GM Watch
  • Main Menu
    • Home
    • News
      • Newsletter subscription
      • Daily Digest
      • News Reviews
      • News Languages
    • Articles
      • GM Myth Makers
      • GM Reports
      • GM Quotes
      • GM Myths
      • Non-GM successes
      • GM Firms
        • Monsanto: a history
        • Monsanto: resources
        • Bayer: a history
        • Bayer: resources
    • Videos
      • Latest Videos
      • Must see videos
      • Cornell videos
      • Agriculture videos
      • Labeling videos
      • Animals videos
      • Corporations videos
      • Corporate takeover videos
      • Contamination videos
      • Latin America videos
      • India videos
      • Asia videos
      • Food safety videos
      • Songs videos
      • Protests videos
      • Biofuel myths videos
      • Index of GM crops and foods
      • Index of speakers
      • Health Effects
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donations
    • How donations will help us
News and comment on genetically modified foods and their associated pesticides    
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Newsletter subscription
    • News Reviews
    • News Languages
      • Notícias em Português
      • Nieuws in het Nederlands
      • Nachrichten in Deutsch
    • Archive
      • 2021 articles
      • 2020 articles
      • 2019 articles
      • 2018 articles
      • 2017 articles
      • 2016 articles
      • 2015 articles
      • 2014 articles
      • 2013 articles
      • 2012 articles
      • 2011 articles
      • 2010 articles
      • 2009 articles
      • 2008 articles
      • 2007 articles
      • 2006 articles
      • 2005 articles
      • 2004 articles
      • 2003 articles
      • 2002 articles
      • 2001 articles
      • 2000 articles
  • Articles
    • GM Myth Makers
    • GM Reports
    • How donations will help us
    • GM Quotes
    • GM Myths
    • Non-GM successes
    • GM Firms
      • Monsanto: a history
      • Monsanto: resources
      • Bayer: a history
      • Bayer: resources
  • Videos
    • Index of speakers
    • Glyphosate Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • Must see videos
    • Health Effects
    • Cornell videos
    • Agriculture videos
    • Labeling videos
    • Animals videos
    • Corporations videos
    • Corporate takeover videos
    • Contamination videos
    • Latin America videos
    • India videos
    • Asia videos
    • Food safety videos
    • Songs videos
    • Protests videos
    • Biofuel myths videos
    • Index of GM crops and foods
  • Contact
  • About
  • Donations
SUBSCRIBE TO REVIEWS

GMWatch Facebook cornfield banner

SCIENCE SUPPORTS REGULATION OF GENE EDITING

Plant tissue cultures

GENE EDITING: UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES AND RISKS

Damaged DNA on fire

GENE-EDITED CROPS & FOODS

Help stop the new threat

GM Fed pig

News Menu

  • Latest News
  • News Reviews
  • Archive
  • Languages

Please support GMWatch

Donations

You can donate via Paypal or credit/debit card.

Some of you have opted to give a regular donation. This is greatly appreciated as it helps place us on a more stable financial basis. Thank you for your support!

2012 articles

Most cotton we wear is GM today

  • Print
  • Email
Details
Published: 11 October 2012
Created: 11 October 2012
Last Updated: 22 October 2012
Twitter

NOTE: Check out the new campaign
http://www.cottonedon.org/
1.Give control to farmers, not GM companies
2.Eliminate hazardous synthetic pesticides
3.Help farmers feed their families
4.Save precious water
5.Combat climate change
–-
–-
Most cotton we wear is GM today
Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
The Telegraph, 8 Oct 2012
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9590556/Most-cotton-we-wear-is-GM-today.html

*Three quarters of the cotton clothes bought in Britain today are made from a genetically modified crop, according to experts, including items available in major High Street stores.

The so-called ‘franken frocks’ will not harm the health of the person wearing the GM cotton but many feel that the public has not been consulted about the long term implications on the environment.

Simon Ferringo, the author of a new book exposing the realities of the industry, explained that while only 12 countries grow GM they account for most of the world’s production.

In India up to 90 per cent of the crop is now genetically engineered to be resistant to certain pests. In China and the US it is also GM.

“There is no breakdown of GM or non-GM cotton use in the UK, but as an importer of finished textiles from regions where cotton is mostly GM, it is assumed up to ¾ is from GM seeds,” he said.

In fact It is becoming so difficult to get hold of organic cotton that major retailers have teamed up to ensure ‘sustainable cotton’ can be GM.

The Better Cotton Initiative includes Tesco, Sainsbury’s, H&M, Adidas, Nike and M&S.

The ‘sustainable cotton consortium’ admits its product may be GM: “BCI has adopted a position of being ‘technology neutral’ with respect to GM cotton. This means that BCI will neither encourage farmers to grow it, nor seek to restrict their access to it, provided it is legally available to them”.

"Many retailers are committed to sourcing more sustainable cotton,” said Mr Ferringo. “However, they have little control over their general supply so GM use is increasing and is only offset by sustainable sourcing.”

The Soil Association are so worried GM cotton has “sneaked in the back door” without full consultation with the public, the group have launched a new campaign.

The Organic Cotton Initiative is urging consumers to choose organic for environmental reasons. Organic and fairtrade cotton does not use GM.

"Larger brands tend to do a lot of 'blending' using organic alongside non-organic. The issue is partly about shortage of supply of organic cotton, due to the dominance of the GM corporations. That is why the campaign is pressing big brands to sign up and drive the demand for organic, non-GM cotton,” said a spokesman.

Amy Leech, Soil Association research assistant, explained that GM cotton can use dangerous pesticides and gives farmers little control over their own crop.

She claimed that organic cotton uses less water and is a better deal for farmers.

“Growing cotton is a toxic business; it uses a lot of pesticides putting in peril the lives of women, men and children in cotton farming communities. 77 million cotton workers suffer poisonings from pesticides each year.”

  • Prev
  • Next

Menu

Home

News

News Archive

News Reviews

Videos

Articles

GM Myth Makers

GM Reports

GM Myths

GM Quotes

How Donations Will Help Us

Contacts

Contact Us

About

Facebook

Twitter

RSS

Content 1999 - 2021 GMWatch.
Web Development By SCS Web Design