hey hobbit - good news

[butters]

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/nothing...dca1962638b1961e692a03a65283f2d43406e1b99ff28

(06 June, 2016)

Europe just took an extraordinary vote, refusing to grant Monsanto a license for its main product and cornerstone of its empire - the cancer-linked weed killer glyphosate.

Monsanto thought renewal of glyphosate was a done deal. But now, after over 2 million of us joined the biggest global petition against glyphosate ever and massive targeted public pressure, the future of the Monsanto model is more in question than ever before.

Together we forced this from a formality for a new 15-year license into a heated political debate that ended up as a vote on an 18-month emergency extension. This week, European nations rejected even that.

and this, from an email to me:

This is far from over. But it's an utter game-changer for countries like Germany, France and Italy to challenge the basis of Monsanto's entire business model.

We haven't been knee-jerk anti-pesticide. Our campaign calls for a suspension until independent science determines the safety of glyphosate. We'll keep fighting, but if the EU allows 18 months for a new scientific process to weigh in, and we can ensure that process is truly independent, we will have won!

We can also use the next 18 months to focus scrutiny on the global environmental impact of the Monsanto model, which is turning the surface of our planet into strange, toxic "biodeserts" where only one genetically modified Monsanto crop can grow

 

[Christobal]

Is there such a thing as an independent scientist? They all are funded by someone other than themselves. Who pays everyone salaries, provides the labs and all equipment.

The benefactors usually have some kind of outcome in mind be it the trustees of a college or a company. If you know what the group that is paying for everything wants IMHO that's what gets found. It is likely not an evil lie but it is very easy to manipulate the outcome just by how the hypothesis is constructed.

 

[Lancecastor]

Butters signed the petition several times.

 

[Hard_Rom]

What is turning the surface of our planet into strange, toxic "biodeserts" where only one genetically modified Monsanto crop can grow, is the ever increasing need for high yield low cost food for 9 billion people.

It will be GM algae before much longer.

Don't forget Dow AgroSciences in your hate of mega-corp farming.

 

[Lancecastor]

Seafood is the only remaining natural mass food source being harvested primarily in the wild, notwithstanding aquaculture and fish farming.

You'd think they could at least make chocolate mussels by now.

 

[stickygirl]

"We haven't been knee-jerk anti-pesticide. Our campaign calls for a suspension until independent science determines the safety of glyphosate. "

Errr except that glyphosate is a herbicide
I'm all for proper analysis of the impact of chemicals in the environment but if objectors can't even get the facts right then it is knee-jerking.
Lets hope the analysis is done properly and conclusions made soon. I agree that proper analysis should have been done years ago.