Fwd: More GE News for Thursday, February 27, 2003

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Thu, 27 Feb 2003 01:15:53 -0800

 

More GE News from The Campaign

More GE News for Thursday, February 27, 2003

 

More GE News From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

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More GE News for Thursday, February 27, 2003

 

1) French Bove gets 10 months jail for GM crop attack

2) Thailand to allow GMO field tests

3) No US decision on EU biotech trade case-USDA aide

4) Genetically-modified rice may prevent hay fever

5) Monsanto still working with China on soy approvals

6) Bio-food research increasingly concentrated--study

7) Biotech research fails to aid poor, FAO says

8) UK sugar beet farmers could turn to GM to compete

9) EU trade chief concerned over tougher U.S. stance

10) Monsanto Announces Cotton States as Foundation Seed Licensing

Business

 

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1) French Bove gets 10 months jail for GM crop attack

 

MONTPELLIER, France, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A court on Thursday ordered

radical French farmer-protester Jose Bove to spend 10 months in prison

for damaging fields of genetically modified (GM) crops in his battle

against junk food and globalisation.

 

The order follows November's failed appeal by Bove against an original

14-month sentence.

 

Only a presidential pardon can now prevent Bove, a media-savvy activist

with a trademark walrus moustache, from spending a term behind bars. He

spent six weeks in prison last year for smashing up a McDonald's

hamburger restaurant.

 

The ruling by the court in the southern city of Montpellier concerns

damage done to trial fields of GM rice and maize in 1998 and 1999.

Despite the four-month reprieve, Bove slammed the decision.

 

" This shows judicial powers have decided to follow the economic logic of

those who want to impose GMO (genetically modified organisms), " he told

reporters in Paris at an agricultural fair, on learning of the judgement.

 

" We are going to continue the fight against multinationals. It's

unacceptable that GMO firms impose products on citizens that they do not

want, " he added.

 

He also called on French President Jacques Chirac " to assume his

responsibility " in the case, a reference to the presidential power of

pardon.

 

Chirac has given no signal that he would grant a pardon and his office

said on Wednesday it was " premature " to consider the issue.

 

02/26/03 13:01 ET

 

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2) Thailand to allow GMO field tests

 

BANGKOK, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Thailand said on Thursday it will allow

field testing of genetically modified crops but continue to ban

bio-engineered products from being sold.

 

Thailand currently bans the import of genetically modified food and

other products and only allows testing of bio-engineered cotton seed in

laboratories.

 

" We will allow field tests of GMOs (genetically modified organisms), but

the government still bans GMO products from being sold for commercial

purposes, " Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters.

 

" We will allow testing because we do not want to lag behind other

countries in terms of development, " Thaksin said. He gave no further

details.

 

Many environmental and consumer groups oppose genetically modified

foods, and some countries impose tight controls on imports, saying more

research is needed to ensure they are safe.

 

02/27/03 02:41 ET

 

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3) No US decision on EU biotech trade case-USDA aide

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amid conflicting signals from the Bush

administration, Washington remains undecided about whether to file a

trade complaint against the European Union for refusing to approve new

genetically modified foods, a top U.S. Agriculture Department official

said Friday.

 

" No decision has been made one way or the other, " said David Hegwood,

special trade adviser at USDA.

 

The Washington Post in Friday's editions cited a U.S. Embassy official

in London saying there had been a decision " made at a high level of

government " not to bring a World Trade Organization complaint against

the European Union.

 

The official, Peter Kurz, was interviewed by the British Broadcasting

Corp.

 

The remark was in contrast to a statement by Agriculture Secretary Ann

Veneman Thursday, who said U.S. patience was " growing very thin " with

the EU. The United States, she added, needed to take " very strong

action " against the EU's biotech policy.

 

Veneman did not say that a WTO trade complaint would be initiated.

 

Early this year, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick spoke

forcefully in favor of filing a trade complaint against Europe.

 

But a few weeks ago, congressional sources and U.S. agriculture industry

officials said the Bush administration had apparently put off a decision

to file the WTO complaint against the EU because it did not want to

further strain relations with Europe in the event of war with Iraq.

 

There is broad support within Congress and among agriculture groups for

filing a complaint. It is estimated that U.S. farmers lose around $300

million a year in sales to the EU because of its refusal to allow new

types of biotech crops in.

 

About 70 percent of U.S. soybeans and one-third of U.S. corn is grown

from genetically modified seeds.

 

Hegwood, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an annual USDA

agriculture outlook conference, would not provide any timetable for a

decision on the trade dispute.

 

Asked about Kurz's remarks that a case would not be filed, Hegwood said,

" He's got no basis for saying that. " He added that Kurz was " not privy

to all the discussions that may be taking place in Washington. "

 

The EU is arguing that it is on the verge of restarting its approvals

process for biotech foods and pharmaceuticals and now would be the wrong

time for Washington to go to court on the four-year-old moratorium.

 

But Bush administration officials and American agriculture are skeptical

that the EU will actually open its market to biotech goods and they fret

the EU moratorium is encouraging other countries to block biotech goods.

 

02/21/03 15:49 ET

 

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4) Genetically-modified rice may prevent hay fever

 

..c Kyodo News Service

 

TOKYO, Feb. 22 (Kyodo) - A group of researchers has developed a

genetically-modified rice that when eaten may prevent hay fever caused

by allergic reactions to cedar pollen, the scientists said Saturday.

 

The rice incorporates the gene of a cedar pollen protein that causes hay

fever. The diet would function in a way similar to a widely employed

allergy remedy -- providing small amounts of allergens to allergy

patients, which desensitizes the patients to the allergens, the

researchers said.

 

After feeding mice with the rice for two weeks, the mice were exposed to

the allergy-causing protein. The production of T cells -- a type of

immune cell -- in the mice was only a third the level of other mice not

fed the rice, they said.

 

No side effects were observed, they said.

 

Saburo Saito, an assistant professor at Jikei University, leads the

researchers, who include scientists from Tohoku University's

agricultural school.

 

At least one in 10 Japanese are said to suffer hay fever.

 

02/21/03 19:59 EST

 

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5) Monsanto still working with China on soy approvals

 

ST. LOUIS, Mo., Feb 21 (Reuters) - Monsanto Co on Friday

confirmed market reports that China had not approved the company's

application for a permanent safety certificate for imports of

genetically modified soybeans into the country.

 

The company made application in March 2002 for permanent safety

certification to replace temporary certificates now in place that

support $1 billion in U.S. soybean exports to China each year. But

Chinese officials recently informed the company they needed more

information, Monsanto spokeswoman Jill Montgomery told Reuters.

 

" They have asked for more information on food and environmental safety.

There was no official decision made, " said Montgomery.

 

Company officials have been meeting with Chinese officials to address

safety concerns associated with genetically modified crops. Interim

certificates remain in force, Montgomery said.

 

" We've been working with the Chinese government to understand what needs

they have for understanding the safety of soybeans, given that it has

been imported into the country for several years now, " Montgomery said.

 

Phillip Laney, American Soybean Association country director in China,

on Friday told reporters in a press briefing that the action by China

was not a significant setback for efforts to open up markets.

 

" It was actually just a blip in the road, " said Laney. " We believe...the

Chinese government wants Monsanto and other biotech companies to go

ahead and complete a series of two sets of field trials for each of the

biotech varieties they would like to register.

 

" We of course, feel that these tests are totally unnecessary, but in

fact the Chinese law requires them and I guess it's just one of the

hoops that Monsanto is going to have to jump through. "

 

That echoed comments by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, who

told reporters in Beijing on Feb. 17 after trade talks with the Chinese

he had made headway on the soy issue.

 

" I don't want to be premature in saying the problem is solved, but I got

a very positive response and we have to follow up on the details, "

Zoellick said after meeting Vice Premier Wen Jiabao and Trade Minister

Shi Guangsheng.

 

02/21/03 19:08 ET

 

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6) Bio-food research increasingly concentrated--study

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The high costs and uncertain pay-off from

genetically altered crops are major factors behind the increasing

concentration of research into a handful of firms, a study of the

industry said Thursday.

 

Four firms account for 57 percent of research and development of

genetically modified (GM) crops, said the report by Bio Economic

Research Associates, a consulting firm. Agrochemical firms headed its

list of 180 firms, universities and government agencies active in

agricultural biotechnology.

 

Development of a GM plant variety can take six to 12 years at a cost

ranging from $50 million to $300 million, Bio-ERA said. Even then,

" companies must face risks of market acceptance. "

 

" In any case, research and development activity in this sector is likely

to remain highly concentrated, " the report said.

 

Monsanto Co., Du Pont/Pioneer, Bayer/Aventis and Dow were the four

leading firms in bio-crop research and development, Bio-ERA said in its

report, " Agricultural Biotechnology at the Crossroads. "

 

While the industry was poised to release " a dizzying array of genetic

innovations in the years ahead, " it faced consumer skepticism of its

products and suggestions within the food industry to limit the regions

where some GM crops are grown or to create separate systems for handling

the novel crops.

 

Biotech firms " must first stengthen their capabilities to work

effectively with the many stakeholders whose interests are affected by

their bioengineered products, " Bio-ERA said. " We believe this kind of

advocacy, or social marketing, will become a core competency of

successful companies. "

 

The report was released in Washington and a conference in California.

 

02/20/03 08:48 ET

 

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7) Biotech research fails to aid poor, FAO says

 

ROME, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Biotech research is failing to help the poor

and needs to focus on boosting food supplies and quality, the United

Nations food body said on Tuesday.

 

" The gap between rich and poor farmers, between research priorities and

needs...is widening, " said Louise Fresco, assistant director-general of

the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

 

" Biotechnology must be redirected to address the pressing needs of the

poor and the new requirements for food quality and quantity and new

agricultural products, " she added in a statement.

 

Seventy percent of agricultural biotechnology investments are by

multinational private sector research, mostly in developed or advanced

developing countries, Fresco said.

 

" There are currently no serious investments in any of the five most

important crops in the semi-arid tropics -- sorghum, millet, pigeon pea,

chickpea and groundnut, " she said.

 

FAO said 85 percent of plantings of transgenic crops are

herbicide-resistant soybean, insect-resistant maize and genetically

improved cotton, which aim to cut chemical and labour costs in big

farms, and not to feed the developing world.

 

" There are no major public sector programmes to tackle more critical

problems of the poor and the environment or targeting crops such as

cassava or small ruminants, " Fresco said.

 

" I would like to call urgently for reversing the decline in funding to

public research, and creating incentives to harness private/public

sector partnerships. "

 

02/18/03 11:29 ET

 

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8) UK sugar beet farmers could turn to GM to compete

 

By Christian Oliver

 

LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Genetically-modified sugar beet could prove a

godsend to British farmers hit by EU farm reforms, and should provoke

less controversy than other GM crops.

 

Researchers say Britain will need GM sugar to compete when the European

Union reforms its farm subsidies in 2006. Sugar farmers fear the change

could cut their ability to compete with the developing world's lower

production costs.

 

" With the EU sugar regime ending, competition intensifying and prices

coming down, the situation is already urgent, " said John Pidgeon from

Broom's Barn, the national centre for sugar beet research, a largely

publicly funded research body.

 

The U.K. crop of non-GM sugar beet is worth 800 million pounds ($1.28

billion) a year and supports around 23,000 jobs, predominantly in rural

areas, Broom's Barn said.

 

Britain could cut costs by using GM sugar which needs 80 percent less

weed-killer, it added. Overall, the centre forecast savings of as much

as 150 pounds sterling ($240) per hectare a year.

 

But Pidgeon said GM commercial sugar was still a few years away from

supermarket shelves.

 

" It will have to go through two or three years of national trials. There

won't be a decision before the end of the year so we are looking at

2007/2008 at the moment, " he said.

 

Reduced costs could also increase the viability of ethanol based fuel

produced from beets, which would help cut greenhouse gas emissions.

 

" It is curious that some pressure groups are so into politics that they

campaign against GM crops that could help bioethanol get started. It is

a logical inconsistency, " said Pidgeon.

 

However, gene-splicing technology is a thorny issue. British Sugar, the

sugar beet processor of Associated British Foods Plc (ABF.L), said its

research showed that consumers had no appetite for genetically-modified

sugar.

 

Environmental activists tore up GM sugar beet growing trials in Ireland

in 1999.

 

But scientists said GM sugar should not whip up public fears as the

final product was too refined to be contaminated and said sugar very

rarely cross-pollenated with other crops.

 

" What's in the bag is 99.99 percent pure, " said Pidgeon.

 

However, Pete Riley, Food and Farming Campaigner with Friends of the

Earth, warned against rushing into production.

 

" Until we can explain the effects of GM, we feel a lot more time needs

to be spent in the laboratory than has been allowed. The race into

commercialisation has been premature given the state of our knowledge, "

he said.

 

GM CANE TOO

 

Beet farmers of Europe and North America are not alone in examining new

technologies. Sugar cane, the predominantly tropical and southern

hemisphere crop, is also turning to GM.

 

Frikkie Botha, biotechnologist at South Africa's Stellenbosch

University, said the production of commercial sucrose from sugar cane

was a more distant prospect because of the genetic complexity of the

plant.

 

" We are at least a decade away from commercial cane, and that is not

even considering the ethical and environmental arguments, " he said.

 

Cuba's beleaguered sugar farmers are also hoping that GM technology will

solve their problems.

 

They want to extract fructose from cane, rather than sucrose, common

table sugar. Fructose is a more lucrative sugar, twice as sweet and half

as fattening as sugar.

 

Botha said getting a different type of sugar extract from cane, as the

Cubans are eager to do, was even further down the pipeline.

 

Genetic manipulation of cane sugar has also attracted opposition, for

instance when Australian scientists used fluorescent jellyfish genes to

distinguish GM from traditionally farmed cane.

 

($1-.6255 Pound)

 

02/19/03 07:42 ET

 

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9) EU trade chief concerned over tougher U.S. stance

 

BRUSSELS, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Europe's trade chief said on Tuesday he was

concerned that the United States was taking an increasingly hard line

against international trade rules.

 

Pascal Lamy has led several disputes against the United States, most

recently over steel tariffs in March last year. The two have also

sparred over a European Union (EU) ban on genetically-modified foods and

subsidies to farmers.

 

" My feeling is that the situation which the (U.S.) administration is

facing is becoming more and more complicated, " Lamy said in a speech to

a gathering of parliamentarians from NATO state at the European

Parliament.

 

He told the audience, which included some U.S. Congressmen, that there

was a tough battle between the White House and Congress for control of

trade policy.

 

" The result is that we are seeing a fairly hard line forming on Capitol

Hill against the submission of the United States to decisions by the WTO

(World Trade Organisation), " he said, referring to the global body which

regulates trade.

 

He said the battle in Washington could bring about greater unwillingness

to respect multilateral institutions like the WTO.

 

U.S. President George W. Bush sparked outrage when he launched new

tariffs on steel imports in March 2002, just after a new round of global

trade talks had been launched.

 

The U.S. administration said the tariffs were necessary to protect the

industry from cheap imports but faced accusations of going it alone and

taking too many unilateral trade steps.

 

But Washington has pledged to keep the commerce talks, launched in Doha

in late 2001, on track to end in 2004. Lamy was also sure he and his

U.S. counterpart, Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, could bring the

Doha talks to a successful end.

 

Lamy urged the United States to respect a WTO ruling that U.S. tax

breaks under a scheme called the Foreign Sales Corp be repealed after a

long-running dispute between the two sides.

 

The WTO gave the EU a right to sanctions worth $4.0 billion on U.S.

goods in compensation for the FSC. Brussels has said it will hold off if

it sees U.S. progress in repealing the law.

 

Lamy criticised anew the U.S. steel tariffs, saying they were a sign of

an industry that had not undergone the sort of restructuring to become

more competitive that Europe had.

 

He said Europe's go-slow approach on lifting a moratorium on new

genetically modified food products was justified by EU consumers' fears

about food safety in the wake of scares over mad cow disease and foot

and mouth.

 

U.S. farms have urged Washington to take the GM case to the WTO saying

the EU ban is unfair and costing them millions of dollars a year.

 

02/18/03 14:38 ET

 

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10) Monsanto Announces Cotton States as Foundation Seed Licensing

Business

 

New Business Unit to Provide Breeders with Greater Access to Marketplace

And

 

Provide More Choices of Seed Varieties to American Cotton Producers

 

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON)

announced today that it has formed a separate business unit, Cotton

States, to serve as a foundation cottonseed licensing business. Cotton

States will develop and license germplasm from various cotton genetic

providers -- including a wide variety of small and large cotton

breeders, universities and cotton seed companies -- that can be used by

seed companies and distributors to create new cotton varieties for

American producers.

 

" Variety development is an important building block and is essential to

provide the best products to the American cotton producer, " said Mark

Edge, Lead for Monsanto's Cotton States unit. " Monsanto is committed to

making a broad range of varieties widely available so that breeders have

greater access to the marketplace, and that growers will ultimately have

more cotton varieties from which to choose. "

 

Cotton States complements Monsanto's long-standing commitment to broadly

license traits developed through biotechnology and will provide an

additional delivery mechanism for our biotech innovations in cotton,

Edge noted.

 

" Monsanto will continue to support our broad licensing strategy and our

commitment to put the best possible products into the hands of our

customers, " Edge said.

 

" Cotton States will enhance Monsanto's ability to successfully introduce

new cutting-edge technologies into leading germplasm and that means the

latest technological advances in cotton will be made available to seed

companies, " said Edge.

 

" This unit and the on-going work with our established seed partners

helps to ensure that American cotton growers are provided these

technologies in the best genetic packages available from a variety of

sources, " Edge said.

 

Cotton States will expand the American cotton producers' access to

Monsanto's cotton traits developed through biotechnology -- including

Bollgard insect-protected cotton, Roundup Ready cotton and Bollgard II

insect-protected cotton. In the future, once appropriate regulatory

approvals have been granted, Monsanto will offer new biotech traits

through both existing seed partners and Cotton States licensed

germplasm. Anticipated new products include the next generation of

agronomic traits such as Roundup Ready Flex cotton, as well as a new

generation of yield and quality traits for cotton producers.

 

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based

solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and

food quality. For more information on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com .

 

SOURCE Monsanto Company

 

02/12/2003 11:59 EST

 

 

 

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