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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.S. Forced to Import Corn as Shoppers Demand Organic
A growing demand for organics, and the near-total reliance by U.S. farmers on genetically modified corn and soybeans, is driving a surge in imports from other nations where crops largely are free of bioengineering.
Imports such as corn from Romania and soybeans from India are booming, according to an analysis of U.S. trade data released Wednesday by the Organic Trade Association and Pennsylvania State University.
That shows a potential market for U.S. growers willing to avoid the use of artificial chemicals and genetically modified seeds, said Laura Batcha, chief executive officer of the association, which includes Whole Foods Market Inc., Whitewave Foods Co. and Earthbound Farm LLC.
The report is a help-wanted sign for U.S. farmers, Batcha said. There are market distortions that are pretty striking.
Most of the corn and soybean shipments become feed for chickens and cows so they can be certified organic under U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. Organic poultry and dairy operators shun feed made with seeds from Monsanto Co. and other domestic suppliers in favor of foreign products even as the U.S. remains the worlds top grower of corn and soybeans.
more...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-15/romanian-corn-imports-to-u-s-surge-as-shoppers-demand-organic
ananda
(28,888 posts).. that struck me as funny!
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)central scrutinizer
(11,665 posts)to add to gasoline
AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)To allow sociopaths to control the food supply is Lloyd Christmas level dumbness.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)It seems the 'much safer' non-GM corn grown in Italy became infested with fumonisins (which can cause permanent neurological damage in a human fetus). Fumonisins is not a problem with GM Bt corn. So comically, Italy was forced to import GM corn which they could not grow in their own country.
http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2013/09/the-italian-job-farmers-facing-insect-infestation-pay-dearly-for-europes-anti-gm-stance/#.UmaSGBYVwo4?intlink=rcmid
As if this wasn't funny enough GM Bt corn growing actually benefits non-GM corn crops as well.
http://discover.umn.edu/news/food-agriculture/genetically-modified-crop-benefits-non-modified-crop-killing-pests-university