April 25, 2013

Poland has announced that it will launch a complete ban on growing Monsanto's genetically modified strain MON810 after the anti-Monsanto activism was launched by nations like France and Hungary.

The announcement, made by Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki, sets yet another international standard against Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) creations. In addition to being linked to plethora health ailments, Sawicki says that the pollen originating from this GM strain may actually be devastating the already dwindling bee population.

Similar opposition to Monsanto occurred on March 9, when seven European countries blocked a proposal by the Danish EU presidency which would permit the cultivation of GM plants on the entire continent. It was France, who in February, lead the charge against GMOs by asking the European Commission to suspend authorisation to Monsanto's GM corn. What's more, the country settled a landmark case in favour of the people over Monsanto, finding the biotech giant guilty of chemical poisoning.

In a ruling given by a court in Lyon (southeast France), grain grower Paul Francois stated that Monsanto failed to provide proper warnings on the Lasso weed killer product label which resulted in neurological problems such as memory loss and headaches. The court ordered an expert opinion to determine the sum of the damages, and to verify the link between Lasso and the reported illnesses. The result was a guilty charge, paving the way for further legal action on behalf of injured farmers.