Originally published October 20 2011
GMO takeover: Transgenic canola popping up outside growing areas all over North Dakota
by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) A new study published in the journal PLoS ONE proves that it is virtually impossible to contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) from pervasively spreading throughout and contaminating the environment. Researchers from the University of Arkansas (UA) have compiled data showing that wild, uncontrolled varieties of transgenic canola plants are turning up all across the state of North Dakota, a state where the crop is heavily cultivated.
The team discovered that a shocking 45 percent of all roadside plants sampled across North Dakota were GM canola varieties. They identified glyphosate resistant canola, glufosinate resistant canola, and various other mutant transgenic combinations and varieties of GM canola all lining roads and highways, even in areas relatively far from actual canola crop fields.
Canola, which is also known as rapeseed in some countries, can be quite a persistent and pervasive crop. GM varieties of canola in particular have been found to persist year after year, and spread further and further over time, all on their own without human intervention. Today, they are a type of uncontrolled weed that, by all appearances, is now impossible to contain.
The UA team stated in their paper that the uncontrolled spread of GM canola "raises questions of whether adequate oversight and monitoring protocols are in place in the US to track the environmental impact of biotech products." Such "questions," though, have already been raised numerous times, and the answer is abundantly clear: there absolutely is no meaningful oversight of the biotechnology industry at all in the US.
GMOs and GM traits have already been known to contaminate other crops, particularly through transgenic seeds and pollen spreading to nearby fields and mingling with non-GMO and organic varieties. But the US government continues to endorse GMOs, having even recently approved GM alfalfa for commercial use despite the fact that it is wholly unneeded, and will eventually contaminate the entire food supply (http://www.naturalnews.com/031139_GE_alfalfa...).
One glimmer of hope is a recent ruling by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which established that farmers whose crops become contaminated with patented GM crops and traits can sue the companies that own and produce them for illegal trespass.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-...
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml