Bee Cause…! November ?

LV Blog Monsanto Bee Cause Nov. 2016FF

Bee Cause…! November ?

Nectar Sweet Victory Against Monsanto!

A district judge in the state of Yucatán, Mexico has overturned a permit that would have allowed Monsanto to commercially plant hundreds of thousands of hectares of soybeans genetically modified to resist the company’s infamous pesticide Roundup. The new ruling stated that introducing GM crops to the region would most certainly threaten the established and highly lucrative honey production.

The initial permit was issued to Monsanto in June 2012 by Mexico’s agriculture ministry, despite protests from 25,000 Mayan farmers and beekeepers, as well as powerful groups such as Greenpeace, the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas and the National Institute of Ecology. 

At the center of the new ruling lies a stipulation within the Mexican constitution compelling the government to ‘fully consult’ indigenous communities prior to any decisions being made regarding individual territories. The judge ruled that the Mexican government violated the constitutional rights of the individual communities making up the Yucatán peninsula when they issued the original permit to Monsanto in 2012.

Further, after reviewing the scientific evidence present against Monsanto, the judge declared that it would be reckless to introduce GM crops to the area because, based upon longstanding research, the honey bees cannot co-exist with GM crops.

Current research indicates Glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup, could pose serious health threats to groundwater supplies, soil, microorganisms, humans, tropical flora, indigenous & migratory animals, as well as pollinators such a bees, moths/butterflies, birds, and bats. It should be noted, Monsanto firmly rejects these claims.

The richly forested tropical climate of the Yucatán peninsula has been at the center of Mexico’s honey export industry, generating over 40% of the countries honey production over the last decade. The majority of the honey produced in this region is exported to Europe with an annual revenue of $54 million (£32m), making it a highly valuable industry to preserve.

In 2011, the EU Court of Justice passed a landmark decision restricting any products derived from GM crops throughout Europe. Commercial planting of GM crops on the Yucatán peninsula would essentially devastate the much needed European export market for Mexican beekeepers.

Monsanto, a powerful multi-national company, has vowed to appeal the new ruling. Big surprise…

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