3/4 of the cotton clothes are made from a genetically modified crop

Most cotton we wear is GM today


Three quarters of the cotton clothes bought in Britain today are made from a
genetically modified crop, according to experts, including items available
in major High Street stores.





By
Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent

The so-called ‘franken frocks’ will not harm the health of the person wearing
the GM cotton but many feel that the public has not been consulted about the
long term implications on the environment.

Simon Ferringo, the author of a new book exposing the realities of the
industry, explained that while only 12 countries grow GM they account for
most of the world’s production.

In India up to 90 per cent of the crop is now genetically engineered to be
resistant to certain pests. In China and the US it is also GM.

“There is no breakdown of GM or non-GM cotton use in the UK, but as an
importer of finished textiles from regions where cotton is mostly GM, it is
assumed up to ¾ is from GM seeds,” he said.


In fact It is becoming so difficult to get hold of organic cotton that major
retailers have teamed up to ensure ‘sustainable cotton’ can be GM.

The Better Cotton Initiative includes Tesco, Sainsbury’s, H&M,
Adidas, Nike and M&S.

The ‘sustainable cotton consortium’ admits its product may be GM: “BCI has
adopted a position of being ‘technology neutral’ with respect to GM cotton.
This means that BCI will neither encourage farmers to grow it, nor seek to
restrict their access to it, provided it is legally available to them”.

"Many retailers are committed to sourcing more sustainable cotton,” said
Mr Ferringo. “However, they have little control over their general supply so
GM use is increasing and is only offset by sustainable sourcing.”

The Soil Association are so worried GM cotton has “sneaked in the back door” without full consultation with the public, the group have launched a new campaign.

The Organic Cotton Initiative is urging consumers to choose organic for
environmental reasons. Organic and fairtrade cotton does not use GM.

"Larger brands tend to do a lot of 'blending' – using organic alongside
non-organic. The issue is partly about shortage of supply of organic cotton,
due to the dominance of the GM corporations. That is why the campaign is
pressing big brands to sign up and drive the demand for organic, non-GM
cotton,” said a spokesman.

Amy Leech, Soil Association research assistant, explained that GM cotton can
use dangerous pesticides and gives farmers little control over their own
crop.

She claimed that organic cotton uses less water and is a better deal for farmers.

“Growing cotton is a toxic business; it uses a lot of pesticides – putting in
peril the lives of women, men and children in cotton farming communities. 77
million cotton workers suffer poisonings from pesticides each year.”



Source:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9590556/Most-cotton-we-wear-is-GM-today.html