"In our country glyphosate is applied on more than 28 million hectares. Each year, the soil is sprayed with more than 320 million liters, which means that 13 million people are at risk of being affected, according to the Physicians Network of Sprayed Peoples (RMPF)," Argentina's union of medical professionals, Fesprosa said in a statement.The Fesprosa union is comprised of over 30,000 medical health professionals, most of whom wish to enact the ban on Monsanto products, and specifically the chemical glyphosate, the active chemical in RoundUp.
"We believe the precautionary principle should be applied, and that we should stop accumulating studies and take decisions that could come too late. We advocate a ban on glyphosate which should take effect in the short term with restrictions on purchasing, spraying and packaging," Javier Souza, coordinator of Latin American pesticide action network said.
"We cannot allow the business interests of a North American multinational to be more important than the health of the people of our region. Governments should promote the technology and practices of organic farming to protect growers, consumers and the environment," Franco Segesso, coordinator of the campaign at Greenpeace Andino said.
Comment: Latin American communities fight to protect heirloom seeds from Monsanto
Despite growing concern and questions from the global public, Monsanto, the largest global GMO seed supplier and agro-chemical company, continues the relentless expansion towards a global seed oligopoly. Monsanto's first quarter 2013 profits nearly tripled due to the sales of its GMO corn seed in Latin America, as reported by the company.
As we reported earlier this year, Monsanto is continuing to lose profits into the second quarter of 2015, shedding an exceptional 15% profit amid falling GMO seed sales - even more than most experts projected.
About the author
John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.
Comment: Down with Monsanto: Increasing number of countries banning cancer causing glyphosate and GMO's