The European Union has approved imports of Monsanto’s genetically modified soy bean (MON 89788 ) for the next 10 years.

The imports will be used for food and animal feed rather than for growing. Monsanto’s GM soy is resistant to certain herbicides, which means that farmers can spray the herbicides over their crop and it will kill everything apart from the soy. The herbicides cause severe health problems for people living near the soy plantations in Latin America, resulting in them having to leave their homes in many cases.

Around 90% of the world’s soy bean production is fed to animals. An increasing amount of the crop is now genetically modified. We have no idea how safe it is eat these crops; although we do know they result in adverse health affects in animals.

An interview with Dr Michael Antoniou, a reader in medical and molecular genetics at King’s College London, revealed that feeding animals GM crops such as potatoes, soy and maize resulted in intestinal lesions, liver cell changes, premature death in the young and problems with the kidneys and blood system.

300 women activists invaded the Sao Paulo offices of Monsanto today.

The invasion was a protest to the Brazilian government’s decision last month to give clearance for two varieties of GMO corn for commercial use.

La Via Campesina, an organisation that fights for the rights of peasants and small farmer organizations, said “the authorization of these varieties shows once more that the government favors agribusiness and big foreign companies, abandoning land reform and family farming.”

GM soy has been legal in Brazil for some time, most of which is fed to animals in the West. No doubt the GM corn will be used in the same way. However, studies have shown that animals actively avoid eating GM crops. When they have eaten it they have suffered stomach lesions, diseased livers and kidneys, intestinal damage and many have died from toxic reactions. So far, we have no idea what happens when someone eats the meat of an animal fed GM crops.

The list of negative impacts of the GM industry is endless. Health risks are not just associated with eating GM crops - working with the crops or simply living nearby also affects health. Nearly 100 people living close to a GM corn field in the Philippines suffered from headaches, dizziness, extreme stomach pain, vomiting, chest pains and fever. People working with GM cotton have suffered allergies and skin erruptions.

Friends of the Earth International released a report last month titled ‘Who benefits from GM crops‘. The report reveals that GM crops have caused an increase in pesticide use and still have made no impact on poverty and hunger in developing countries.

“The biotech industry is telling Africans that we need GM crops to tackle the food needs of our population. But how can we believe such statements when the majority of GM crops are used to feed the animals of rich countries, produce industrial products like agrofuels, and overall don’t yield more than conventional crops?”, said Nnimmo Bassey of Friends of the Earth Nigeria.

Considering the vast majority of GM crops are fed to animals, the meat industry has to take some responsibility for fuelling the development of GM. If there weren’t all the animals to feed, would there still be the need to grow crops so intensively? If there weren’t all the animals to feed, couldn’t we then concentrate on getting the food to people who need it?