Anti-GMO protesters rally against Monsanto

Ontario beekeepers filled a coffin with thousands of bees in front of a large rally of protesters in Queen's Park Sunday in protest of GMO giant Monsanto.

The third March Against Monsanto Toronto boasted thousands of Torontonians voicing their concerns about genetically modified seeds and calling for a permanent boycott of harmful agricultural chemicals.

Genetically modified seeds are engineered to resist insects and herbicides, add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crops and increase the global food supply.

The dead bees were taken from farms where they died over the winter. Their deaths have been linked to the use of agricultural neonicotinoid pesticides which coats most corn and soy seeds.

The march, entitled "Requiem for Bees," had pallbearers in beekeeping suits marching through areas of downtown as well as expert speakers and a GMO-free festival and farmers market in Christie Pits park. The beekeepers called for Montsanto and its subsidiaries and allied companies to stop producing GMOs and neonicotinoids.

The protesters gathered in the park then marched north on Yonge Street to Christie Pits park on Bloor Steet.

Not only was the goal of the March to raise awareness of this issue, but it was also to help non-GMO farmers and businesses in the Toronto area.

Torontos March was part of a global movement that saw rallies in more than 400 cities and 52 countries around the world.