1,500 Colonies of Honeybees Die After Fumigation of Monsanto Fields

1,500 colonies of honeybees, from a community in Hopelchen, Campeche, died this February 6 from the fumigation of Monsanto’s GMO’s in a nearby area.

Genetically Modified Food (Photo credit: Peter Blanchard)

Yucatan Times – “This has directly impacted more than 50 impoverished families, who recently suffered a poor corn crop due to drought. The community was relying on their sale of organic honey to compensate for the lack of maize. The current honey left by the bees is also lost due to the contamination of pesticides and transgenic pollen.

Alvaro Mena, a mayan farmer from Hopelchen and member of the Network in Defense of Maize, estimated losses at nearly 10 million pesos and is the equivalent of one year’s worth of corn and honey production for the community.

Fumigation has intensified where GM crops have been planted in Mexico. GMO’s are known to be resistant to pesticides and are planted in large monocultures, applying huge amounts of Roundup. It is no accident says Mena: it is the toxic onslaught that comes with GM crops and the threat of allowing millions of acres of GM Maize to be planted.

Mena attended the debate at which officials failed to attend and began with his witness of GMO’s. Thousands showed up to participate in the debate on GM maize on Thursday, February 7, in a packed auditorium of the Faculty of Science, organized by several networks, including #YoSoy132 Environmental Via Campesina Popular Urban Movement, and the Network in Defense of Maize…

…At the debate, the convening organizations, including urban, rural and students expressed their critical views on GMOs from their perspectives. They manifested their intent to stop the planting of GM maize and will continue through all struggles and will do all that they can to not allow the government to impose, against the interests of the vast majority of the population, GM Maize for the benefit of Government and a few multinationals. They agreed to promote further discussions, forums and activities, and strengthen the links between the organizations to avoid GM foods and crops. Also they will promote the widest possible participation in the pre-hearings on Corn and Food Sovereignty of the Permanent Peoples Tribunal, which among other topics will hold a pre-hearing of scientific evidence on GM and failures and corruption of the biosecurity system in the country…” Full Story on Yucatan Times

Related articles

• GMOs: Not Even in Moderation (dprogram.net)
• 1,500 Colonies of Honeybees Die in Campeche (dailypaul.com)
• GMW: Poland becomes eighth EU country to ban Monsanto maize (prn.fm)
• Peasant Leaders Stage Hunger Strike Against Genetically Modified Corn (commondreams.org)
• Safety Group Blows Lid on ‘Secret Virus’ Hidden in GMO Crops (naturalsociety.com)
• Solidarity statement with anti-GMO corn hunger strike in Mexico (climate-connections.org)
• Monsanto gets green light to plant genetically modified corn (insidecostarica.com)
• Just Say NO to GMOs (survivalsherpa.wordpress.com)

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