From Common Dreams: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/09-6
Midwest farmers douse their fields in chemicals as insects grow resistant to Bt Corn
Sarah Lazare
Published on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 by Common Dreams
Pesticide use is skyrocketing across the Midwestern U.S. corn belt, as biotech companies like Syngenta and AMVAC Chemical watch their pesticide sales spike 50 to 100 percent over the past two years, NPR reported Tuesday.
The culprit? Bt corn—a type of genetically engineered corn with insecticide built into its genes.
Variations of this corn strain—peddled across the world by large multinationals including Monstanto and Syngenta—are giving rise to Bt resistant insects and worms, studies show.
NPR reports that resistant ‘pests’ are decimating entire cornfields across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.
Yet, now that the targeted insect killings are not working, big agribusiness is simply throwing pesticides at the problem instead of moving away from GMOs.
This is despite warnings last year from the Environmental Protection Agency that unrestrained use of Bt corn will off-set the balance of the ecosystem.
Monsanto denies the severity of the damage wrought by Bt corn, assuring customers that many farmers ‘have great success.’
Continue reading at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/07/09-6
