activists and the public are now able to stand up to multinational companies, actually making a difference and keeping these giants in check by delivering society’s message saying they would rather be eating natural foods free from unknown chemical.

The use of seeds from big companies like Monsanto can reduce the amount of pesticides needed to keep insects away from food being grown, but there are some repercussions which negate any of the good coming from lower amounts of chemicals being used. Some GM crops contain a gene called Bacillus Thuriengensis (Bt) which can harm caterpillars, another problem with Bt as Chester Sterroa from People Magazine says “humans also end up eating the protein and scientists don't quite know how we react”. Besides being potentially dangerous to human the chemical over time allows caterpillars to become stronger and build immunity to it so they can be resistant to its effect. This same effect can happen with weeds in fields, the insects and weeds build a tolerance to the chemicals in GM crops which are in the seeds and become “super weeds” and “super bugs” making the use of GM products and seeds eventually useless in the way of preventing pests from attacking crops.

 Monsanto has been sued time and time again for its eagerness to get scientifically designed seeds out into the market to be grown on farms all over the world. Monsanto like most companies is trying to make money, but they are trying to make money by being the main and only company you can get soybean and cord seeds from. A group of antitrust lawyers according to David Barboza of the New York Times, Monsanto has “gained monopoly status through the use of bully tactics, intimidation, deceptive business practices and restrictive technology deals with small farmers”. Eventually Monsanto will own or be a part of all the soybean and corn production in the world, creating a monopoly with these two products and halting the production of natural soybean and corn. GMO seeds ruin soil, meaning it is very hard to grow anything else on a corn farm and even hard to get some corn and soy bean soils to still properly grow crops after a while because of the chemicals in the seeds. Basically, through Monsanto’s distribution of corn seeds it is able to have something to do with almost 90% of the food you see in the grocery store, including fish and meat because corn is one of the main ingredients in lot feed for animals. 

Monsanto is just one of the many companies responsible for distributing genetically modified seeds to the agriculture market worldwide. On the outside there are some short term benefits these seeds can offer, such as preventing foods from going bad, keeping pests away and speeding up the time it takes to grow a crop. These benefits also come with great consequences and great profits, increasing the amount of money a company is willing to spend in court trying to defend their ill efforts. Through the efforts of companies such as Greenpeace the issues of the labeling and safety of genetically modified foods are able to make their way into the public sphere, also allowing for people to feel like they are contributing via their monthly contributions. This is a very new issue which is so multifaceted and is applicable to many different audiences, it will take a bit of time to smooth out the details. As can be seen with previous activist movements, the involvement of the public matters and can be enough to make a lasting difference.

Work Cited

Barboza, David. "Monsanto Sued Over Use of Biotechnology in Developing Seeds." The New York Times 15 Dec. 1999: n. pag. ProQuest. Web. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/431309512?accountid=14524>.

Frederick H Buttel (2005): The Environmental and Post-Environmental Politics of Genetically Modified Crops and Foods, Environmental Politics, 14:3, 309-323

Eden, Sally. "New Political Economy." Taylor & Francis Online ::. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cnpe20>.

Lubell, Mark. "Environmental Activism as Collective Action." Environmental Activism as Collective Action. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. <http://eab.sagepub.com/content/34/4/431>.

Steorra, Chester. "What's on Your Plate? Food Inc: Mendel to Monsanto - The Promises and Perils of the Biotech Harvest by Peter Pringle." People 13 Sept. 2003: n. pag. ProQuest. Web. <http://search.proquest.com/docview/200498086?accountid=14524>.