US Firms 'Tried to Lie' Over GM Crops, Says EU

[Guest guest]

" News Update from The Campaign "

US firms 'tried to lie' over GM crops, says EU

Tue, 14 Oct 2003 05:31:46 -0500

 

News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

----

 

Dear News Update Subscribers,

 

There is a very interesting article posted below from the October 14

edition of the United Kingdom newspaper, The Independent.

 

The headline " US firms 'tried to lie' over GM crops, says EU " pretty

much says it all.

 

Craig Winters

Executive Director

The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

 

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

Fax: 603-825-5841

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

Mission Statement: " To create a national grassroots consumer campaign

for the purpose of lobbying Congress and the President to pass

legislation that will require the labeling of genetically engineered

foods in the United States. "

 

***************************************************************

 

US firms 'tried to lie' over GM crops, says EU

 

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor

The Independent

14 October 2003

 

American biotech companies tried to lie to Europe in an attempt to force

genetically modified crops upon them, Margot Wallström, the European

environment commissioner, said yesterday.

 

Far from developing GM crops to solve the problem of starvation in the

world, as they claimed, the biotech companies did so to " solve

starvation amongst their shareholders " , said the European Union's

leading green politician.

 

Speaking to journalists in London, the 49-year-old Swede followed her

broadside over GM with an attack on the US over the so-called ghost

fleet of rusting and polluted American ships being sent to Britain for

dismantling, saying they should be kept in America.

 

She further suggested that the US government had been putting pressure

on Russia not to ratify the Kyoto protocol.

 

Mrs Wallström's unusually outspoken remarks will add to the ill-feeling

between Europe and the US over genetic modification, which has led to

the American government launching a legal action through the World Trade

Organisation on the basis that European nations are dragging their feet

over GM crop authorisation.

 

Her comments raise the political stakes before the publication on

Thursday of Britain's farm-scale trials of GM crops, which may provide

evidence of environmental damage that could lead to the crops being

banned.

 

At a lunch with journalists, the commissioner spoke of the " legitimate

concerns of European citizens and farmers and other groups about the

effects of GM crops on human health and the environment " .

 

Asked if US biotech companies had chosen the wrong products to introduce

into Europe - meaning crops that were modified to take more powerful

weedkillers, rather than give any other benefit - she replied: " Of

course they have. Absolutely. They have to face that. They have to

realise that they have chosen the completely wrong approach from the

beginning.

 

" They tried to lie to people, and they tried to force it upon people.

It's the wrong approach. You cannot force it upon Europe. So I hope they

have learnt a lesson from this, especially when they now try to argue

that this will solve the problems of starvation in the world and so on.

But come on ... it was to solve starvation amongst shareholders, not the

developing world. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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US firms 'tried to lie' over GM crops, says EU

 

News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

---

-

 

Dear News Update Subscribers,

 

There is a very interesting article posted below from the October 14

edition of the United Kingdom newspaper, The Independent.

 

The headline " US firms 'tried to lie' over GM crops, says EU " pretty

much says it all.

 

Craig Winters

Executive Director

The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

 

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

Fax: 603-825-5841

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

Mission Statement: " To create a national grassroots consumer campaign

for the purpose of lobbying Congress and the President to pass

legislation that will require the labeling of genetically engineered

foods in the United States. "

 

***************************************************************

 

US firms 'tried to lie' over GM crops, says EU

 

By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor

The Independent

14 October 2003

 

American biotech companies tried to lie to Europe in an attempt to

force genetically modified crops upon them, Margot Wallström, the

European environment commissioner, said yesterday.

 

Far from developing GM crops to solve the problem of starvation in

the world, as they claimed, the biotech companies did so to " solve

starvation amongst their shareholders " , said the European Union's

leading green politician.

 

Speaking to journalists in London, the 49-year-old Swede followed her

broadside over GM with an attack on the US over the so-called ghost

fleet of rusting and polluted American ships being sent to Britain

for dismantling, saying they should be kept in America.

 

She further suggested that the US government had been putting

pressure on Russia not to ratify the Kyoto protocol.

 

Mrs Wallström's unusually outspoken remarks will add to the ill-

feeling between Europe and the US over genetic modification, which

has led to the American government launching a legal action through

the World Trade Organisation on the basis that European nations are

dragging their feet over GM crop authorisation.

 

Her comments raise the political stakes before the publication on

Thursday of Britain's farm-scale trials of GM crops, which may

provide evidence of environmental damage that could lead to the

crops being banned.

 

At a lunch with journalists, the commissioner spoke of

the " legitimate concerns of European citizens and farmers and other

groups about the effects of GM crops on human health and the

environment " .

 

Asked if US biotech companies had chosen the wrong products to

introduce into Europe - meaning crops that were modified to take

more powerful weedkillers, rather than give any other benefit - she

replied: " Of course they have. Absolutely. They have to face that.

They have to realise that they have chosen the completely wrong

approach from the beginning.

 

" They tried to lie to people, and they tried to force it upon people.

It's the wrong approach. You cannot force it upon Europe. So I hope

they have learnt a lesson from this, especially when they now try to

argue that this will solve the problems of starvation in the world

and so on. But come on ... it was to solve starvation amongst

shareholders, not the developing world. "