We have denounced on several occasions the serious damage and dangers to human health and the environment linked to the spread of glyphosate, the most widespread agrotoxic on the planet. It was devised by Monsanto (with the brand #RoundUp), which then developed GMO soy and corn (1) with the express purpose of allowing the survival of those only species to the poisonous effects of the pesticide. And just when the international protest against glyphosate has reached its climax, the new disastrous poison is ready, #dicamba.
#StopGlifosato. Petitions related to the hashtag have collected millions of signatures globally, thanks to the scientific opinion of the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) on its carcinogenicity and the documentation collected (2) on the most tragic damage it causes to the health of populations. Not enough for the European Commission that as usual it has favored large lobbies, agro-toxicants and farmers, with respect to consumer protection. Authorizing in 2016 a further renewal of the use of the dangerous pesticide, in clear contrast with the so-called precautionary principle (which European policies should be based on) on the basis of which - in the absence of scientific certainties on the harmlessness of the substances - it is necessary to prevent their use.
#Monsanto Corporation it also boasts a prominent role in the history of weapons of mass destruction and dangerous substances. In the palmares of the disasters register his contribution to the manhattan project (whose lethal devices were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki), the conception and production of the Agent Orange (which instead devastated Vietnam), PCBs and dioxins, saccharin, aspartame, rBGH (Synthetic bovine growth hormone). In comparison, glyphosate is an almost banal herbicide. It has had extraordinary success, yes, but its patent has expired and so will the GMOs designed to suit it. So - waiting for the green light of the authorities Antitrust of the various countries to its acquisition by the Teutonic giant Bayer (3) - Monsanto has developed a new instrument of extermination.
Dicamba, the super agrotoxic, in the 10 years since the preliminary registration application has already collected certificates of neurotoxicity, damage to the reproductive system, liver and kidneys, risk of malformation of the fetus, toxicity to birds and aquatic species, percolation in groundwater (4). Never enough to hinder the favorable scrutiny of the authorities, thanks to the generous support of the lobbyists of the Corporation, (5) as indeed happened just when the media were distracted by the lively presidential elections in the USA (6). And even before the EPA (Environment Protection Agency) gave the green light to the herbicide, Monsanto had already genetically manipulated and marketed the only seeds capable of resisting it, such as soy 'Roundup Ready 2 Xtend'. And early buyers had already wreaked havoc on 'non-target' crops - which include both glyphosate-only GMOs and conventional plants of various species, including fruit trees - on tens of thousands of hectares of land. Because dicamba is as deadly as it is volatile, and its poisonous effects can extend for miles and miles (7).
The new disaster is ready, on a planetary scale. Dicamba will also be marketed by the other members of the exclusive agro-toxic club, DuPont and BASF. In turn, DuPont Pioneer and Syngenta will launch dozens of GMO dicamba-resistant soybean varieties as early as 2017 (8). In addition to those of Monsanto, whose presence or derivation - in food, feed and other products - has already been authorized in Europe until 2026 (9). It took 40 years to become aware of the problems of glyphosate, how many will it take for dicamba macumba? The choice of organic foods can protect us from its residues in food, but there is little that can be done to stem the damage to the environment (which affects health, even through water contamination) except saying #Basta!
For more information on GMOs and agrotoxicants, the free download of the ebook 'OGM, la Grande Scuffa' is available on https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sostenibilità/ogm-la-grande-truffa
Dario Dongo
Footnotes
(1) The perverse link between the agro-toxic industry and the biotech industry is highlighted in the ebook 'GMOs, the Great Scam', on https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sostenibilità/ogm-la-grande-truffa
(2) One above all, the work 'The human cost of agrotoxicos' by the Argentine Pablo Ernesto Piovano, on https://youtu.be/U7U9-Es1LlE
(3) http://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-m-a-bayer-deal-idUSKCN11K128,
(4) http://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-gateway-test?pname=dicamba.php, http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC32871
(5) Monsanto's intervention is at the level of presidents and secretaries of state, conservatives http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/805581 and Democrats http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-07-17/lobbyists-for-monsanto-exxon-mobile-raise-money-for-hillary-clinton
(6) http://www.reuters.com/article/monsanto-epa-dicamba-idUSL1N1DA3YS
(7) Missouri's top peach producer, Bader Peaches, reported the loss of 30.000 plants. See http://www.ecowatch.com/epa-monsanto-dicamba-gmos-2087899331.html
(8) https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/crops/article/2016/11/10/epa-registers-xtendimax-2
(9) http://ec.europa.eu/food/dyna/gm_register/gm_register_auth.cfm?pr_id=63, http://ec.europa.eu/food/dyna/gm_register/gm_register_auth.cfm?pr_id=75
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
