GMO animal feed imported into the UK from North and South American markets is a large cause for concern. GeneWatch UK called on supermarkets across Great Britain this past week to urge them to wake up to the harm that Monsanto’s RoundUp ready crops are causing to the environment and to Monarch butterfly habitats at large.
The problem revolving around questionable GM crops and their effects on our ecosystem is so exacerbated in the U.S. that a petition was just filed to give the butterfly species ‘endangered species protection.’ UK pollinators could face similar damage if supermarkets keep selling foods that were grown on GM feed.
Monarch butterfly populations have declined by almost 90% in the U.S., and according to Dr Helen Wallace, Director of GeneWatch UK, supermarkets should be selling GM-free-fed meat, milk, and eggs to help keep the problem from spreading to other parts of the world.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety, the Xerces Society, and renowned monarch scientist Dr. Lincoln Brower filed a legal petition very recently to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeking Endangered Species Act protection for monarch butterflies. With just 20 years of RoundUp use, the iconic orange and black butterflies may have lost more than 165 million acres of habitat – an area about the size of Texas – including nearly a third of their summer breeding grounds.
Wallace argues:
“They [supermarkets] must help to save the Monarch butterfly and protect other wildlife habitats from being destroyed by blanket spraying with RoundUp”.
RoundUp Ready GM crops are heavily imported to the UK for use in animal feed. Meat, milk, and eggs from animals fed with GM crops are currently not labeled, so consumers have no choice, unless they buy certified organic.
With the exception of Waitrose, major supermarket chains in the UK have fallen flat on commitments to phase out the use of GM animal feed in the last few years. Sainsbury maintains only one GM-free fed product line, while other supermarkets such as Tesco and Morrisons claim they cannot source GM-free feed.
This is simply false, since countries in near proximity to the UK, such as Sweden, do not use GM feed at all, and Germany and France require labeling.
Monarch’s dramatic decline is being increasingly connected to widespread planting of GM crops in the Midwest United States, where most monarchs are hatched. The vast majority of these crops are made to be resistant to Monsanto’s herbicide, RoundUp, which is blanket sprayed on numerous crops. This haphazard spraying of toxic chemicals have all but wiped out milkweed, the monarch caterpillar’s only food.
If UK grocer’s don’t take a stand, they can expect to see their customer bases decline in a grassroots stance against Monsanto.
Additional Sources:
Dear Christina, i wrote on your last article how to stop monsanto which in turn would solve all the rest of the problems you and others write of. Leaving it up to the government to do it is useless. Stop purchasing anything monsanto and bayers and other makers who/manufacture/or control or have controlling interest in, they can not survive without sales, everything you’ve been mentioning in this and past article is a waste of time! This has to start with locals everywhere boycotting their local stores, having a stand on a public sidewalk with petitions to hand out or sign and presenting them to the local supermarkets and let them know they must stop selling gmo foods/products if they want to keep you as customers. Along with that, every other area of products one might use around the house that might be a monsanto or like product from others has to stop being purchased, a list of all offenders should be made available to everyone so they know every company or mega corp. Who is working to either destroy natural farming or controlling other companies to offer/make/or sell harmful products of any kind. Companies like ones who use harmful additives or want to control things like water….Nestle’s for instance. This is the only fool proof way to beat the bastards at their own game!
They own the politicians, judges, and lawyers, trging to go that route is a waste of time…….period!
Evidentally you dont care for my post or thoughts? I see my previous post has not been posted? If this is intentional, so be it, i have done and said all i’m going to, i have given you the answers to all of this, so if you choose to ignore it, its’ your losses not mine, i will not waste my time with ignorant writers or readers!
Why I cannot send this article by e-mail to others
I still dont see my original post? Without it you will continue to fumble around in the dark! What’s up?