Consumer Lawsuit in Brazil Halts Approval of Monsanto's Roundup-Ready Soybeans
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NGO Stops Monsanto in Brazil
November 23, 1998
gnnnews@tao.ca
A lawsuit filed by the Brazilian Institute for Consumer
Defense (IDEC) has temporarily halted the Brazilian Ministry
of Agriculture's approval of Monsanto's glyphosate-tolerant
soybeans. The court has prohibited the Brazilian government
From authorizing the marketing and planting of Roundup Ready
soybeans until the case is resolved. IDEC's complaint is
based on concerns about lack of regulations regarding food
safety and labeling of genetically engineered crops in
Brazil. The group also maintains that required studies of the
potential environmental impacts of genetically modified soy
have not been carried out. IDEC is asking individuals and
organizations around the world to support their efforts by
writing to the Brazilian government expressing their concerns
about commercialization of genetically engineered crops and
highlighting governmental and consumer opposition to these
crops around the world.
Monsanto's heavy pressure on governments and farmers to adopt
Roundup Ready soy poses a severe threat to sustainable
agriculture and local ecosystems. The technology has been
designed expressly to enable and encourage farmers to use
even greater quantities of the herbicide Roundup
(glyphosate), which has been implicated in reproductive
disorders, genetic damage, liver tumors and developmental
delays in mammals. Glyphosate-containing products have been
shown to affect earthworms and beneficial fungi, to inhibit
nitrogen fixation and to increase susceptibility of crop
plants to disease. Compounding these problems are the social
and economic impacts of increasing farmers' reliance on
purchased inputs such as genetically engineered seeds and
pesticides -- and the lost opportunities for farmers to
strengthen their knowledge and skills in safe and sustainable
agricultural practices.