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Genetic Contamination





For these reasons, GE organisms (or GMOs - genetically modified organisms) must not be released into the environment. They pose unacceptable risks to ecosystems, and threaten biodiversity, wildlife and sustainable forms of agriculture.

GE organisms are a threat to crop diversity



According to botanist Jack Harlan, genetic diversity is all that "stands between us and catastrophic starvation on a scale we can not imagine".

GE companies threaten farmers' livelihoods

If threatening biodiversity wasn't enough, the biotech giants make farmers pay for the privilege of using these human-made organisms. Farmers in North America and Latin America, where most of the world's GE agriculture is, must sign a contract that specifies that if they save the seeds to plant again the following year or use any herbicide other than the corporation's own, they are likely to be prosecuted.

However, as awareness increases and consumers and farmers mobiliseacross the planet, the threat of GE crops and industrial agriculture can be stopped.

Hope for rejection in the world

Thanks to years of pressure from environmental groups, the consumers, our cyberactivists and Greenpeace, in 2004 we celebrated a victory for the environment following the announcement by Monsanto that it would suspend further development or open field trials of its genetically engineered Roundup Ready wheat. Monsanto stated that it was deferring all further efforts to introduce the crop and that it was discontinuing breeding and field-level research of the wheat. This follows a similar announcement in 2003 when the company announced its withdrawal from the development of pharmaceutical crops.