Great news! I did not know that is what was affecting the bees.

Neonicotinoid is a GMO? Glad to see the use of it being curtailed, however.

The importance of GMO crops.
MIT review

That is good news! I can't wait until they are banned here.

Lol... first they exasperate and create problems with practices such as mono-cropping and the use of products that encourage stronger varieties of disease by killing the genetically weaker blights, then they print articles that tell us we'll *NEED* GMO's in the future. Someone slap me a few times to make sure I'm awake!

GMO's are poison and Monsanto is nothing more than a totally greedy, for profit at all costs, corporation!!! They have done more to totally monopolize all food production around the world, have bankrupted the family farm, totally encouraged and supported corporate farms, and does not care one damned micron about people. The sooner that GMOs are banned, the sooner we go back to heritage seeds and 100 mile consumption of our food, the sooner that consumers wake up to where and how our food is grown and produced, the better off we will all be in terms of our health and well being!!!! People before corporate greed!

wish it would cross the border...I shudder when we buy "fresh produce" here in mi...and you're so close, sigh...maybe we ought to get passports and shop in Windsor??

prairie, Monsanto doesn't force anyone to buy Monsanto seeds. If they have a commanding market share, it's because seed buyers prefer its products over those from other suppliers.

I do agree that GM products were rushed to market without enough oversight and testing. There's no evil involved, they're in business trying to be profitable, just as you do with your farm operation.

The locavore movement is well intentioned but its benefits are unproven and nebulous. It's wishful thinking from an emotional rather than a rational base. In many places and for many products, distant production plus transportation can have less of an environmental impact than local production. Besides, many people have become accustomed to the wider variety of food products in and out of season that today's handling and transportation can provide.

Buying or not buying particular products should be a personal choice, nothing more.

SW, Monsanto, the evil empire as we call it, may not force a farmer to buy their seed but they will make your life hell if you don't. The EE will monitor your crops for any cross over and then sue the heck out of you for using it without permission. The suits generally result in farmers losing their land due to the legal fees incurred.

For those that do buy the Roundup seed, the price is much higher and seed saving for the next year is not allowed. For farmers to have to buy new seed each year very often puts them into debt. Seed saving is a very common practice and a financial boon to smaller and mid sized farmers.

Yes Jasdip, that is great new, all of us fellow Ontarians are doing the Happy Dance!

As with any new, unique and advanced product (I'm not suggesting whether the GM seeds are or aren't advanced, the seller thinks they are and that's what matters), the seller sets terms and conditions. For new products, these may differ from past practices. You can't buy PC software or a book and give a copy to someone, you can't buy a movie on a DVD and copy it for someone. All of these things and many more that are possible are not permitted. Products have limitations and rules for use.

pk, in any endeavor, little guys can't compete with "the big guys". That's how it is.

Choose your field or type of business. Little guys can survive if they find a niche the big guys don't play in. Otherwise, nostalgia for the good old days isn't enough. As I said, I am mostly against the GM approach without further testing but I'm not sympathetic at all to people who try to cling to the past without adapting to the realities of today.

But on the other hand, I wish Canada was progressing as quickly as the U.S., in getting trans fats eliminated, which are just as dangerous.

The snail's pace is disappointing, another 3 years until it takes effect.

What interests me is that many people still seem to be unaware of the dangers. Just a for instance, in threads in this forum when people "share" recipes, it's not unusual to see the inclusion of one or more prepared food products with transfats being recommended as ingredients to use.

Snidely, I agree that Monsanto does not FORCE producers to buy their seed, but as PK has pointed out they will make your life HELL until you do. And if there is any cross over of their seed/plants in a non Monsanto field, you will be in court until you lose the farm!!! As well, many of their seeds are not developed enough to ensure a good crop, but rather, many varieties actually produce an inferior crop. When the producer sells, and gets very little for their effort, again, Monsanto hovers over them until the producer goes bankrupt and Monsanto takes over the farm. If you doubt what I say, research what is happening in India with the cotton crops.

I applaud Mexico, who as a nation, has laws to forbid GMO seeds of corn in their productions. More countries need to do the same. Ontario's decision should be an example to be held high, and more provinces/states/countries need to do the same.

As well, all GMO products should be labeled as such so the consumer has the choice to decide what they will buy. I agree that people have become accustomed to purchasing produce from other parts of the country and world, but that does not mean that GMO products have to be among the mix. People need to be educated as what a GMO is, as well at to where and how their food is produced. We have gotten to far away from the land, and that is why highly processed foods, transfats, processed sugars, etc., have become so prevalent in our diets. Getting back to basics, eating whole fresh foods, buying locally direct from the producer when possible, supporting the local agriculture community and demanding that our food sources are safe is a must. But as long as people prefer to "go with the flow" and remain uneducated about our food supply, companies like Monsanto will continue to do what they damned well like in the name of corporate greed.

And then another nail in the coffin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/business/organic-farmers-object-to-whole-foods-rating-system.html?_r=3

prairie... I think you touched on the crux of the supply/demand falacy surrounding GMO products. It's true that farmers have the informed choice to buy or not to buy GMO seeds. And yet, in the U.S., consumers do NOT have informed choice!

If GMO foods were labeled, study after study shows that whether their concerns are valid or not, consumers would NOT buy GMO produce or products containing GMO ingredients.

The GMO food industry knows this and they continue to lobby and fight against GMO labeling and consumer efforts to know what they are eating. Geese and ganders anyone?

Snidely, I know you aren't defending the products, and it seems you are just pointing out the realities. However, whether it be Monsanto, or any other source using informed consent capitalism as an argument, they are employing an insincere tactic to push a political and financial agenda!

Even I, who know next-to-nothing about farms, is aware of the power of Monsanto. From what I've read, it seems Mansanto makes it pretty much impossible to use anything but their seed for crops that will be sold. I find it disgusting that they are allowed the power to do whatever they want. Ontarians, I envy you!

What is "informed consent capitalism"?

Lol... it's my term for specifically describing the process and effects of Asymmetric Information between competitive forces in the market place, and the efforts to stifle the free flow of information.

As you pointed out in your previous comment, the farmer gives his 'informed consent' when choosing whether or not to buy and grow GMO seeds. However, the final consumer of those goods has no such informed choice available to them. All of us, as consumers, in all practicality are forced to consent without readily available information.

I think the term, as I used it, is quite self-explanatory. The same people who use the ideas of Capitalism to defend their business practices are often loath to participate on a level playing field.

Instead of making all details and conditions freely available to each party involved in a transaction, and thus offer each free agent the opportunity of informed consent, these GMO companies are snake oil salesmen hiding behind consumer ignorance. Companies like Monsanto use the political system to hinder efforts by consumers to have GMO labels readily available and enjoy their opportunity to give informed consent at the supermarket checkout.

They are quick to point out that farmers give their informed consent when choosing to buy and grow GMO seeds, but they fight, in every avenue possible, against allowing consumers that same privilege. Therefore, my use of the term 'informed consent capitalism' is meant to expose the hypocrisy of those companies who claim they were playing fair by offering 'informed consent' when selling to the farmer ("he/she/it knew what they were buying and chose to abide by the terms of the agreement,") but again, they reveal their hypocrisy when the consumer simply asks for the same opportunity!

Again, it seemed pretty self-explanatory. I didn't think I would have to write a dissertation on a garden forum debating the huckster practices of a behemoth corporation.

IS neonicotinoid a GMO? It is a Pesticide and Monsanto (surprisingly) is not a company that makes it or profits from it. It IS as dangerous as DDT was (banned in 1972), and neonicotinoid and others like it need to be banned. However, GMO's are not the same thing. I wonder if this pesticide is made from "tobacco" and this is just another way of "protecting" the former or current tobacco farmers. BIG business (as well as big farm corporations) can not be relied on to be truthful about their practices or profits, to be sure.

I asked for an explanation because I couldn't make sense of your comments. Thanks for the effort, but I still really can't get what your point is. You've used some buzz words and phrases but I don't see how they connect. While I'm not sure what you're saying I suspect we don't agree on much. That's okay.

Nanny, here is an article referring to Monsanto and it's use of neonicotinoids.

A quote explaining the article "Company's bad reputation is further damaged by its commitment to harmful pesticides that don't help farmers, says investment magazine

Monsanto's GM soybeans are seed-treated with bee-toxic neonicotinoid pesticides. The article below shows that even when there is good evidence a product is harmful and of little use to farmers, Monsanto still pushes it."

Monsanto and neonicotinoids

Jasdip, that link goes to an anti-GM action/lobbying/political organization. It's not a piece of journalism and it isn't unbiased information.

Again, not that I agree or disagree with any particular point of view, but it's important to know what you read.

I'm sorry Snidely. I just posted the article because it specifically mentioned that neonicotinoids are being used as part of the GMO. Basically answering Nanny's question. I didn't mean to deliberately post a biased article.

Please, no problem at all, no need to say "sorry".

There's a lot of information on the internet, some is useful but far too much is bogus. Your well intentioned effort simply highlighted something that Internet users need an ongoing reminder of. Anyone can post anything they want on a blog or webpage, any organization or movement can easily masquerade hit pieces as being something more authoritative than they are, etc. Real sources that speak with some authority can be identified as such, and the others, well, the others can usually be identified as horse poop too. A Google or other search is indiscriminate, it matches words and nothing more.

The efforts some go through to disguise horse poop as being something more can be really ingenious.

Susanjf, no point in wanting to shop in Windsor for produce in stores because except for some Ontario seasonal produce most of our fruits and vegetables come from Mexico, US or Chili. We have Ontario hothouse cucumbers and if we are lucky hot house tomatoes. Except in the summer, the selection is much better. We live in a food bountiful county where there are numerous roadside fruit stands and barns and farmers markets where you can buy locally grown produce. I don't drive but if I did I wouldn't buy any summer produce but bananas or oranges in a grocery store. This move banning neonicotinoids is one step closer to saving the bees and our health.

I did look at the article saying that some seeds (presumably GMO ) were coated with neonicotinoids; did not know that. I do believe that THEY are hurting our environment. I think there is much controversy over GMO's and the jury is still out (in my opinion) and in my valley they have banned them sort of, some areas maybe????..... still much controversy and legal maneuvering. I am more concerned with the health of bees and earthworms etc. and the use of a tobacco product just to keep the tobacco growers (lobby?) alive and well. I was unable to find the source I previously read that listed the manufactures of neonicotinoid, Monsanto was not among them. Subsequently I did read that Monsanto was using neonicotinoids as a coating on their seeds. Life would be more simple if we didn't have these mega corporations using their wealth to publish all kinds of data meant to mis-lead in order to protect their own investments. As a consumer, it is hard to know just what to believe.

t

You can find some non-GMO corn in Canada but I don't know if there is any in the food sector that isn't. You can find non-GMO in livestock feed. Most places don't carry it though. We recently sold two of our cows to someone that has a specialty bird farm that supplies high end restaurants. We actually discussed feed for quite some time while she was here, as she has also bought ducks from us to supply for her demanding market. She can't afford to do organic as she would be unable to turn a profit but she can buy non-gmo feed (which corn is an additive) for the same price, actually it was a little cheaper, than non-gmo feed. The only issue was that she has to buy it by the tonne.

We rent out about 40 acres of our land and I will not rent to someone who uses pesticides. This is the 3rd growing season since we've been here and the organic farmer that we rent to also grows corn. He only does enough for his own livestock and needs for his family. Like several people mentioned above, part of the problem with GMO seeds is that they can cross pollinate with non gmo. A farmer can save their seeds without even knowing there has been contamination. People should have the right to choose what they buy and make informed decisions about their purchases.