©
greenpeace
“
In
Argentina, the ‘success' of the GM soybean
story must largely be attributed to
marketing by the seed companies involved,
rather than scientific evidence and farmer
experience.”
Walter Pengue,
agricultural engineer specialized in
genetic improvement at the University of
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentina is the world's second largest
producer of genetically engineered crops,
in particular soy. Eight years after the
introduction of GM soy, the biotech
industry's claims that its crops are
environmentally and socially benign have
yet to bear fruit. Increasing evidence
shows that GM soy is exacerbating the
existing agricultural model, which is
increasing poverty, damaging the
environment and threatening food security
for the vast majority of Argentineans.
During the last quarter of a century,
soybean production increased at a swift
rate from an area of 38,000 hectares in
1970 to approximately 13 million hectares
in 2003. Around 70 percent of the soy
harvested is converted into oil, and most
of it is exported. Argentina is the source
of 81 percent of the world's exported soy
oil, and 36 percent of the soybean
meal.
GM soy was introduced in Argentina in
the last half of the 1990s. Argentinean
farmers started using the GM ‘Roundup Ready
Soy' sold by Monsanto in 1996, and after a
few years practically all of the soy
produced in the country was genetically
modified.
smaller yields and more
herbicides
Two of the biotech industry's main
arguments are that GM crops increase yields
and that they require fewer herbicides. The
experience in Argentina shows exactly the
opposite. Roundup Ready soy does not have
higher yields. The increase in Argentinean
soy production is the result of an increase
in acreage, for example by the replacement
of other crops with soy or by using more
forestland, contributing to
deforestation.
Roundup Ready soy has proven to require
more, not less, herbicide than conventional
soy. In 2001, more than 9.1 million more
kilograms of herbicide were used for GM soy
in comparison with non-GM. The use of
glyphosate herbicide (sold by Monsanto)
doubled from 28 million liters in the
period 1997-98 to 56 million liters in
1998-1999, and reached 100 million in the
2002 season.
Moreover, weeds resistant to Roundup
Ready soy have already been identified in
Argentina , and this is contributing
further to the increased use of herbicides.
This weed resistance has prompted the use
of highly toxic herbicides with Roundup
Ready soy, and farmers have started using
herbicides, including some that are banned
in other countries (including 2,4-D,
2,4-DB, Atrazine, Paraquat and Metsulphuron
Methyl).
more poverty
A myth constantly promoted by proponents
of GM crops is that they are key to solving
global hunger and poverty. The example of
Argentina , the world's second largest
producer of GM crops, demonstrates the
opposite.
Millions of Argentineans go to bed
hungry each night. There are many causes
for the current situation in Argentina ,
but is clear that the promotion of GM soy
is further boosting the current model of
export-oriented agriculture. This model is
enriching a few and relegating the majority
of Argentineans to poverty. Within the past
decade, 160,000 small farming families have
been forced from the land, unable to
compete with large farms. GM soy has
exacerbated this trend towards large-scale,
industrialized agriculture, and is thus
aggravating poverty.
potential health
risks
Faced with an increase in poverty, large
amounts of soy and a lack of other
agricultural products, the Argentinean
government began to promote soy as a
healthy alternative to traditional
foodstuffs such as meat and milk. A
campaign called ‘Soja Solidaridad' (Soy
Solidarity) was launched. Soup kitchens
started serving soy-based meals, and
cookbooks were written with soy-based
recipes. As a result, many people are
consuming soy-based foods on a daily basis.
This entails potential risks for the health
of these populations. Although soy can form
part of a healthy diet, there is a large
body of scientific evidence showing that an
over-reliance upon soy can have
nutritionally damaging effects. Too much
soy can inhibit the absorption of calcium,
iron, zinc and Vitamin B12, and may produce
problems like early onset of puberty in
girls.
source: Grupo de Reflexion
Rural
Argentina
.
