[imgbelt img=roundup.jpg]Weeds never rest, it appears. Reuters reports that the “rapid adoption by U.S. farmers of genetically engineered corn, soybeans and cotton has promoted increased use of pesticides, an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds and more chemical residues in foods, according to a report issued Tuesday by health and environmental protection groups.” The report was issued by the Union for Concerned Scientists and the Center for Food Safety. They say that herbicide use grew by 383 million pounds from 1996 to 2008, with almost half of that increase coming in 2008 and 2008.  You can get the full report here.  There has been a reduction in the use of insecticides as a result of biotech crops. (A net reduction of 64 million pounds, due to genetically engineered corn and cotton that are resistant to insects.) Meanwhile, “super weeds” are appearing that are resistant to Round-Up, Monsanto’s herbicide.Meanwhile, Monsanto has pulled two genetically modified corn varieties from the market after being asked for more information from European regulators worried about the safety of the strains.