Wendel Lutz is an American farmer featured in the Greenpeace film, Growing Doubt (www.growingdoubt.org). He has travelled to Brussels and nine European countries to warn farmers against herbicide-tolerant GM crops. Nineteen of these crops are pending authorisation in the EU. Farmers in the United States, where these crops are grown, have seen the rapid spread of ‘super-weeds’ and exponential increases in the use of herbicides.
Twenty-seven activists (one for each EU member state) displayed a banner reading "toxic warning" outside the Commission headquarters. The activists, wearing hazmat protective gear, sprayed the banner with mock fumigators to reveal another hidden message: "GM crops = more agrochemicals".
The Commission is considering authorising the cultivation of 26 new GM crops, 19 of which are genetically modified to be tolerant to herbicides – mostly glyphosate, the active ingredient in many herbicides sold throughout the world. Many similar crops are already being grown in North and South America, with devastating environmental and social consequences on rural communities, as documented in Growing Doubt, a new documentary by Greenpeace.
The report, produced by agricultural economist Dr. Charles Benbrook [2], reveals that the introduction of herbicide-tolerant GM crops would lead to substantial increases in the use of glyphosate and other pesticides, sharp increases in seed prices and the spread of corporate domination of food production.
The report predicts increases of over 800% – up to 1500% in the case of GM soy – in the use of glyphosate in the EU over a period of 14 years (2012-2025) for herbicide-tolerant GM maize, soy and sugar beet.
"Europe has a chance to learn from the mistakes made in my country," said Wendel Lutz, a US farmer in Brussels today. "Every time I've described the difficulties I've experienced on my farm, farmers in Europe have sympathised. And when they hear that the same corporate model could be employed here, they are naturally apprehensive about their own futures. We hope the Commission will recognise these concerns and heed the warning we are here to deliver."
"Farmers in the US are already struggling, as they try to spray their way out of the corner they're backed into. The reliance on herbicide-tolerant crops in the US has triggered the emergence and rapid spread of nearly two dozen glyphosate-resistant weeds, driving up farm production costs, as well as the volume and eco-toxicity of herbicides needed to prevent major yield loss," said Dr. Benbrook.
"This study should act as a wake-up call. Given the toxic legacy of herbicide-tolerant GM crops, it would be utterly irresponsible for the European Commission to allow their cultivation on our fields," said Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director.
"Today we bring the voices of US farmers and concerned Europeans to Brussels. The European Commission must decide: are they going to protect the farmers and consumers or are they going to side with the agrochemical industry breathing down our necks?" said Lasse Bruun, Greenpeace International sustainable agriculture campaigner.
---
The report, its summary and the Growing Doubt documentary (in 12 languages) can be downloaded at www.growingdoubt.org
For photos of the action at the European Commission, click here, and for a video edit (including b-roll), click here. Photos from the tour can be accessed here.
All material can be obtained from the Greenpeace EU pressdesk: +32 (0)2 274 1911 or 
Contacts:
Marco Contiero – Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director: +32 (0)477 777034, 
Lasse Bruun – Greenpeace International campaigner for sustainable agriculture: +31 (0)65 381 9121, 
Notes:
[1] The 18-day tour included public screenings of a documentary on the effects of herbicide-tolerant GM crop monocultures on the economy, the environment and local communities in the United States and Argentina. The tour visited cities in Poland, Denmark, Germany, Romania, Spain, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, before arriving in Belgium.
[2] Dr. Benbrook is a research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University (USA). He recently published the first ever peer-reviewed estimate of the impacts of herbicide-resistant GM crops on herbicide use, based on an exhaustive analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service. Greenpeace commissioned Dr. Benbrook to produce a forecast for the EU, assessing the effects of herbicide-tolerant GM crops, should the Commission allow their cultivation.
For breaking news and comment on EU affairs: www.twitter.com/GreenpeaceEU
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments, the EU, businesses or political parties.