Guest guest Posted May 24, 2003 Report Share Posted May 24, 2003 Fri, 23 May 2003 14:08:34 -0700 News Update from The Campaign Bush speaks out against EU position on GE foods News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods ---- Dear News Update Subscribers, President Bush spoke out about genetically engineered foods in a commencement speech on Wednesday at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He charged that the European Union (EU) moratorium on genetically engineered foods is hindering efforts to fight hunger in Africa. Bush claimed that the EU concerns about genetically engineered foods were from " unfounded, unscientific fears. " As we reported last week, the United States has filed a World Trade Organization (WTO) case against the EU over their moratorium on genetically engineered foods. This speech on Wednesday was the first time President Bush has publicly spoken out against the EU on this matter. THE CAMPAIGN'S POSITION ON WORLD HUNGER AND GE FOODS The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods disagrees that genetically engineered foods are a viable solution to world hunger. Biotech companies, and now President Bush, like to make that argument since it pulls at our heartstrings. But it is an oversimplification of the problem. Please allow us to explain why. Currently about 30,000 people starve to death every day on planet earth. However, this is occurring at a time when there is plenty of food available on the planet. So why are people starving if there is plenty of food being grown? The reason people are starving is that the food is not reaching them. It is a sad tragedy that food is being used as a tool of civil war in many countries. And poverty often prevents people from buying food that would otherwise be available. Genetically engineered foods will not stop the civil wars and take care of the poverty that is behind much of the world hunger and starvation.. In the case of the recent droughts in Africa, counties like Zimbabwe asked for the genetically engineered corn offered by the United States to be ground up so it would not be planted and contaminate native varieties. However, the U.S. refused to grind up the corn. Many people feel this refusal to mill the corn was an attempt by the U.S. to deliberately cause the native species to become contaminated with genetically engineered DNA. Corn is the number one crop in Zimbabwe. When African countries get adequate rainfall they do export to nations that will not accept crops that contain genetically engineered genes. The United States should respect the request of African nations to preserve their export markets by milling the biotech corn. THE CAMPAIGN'S POSITION ON THE SAFETY OF GE FOODS The Campaign also disagrees with President Bush's assertion that the fears over genetically engineered foods are " unfounded " and " unscientific. " The truth of the matter is that genetically engineered foods have not been safety tested. There have been no scientific human feeding studies done on genetically engineered foods to prove they are safe. Just because millions of Americans are eating them without showing overt signs of ill health does not mean that they safe. There could be thousands of people experiencing indications of ill health from eating genetically engineered foods -- but it is nearly impossible to monitor this possibility without labeling. The harmful health effects of eating genetically engineered foods are not likely to show up rapidly like forms of food poisoning that people sometimes experience. As you know, if someone eats undercooked chicken that has salmonella bacteria or beef that contains E. coli O157:H7, the effects may be rapid and dramatic. Death from such types of food poisoning is even possible within hours or days of eating the contaminated food. Other forms of illness from food can take much, much longer to show up. For example, in the case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, otherwise known as Mad Cow Disease, it can take many years for the negative health effects to become apparent. Food allergies are a health condition that can vary from mild to deadly. Often food allergies start with very mild conditions that intensify with repeated exposure to the food that is causing the allergic reaction. With genetically engineered foods, there is the possibility that thousands of people have developed allergies over the past few years from eating these unlabeled, untested foods. Without labeling it is extremely hard for patterns of ill health to be caught by agencies such as the Centers For Disease Control. Keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency that is suppose to be looking out after the health of the American public, does not even require biotech companies to notify them before they bring a new genetically engineered product to market. And when the biotech companies do tell the FDA on a voluntary basis, the agency is not conducting a thorough scientific investigation of safety. For example, it was not the FDA that discovered StarLink corn contains a protein that could cause allergies in humans. It was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that identified the problem of potential allergic reactions from StarLink corn and restricted its use to animal feed. And which government agency discovered that StarLink corn had contaminated the human food supply? None! It was Larry Bohlen of Friends of the Earth that made the discovery when he sent corn products to a testing lab to see what percentage contained genetically engineered corn. No one expected to find StarLink corn in human food products. But if Larry Bohlen had not had these tests done this serious problem may have continued to have gone undiscovered. As a result, thousands of people could be having allergic reactions to the hundreds of products that had been contaminated by StarLink corn from the inadequate guidelines in place to regulate genetically engineered foods in the United States. And they would have wondered why their health had gone downhill without a clue that they were eating the unapproved StarLink corn because of the lack of labeling requirements in the U.S. Are genetically engineered foods harmful to humans? Without conducting studies similar to those required before a new drug or food additive is allowed to be sold to the public, Americans are serving as human guinea pigs. And now our country is trying to use the WTO to force the European Union nations to comply to the inadequate standards we have in place in the United States. MEDIA COVERAGE Media from all over the world are reporting on President Bush's comments. Posted below are six articles. The first article is from the BBC (British Broadcasting Company). The BBC has also set up a web page where people can post comments on the topic " GM foods: Is Bush right to criticise Europe? " You can submit your comments at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/2930980.stm 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. " *************************************************************** Bush: Africa hostage to GM fears BBC NEWS 2003/05/22 16:05:05 GMT US President George Bush has accused Europe of blocking efforts to fight famine in Africa because of " unfounded " fears over genetically modified foods. He accused European nations of " impeding " US efforts to reduce hunger in Africa by opposing the use of GM crops. The US plans to sue the European Union at the World Trade Organisation unless it allows the sale of GM foods and crops. US seed companies are keen to sell their products to foreign markets, but European consumers are wary of GM foods, fearing long-term harm to human health and the environment. Mr Bush, who is visiting Europe in early June for a G8 summit, said GM foods could help end hunger in Africa. " Our partners in Europe have blocked all new bio-crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears, " he said in a speech on Wednesday. " This has caused many African nations to avoid investing in bio-technologies for fear that their products will be shut out of European markets. " Zambia says no GM food aid was sent to southern Africa during the current drought, despite strong reservations from Africa. Zambia banned the aid, saying it would rather go hungry than risk losing its export markets in Europe because its crops had been contaminated with GM seed. The BBC's Martin Plaut says the Bush administration has taken a more commerical approach than Europe towards Africa. He says the US makes great play of the fact that it has helped African states get an official credit rating, which they need to raise bank loans. Europe's approach has traditionally been to provide direct funding for projects like roads or dams. The GM debate is expected to come up when President Bush visits France next weekend. Correspondents say the EU is likely to resist calls for it to lift its block on GM food imports. It also developing tough new labelling regulations which worry US farmers. *************************************************************** Bush Steps Up Criticism of Europe's Ban on Genetic Foods By DAVID E. SANGER The New York Times NEW LONDON, Conn., May 21 - President Bush asserted today that Europe's refusal to allow food from genetically modified crops into their markets had discouraged Third World countries from using this technology and thus undermined efforts to end hunger in Africa. Mr. Bush's accusation, long a complaint of American farmers, was made during a graduation speech at the United States Coast Guard Academy that dwelled on initiatives to combat AIDS and poverty. It is almost certain to exacerbate the bitter divisions between Washington and Europe that have not abated since the end of the war in Iraq. While Mr. Bush has made the case before that Europe should stop obstructing the sale of genetically modified food, today was the first time he linked that policy with hunger in the Third World. The speech signaled the tough stance that Mr. Bush is likely to take when he travels to France in 10 days for the annual economic summit meeting of the Group of 7 largest industrialized nations and Russia. White House officials have already said that Mr. Bush plans no rapprochement with the leaders of France and Germany, beyond what they call a perfunctory " courtesy visit " to France's president, Jacques Chirac, during the summit meeting in Evian les-Bains. In a speech that the White House said would put forward what aides called a " positive agenda " that would show a far softer side to American foreign policy, Mr. Bush insisted that widened use of " high-yield bio-crops " would greatly increase agricultural productivity in some of the world's poorest nations. " Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort, " he said, clearly meaning France and Germany, though he named no countries. " They have blocked all new bio-crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears. " The result, he charged, was that African nations that fear being shut out of European markets are not investing in the technology - in which the United States has a large financial stake. He appeared to be referring to such countries as Uganda and Namibia. " European governments should join not hinder the great cause of ending hunger in Africa, " he said. Mr. Bush made no mention of the United States' own strong economic interest in the outcome of the dispute with Europe. American corporations lead the world in biotechnology and are anxious to open the lucrative European market. Last week the Bush administration filed the equivalent of a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization to force Europe to lift its ban on genetically modified food, a step that Mr. Bush had delayed during the debate about Iraq. *************************************************************** Bush says Europeans perpetuate starvation By DANA MILBANK Washington Post May 22, 2003 NEW LONDON, Conn. -- President Bush on Wednesday accused Europeans of perpetuating starvation in Africa by subsidizing agricultural exports and by objecting to the use of bio-engineered crops, raising another grievance with Europe at a time of already tense transatlantic relations. The president, who embarks on a trip to the continent next week, leveled his accusations against European governments in a speech to graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. For the first time raising the highly sensitive issue of Europeans' deep opposition to genetically altered foods, Bush said well-intentioned American efforts to reduce hunger in Africa have been thwarted by European policies. " By widening the use of new high-yield bio-crops and unleashing the power of markets, we can dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the continent, " Bush said in a commencement address on the drizzly west bank of the Thames River. " Yet, our partners in Europe are impeding this effort. They have blocked all new bio-crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears. " Bush said Europeans, by closing their markets to bio-engineered foods, have caused African nations to avoid investments in such crops. " European governments should join -- not hinder -- the great cause of ending hunger in Africa, " he said. Accusing those who subsidize agricultural exports of preventing poor countries from developing their own crops, he added: " I propose that all developed nations, including our partners in Europe, immediately eliminate subsidies on agricultural exports to developing countries so that they can produce more food to export and more food to feed their own people. " By challenging Europeans on the eve of meetings of G-8 leaders in Evian, France, Bush significantly escalated a food fight with European governments, which have been resisting genetically altered crops in the face of broad public opposition. Earlier this month, the United States and several other countries filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization complaining about a five-year-old European moratorium on bio-engineered crops. The administration said it acted because Europeans had not met promises to repeal the ban. The European Union, which said it was moving toward new rules, called the suit " legally unwarranted, economically unfounded and politically unhelpful. " In an op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick expanded on the accusation, writing of the " dangerous effect " of the E.U. policy, in which " some famine-stricken African countries refused U.S. food aid because of fabricated fears -- stoked by irresponsible rhetoric -- about food safety. " Bush's accusations that Europeans are hobbling anti-hunger efforts was part of a 26-minute speech in front of nearly 200 graduating cadets that blended a defiant note against terrorism with a recitation of the " compassion " in American foreign policy. Bush invoked a humanitarian rationale for foreign policy, listing his administration's policy initiatives on AIDS, hunger and other foreign aid. *************************************************************** Dow Jones Business News Bush: Europeans Have Unscientific Fear Of Bio-Crops Wednesday May 21, 12:08 pm ET By Alex Keto, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A little more than a week before he heads to Europe, President George W. Bush called on the Europeans to end their ban on biotechnology crops and to end its agricultural subsidies which dump cheap food on the world market. Bush said these two stances adopted by the European Union are preventing developing countries from taking advantage of scientific breakthroughs in the development of new crops and also undercutting their agricultural sectors. Bush said that by widening the use of crops that have been genetically modified, developing countries, particularly those in Africa, can dramatically increase crop yields. " Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort. They have blocked all new bio crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears. This has caused many African nations from investing in biotechnology for fear their products will be shut out of European markets, " Bush said. " European governments should join, not hinder, the great cause of ending hunger in Africa, " he added. On the issue of subsidies, Bush also took a hard line with the Europeans. " When wealthy nations subsidies their agricultural exports, it prevents poor countries from developing their own agricultural sectors. I propose that all developed nations, including our partners in Europe, immediately eliminate subsidies on agricultural exports to developing countries. Bush was speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduation ceremony in New London, Conn. Bush's comments come as U.S. officials have been pushing the European Union on agricultural issues. On Tuesday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said the European Union was at a " critical stage " on the issue of agricultural policies. He said that unless the European Union was ready to reform its common agricultural policy it could endanger the ongoing World Trade Organization talks on liberalizing agricultural trade. However, the fact that Bush brought up the issue means that talks about agricultural trade will be a key issue as he meets with European leaders and attends the Group of Eight leading nations meeting in Evian, France. Beyond that, Bush's comments also likely mean there will be continuing frictions between the U.S. and some of its European allies. Earlier in the day, French President Jacques Chirac issued a call for the leaders of the G8 to put aside their differences and to work together to promote an economic rebound. In addition to his remarks on agricultural trade issues, Bush said he will also press the Europeans to put money into an effort to combat the spread of AIDS in Africa and some Caribbean countries. Bush has proposed a $15 billion plan to halt the spread of AIDS and said the Europeans should join the effort. " I'll challenge our allies to make a similar commitment to save even more lives. I will remind them the clock is ticking and every single day 8,000 people will die from AIDS and there will be 15,000 more infections, " Bush said. The point, for the Europeans, will be " to match their good intentions with real resources, " Bush said. Bush also used the speech as an opportunity to reiterate his belief that the spread of democracies and free markets represents the greatest insurance for the security of the U.S. " Free societies look to the possibilities of the future instead of feeding old resentments and bitterness, " Bush said. " Free countries build wealth and prosperity for their people in an atmosphere of stability and order, instead of seeking weapons of mass murder and attacking their neighbors, " Bush added. The president also said the U.S. is ready to confront any nation that harbors terrorists and seeks to develop weapons of mass destruction. Although the president didn't point his finger at any country in particular, U.S. officials over the past week have again accused Iran of harboring leaders of al-Qaida. Iran has an active nuclear program and is reported to be seeking biological and chemical weapons. -By Alex Keto, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9256; Alex.Keto *************************************************************** Bush blasts Europe's genetic food standards By TOM RAUM, Associated Press NEW LONDON, Conn. (May 22, 2003 10:54 a.m. EDT) - President Bush accused Europe on Wednesday of aggravating hunger in Africa with restrictive trade policies on genetically modified food. Bush's charges are likely to put new strains on trans-Atlantic ties already frayed by divisions over the Iraq war. The president made the accusations in a commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy before a trip to Europe late next week for a summit with allies. The European Union has succumbed to " unfounded, unscientific fears " that make it harder for impoverished African and other Third-World farmers to sell their products in European markets, Bush asserted, escalating a fight over the Europeans' decision to close their markets to bioengineered foods. U.S. farmers, eager to sell to foreign markets, have a big stake in the outcome. Bush also proposed a program to augment the Peace Corps with hundreds of skilled volunteers to provide humanitarian aid in Iraq and elsewhere. Under a leaden sky and in a light drizzle, Bush told graduates of the first class since the Coast Guard became part of the Homeland Security Department this year that America's military " had exceeded every expectation " in Iraq. A day after the government moved the nation's threat status to its second-highest level, Bush also promised that " America will not relent in the war against global terror. " But he also emphasized another struggle, one against " the faceless enemies of human dignity: plague and starvation and hopeless poverty. And America is at war with these enemies as well. " Bush reiterated a proposal to double the size of the Peace Corps over the next five years, and announced a program under the auspices of the White House's Freedom Corps that would " give America's highly skilled professionals new opportunities to serve abroad. " The president said it put to work U.S. doctors, nurses, teacher, engineers, economists and computer specialists on specific development projects. John Bridgeland, a White House domestic adviser and director of Freedom Corps, said the initiative would provide an outlet for those who wanted to serve overseas. There is a backlog of 183,000 applicants for 7,000 Peace Corps slots, Bridgeland said. However, the new program is not exactly an alternative to the Peace Corps; volunteers would serve for weeks or months, versus the more than two-year commitment. Bush also praised both the House and the Senate for passing his proposed $15 billion, five-year initiative to fight AIDS globally, and said he looked forward to signing the bill. " When I travel to Europe next week, I will challenge our allies to make a similar commitment, " he said. Less than two weeks before he attends an eight-nation summit of major industrialized democracies in France, he took a broad swipe at the European Union. Africa's long-term hunger could be greatly reduced " by applying the latest developments of science, " Bush said. " By widening use of new high-yield biocrops and unleashing the power of markets, we can dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the continent. " Yet our partners in Europe are impeding this effort. They have blocked all new biocrops because of unfounded, unscientific fears. " As a result, African nations have been reluctant to try growing genetically modified crops " for fear their products will be shut out of European markets, " Bush said. " European governments should join - not hinder - the great cause of ending hunger in Africa, " he said. Bush's words - his first public ones on the subject - escalated a long-simmering fight between the United States and the European Union, which has imposed a freeze on genetically modified foods. The Bush administration has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, arguing that Europeans are ignoring scientific studies showing the foods do no harm. EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy has said that the European regulatory system for genetically modified foods complies with trade rules. After speaking, Bush stayed at the riverfront ceremony as nearly 200 new graduates received their diplomas. The rain, light while he spoke, turned heavier as the diploma presentation continued. Bush was greeted by a 21-gun salute. A helicopter flyover ended the ceremony. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, who introduced Bush, praised the Coast Guard's performance in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. " Suddenly the oceans grew smaller and the challenge to control them grew larger, " Ridge said. *************************************************************** Bush goes on offensive against European critics By RON HUTCHESON Knight Ridder Newspapers Posted on Wed, May. 21, 2003 NEW LONDON, Conn. - President Bush took the offensive against America's prickliest foreign allies Wednesday, accusing European nations of hindering the fight against famine and not doing enough to combat AIDS. The tough talk, a week before Bush meets with European leaders in France for a summit of the world's leading economic powers, signaled he isn't ready to soothe hard feelings over his handling of the war in Iraq. Relations with France and Germany are in a tailspin, and polls indicate that anti-American sentiment is sweeping Europe. Without mentioning any specific countries, Bush challenged European leaders to follow his lead in spending more to fight AIDS in Africa. The House of Representatives gave final approval Wednesday to Bush's $15 billion, five-year plan for AIDS research and treatment in Africa and the Caribbean. In a commencement speech at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, Bush said he intended to remind European leaders next week that " the clock is ticking " on AIDS and urge them to " match their good intentions with real resources. " The annual Group of Eight summit of select industrialized democracies brings together leaders from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Russia and Japan. In Washington, one European Union official, who asked not to be identified because he wasn't authorized to quarrel publicly with the U.S. president, nonetheless expressed dismay at Bush's words. " We've been involved in development in Africa for a long time, and I think we are probably the major donor of all forms of aid to Africa, " the EU official said. Bush used harsher language in criticizing European agriculture policies, asserting that European opposition to genetically engineered crops could prolong famine in Africa. The European Union has banned the importation of genetically altered crops - soybeans, corn and other plants that have been altered to thwart pests and disease - because of health and environmental concerns that Washington contends are groundless. U.S. agriculture companies have taken the lead in biotechnology, and the United States filed papers last week asking the World Trade Organization to declare the ban illegal. Advocates of genetic engineering say it can help end famine by dramatically increasing crop yields, but many developing nations are reluctant to try it or accept genetically modified grain for fear that they would be unable to export their agricultural products. " We have the ability to confront this suffering. ... Yet our partners in Europe are hindering this effort, " Bush said. " European governments should join - not hinder - the great cause of ending hunger in Africa. " He said Europe's concerns about genetically altered crops stemmed from " unfounded, unscientific fears. " The EU official said European governments didn't counsel African nations about importing genetically modified food: " As far as GM food imports, it's up to the countries in Africa to decide what they want. Mixing up the issue with the GM stuff is not really honest. " As for Bush's combative tone, the EU official said: " My personal reaction is that it's not uncommon, even in this age of television, for people to speak to one audience and think another audience is not listening. It wouldn't surprise me if he takes a much more diplomatic line next week. Still, there is a tendency for Europe-bashing, and it's annoying. " Bush also criticized European agricultural subsidies, a longstanding source of friction between the United States and France, in particular. " When wealthy nations subsidize their agricultural exports, it prevents poor countries from developing their own agricultural sectors, " Bush said, calling on " our partners in Europe " to " immediately eliminate subsidies " on agricultural exports to developing nations. The U.S. government heavily subsidizes many agricultural crops that are exported. Bush's aggressive tone signaled to European leaders that if there are fences to mend, it's up to them to make the first move. Focusing on AIDS and agriculture also might help the president head off attempts by his critics to turn next week's summit into a debate over dealing with postwar Iraq. But Bush's remarks were almost sure to offend Europeans who consider him a swaggering bully and resent Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's dismissal of them as " old Europe. " A March poll in Russia, Turkey and six European nations found widespread ill will toward the United States, and Bush in particular. More than two-thirds of the respondents in France, Spain, Germany, Russia and Turkey, and more than half in Italy, said they viewed the United States unfavorably. The poll was commissioned by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center. *************************************************************** If you would like to comment on this News Update, you can do so at the forum section of our web site at: http://www.thecampaign.org/forums *************************************************************** --------- Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: Gettingwell- Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell The New Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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