By Ian Sample
Guardian UK
Scientists call for GM review after surge in pests around cotton farms in China
Farmland struck by infestations of bugs following widespread adoption of Bt cotton made by biotech giant Monsanto
Scientists are calling for the long-term risks of GM crops to be reassessed after field studies revealed an explosion in pest numbers around farms growing modified strains of cotton.
The unexpected surge of infestations “highlights a critical need” for better ways of predicting the impact of GM crops and spotting potentially damaging knock-on effects arising from their cultivation, researchers said.
Millions of hectares of farmland in northern China have been struck by infestations of bugs following the widespread adoption of Bt cotton, an engineered variety made by the US biotech giant, Monsanto.
Outbreaks of mirid bugs, which can devastate around 200 varieties of fruit, vegetable and corn crops, have risen dramatically in the past decade, as cotton farmers have shifted from traditional cotton crops to GM varieties, scientists said.
Traditional cotton famers have to spray their crops with insecticides to combat destructive bollworm pests, but Bt cotton produces its own insecticide, meaning farmers can save money by spraying it less.
Read full post at Guardian UK
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Thank you. Interesting article.
Interesting, it obviously appears that the people at Monsanto never played the hammer and peg game when they were kids or they would have foresaw this problem. That is the game where the child hits the peg with a hammer and another one pops up and then you hit that one and so on. Dumb, dumb, dumb and dummer must be running Monsanto. The way they fight bugs reminds me of the way the Nazi’s fought WW ll. Is there anybody with a very small mustache running Monsanto? Paul
lol. well they certainly haven’t won the hearts and minds of anyone other than their shareholders… and they’re losing that, too