June 4, 2004Argentina monitors GE destruction
We flew the hot air balloon over a deforested area now planted with GE soya; it lies right on the border of an area of protected forest which is under constant threat from being bulldozed and burnt to make way for more soya acreage. This forest, a 25,000 hectare natural reserve, hosts an aboriginal community of about 100 people and more than 20 families of local peasants. The soya developers are now eyeing it up as well. Unfortunately the local government has decided to approve a law, which means the forest is no longer a reserve and is starting a bidding process in order to sell the land for further soya expansion. "It is a proven fact, GE soya has neither fed the hungry nor resulted in the spraying of less herbicides on the environment. In fact quite the opposite has happened, it has become a lethal weapon destructing native forests, aboriginal communities and peasants in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay where the GE soya fever is attracting more bulldozers to expand soya monocultures over forests and over the rights of the people living in them," stated Emiliano Ezcurra our GE campaigner in Argentina. The aboriginal people living in the area have already filed a suit against the local government and the local peasants have stated in written to the provincial governor that they oppose plans to sell the reserve.
- Read our brief: Roundup Ready' Soya - what more can go wrong? - Read about Daniela's experiences in Europe - Read how Greenpeace helped protect an Argentinean reserve - Want to get involved in our Trolley Watch? Click here to see how you can help. |
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| GE Soya > GE Everything | Consumer Power vs. Corporate Control | Feeding Pigs, Not People | Seeds of hope |
Argentine activists took action today in Salta, north Argentina in protest against the runaway expansion of GE soya by documenting the environmental impacts with the help of a hot air balloon carrying the slogan 'No more Forest for Monsanto's Soya'.
