Fwd: GMW:_'A_DISASTER_FOR_DEMOCRACY'/EURO_BLOW_TO_GM_OIL_SEED_RAPE

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GMW:_'A_DISASTER_FOR_DEMOCRACY'/EURO_BLOW_TO_GM_OIL_SEED_RAPE

" GM_WATCH "

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 20:24:43 GMT

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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2 items below but as an aside on disasters for democracy, for those in Britain

having to stomach the Hutton report exonerating the government and castigating

the BBC, here are some comments:

 

" You don't order a public inquiry in this country as Prime Minister unless you

are pretty confident of its outcome. Lord Hutton has rewarded Tony Blair's

confidence... This is one of the most worrying and difficult days of my

broadcasting career. " - Jon Snow, highly regarded news broadcaster, Channel 4

News

http://www.channel4.com/news/2004/01/week_4/28_hutton.html

 

" If the BBC produce a story based on one source that later tunrs out to be

erroneous, and fails to correct it, then it is damned for all time and should

apologise to everyone

 

whereas....

 

If the Government start a war based on one source that later turns out to be

erroneous, then that is perfectly understandable and should never be expected to

apologise. " - from the Mark Thomas list

 

1.GM CORN APPROVAL 'A DISASTER FOR DEMOCRACY'

2.EURO BLOW TO GM OIL SEED RAPE

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1.NEWS RELEASE

From the office of the Green MEPs

January 28, 2004

 

GM CORN APPROVAL 'A DISASTER FOR DEMOCRACY' - MEP

 

GREEN MEP Caroline Lucas has branded the European Commission 'out of touch' and

'misguided' after it authorised the sale of GM corn today, paving the

way for an end to the EU's de facto moratorium on new GM produce. A final

decision will now be taken by the Council of Ministers.

 

" Today's decision is a disaster for democracy and flies in the face of the

clearly expressed wishes of the majority of UK consumers - it will also lead

to lengthy and costly court battles over liability for the environmental and

health impacts of the decision, " she said.

 

Her comments came as Commission chief Romano Prodi claimed the EU already had a

'clear, transparent and stringent system' for the regulation of GM

food, feed and plants.

 

Dr Lucas, South-East England MEP and member of the parliament's environment

committee, said his claims were simply untrue as there had been no agreement

on legislation on the issues of co-existence, GM-free regions and civil

liability in cases of environmental or health damage caused by GMOs.

 

She said: " The Commission's GM strategy is hopelessly misguided and out of

touch. Claims that GMOs pose no threat either to humans or the environment are

absolutely false. Studies conducted both in the UK and US have demonstrated that

GMOs threaten biodiversity as well as releasing potentially harmful contaminants

into the environment.

 

" There is no public demand for GM food in Europe. Where Member States have

carried out public consultation the results have been overwhelmingly

anti-GM. This decision was entirely guided by business, and goes to show just

how out of touch the Commission is with the public.

 

" Once again, the fate of the GM moratorium rests in the hands of Environment

ministers. They must reject this bid, as they rejected the last attempt to

introduce new GMOs to the EU. "

 

ENDS

 

For more information please contact Ben Duncan on 020 7407 6280, 07973

823358 or press

www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk

---

2.EURO BLOW TO GM OIL SEED RAPE

Jan 28

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/euro_blow_to_gm_oil_seed_r_28012004\

..html

 

The commercial development of GM spring oilseed rape was dealt a heavy blow

today when Belgian GM advisors outlined serious concerns about its impact on the

environment. The GM oil seed rape, which was found to damage farmland wildlife

when grown in

the UK Farm Scale Evaluations (FSE) [1], is currently being assessed for

commercial growing in Europe. Friends of the Earth says that the Belgian

authorities now have little choice than to reject the application by biotech

firm Bayer.

 

In a separate development The European Commission today gave its backing to a

proposal to allow a type of GM maize (known as BT11) to be imported as food into

Europe. Friends of the Earth has serious concerns about the quality of the

application [2]. EU ministers now have three months to consider the proposal.

The Commission also supported allowing GM contamination in conventional seeds.

Friends of the Earth attacked the Commission pointing out that European

consumers do not want to eat GM food.

 

GM Oil Seed Rape

 

Bayer has applied to the Belgian authorities for a Europe-wide commercial

licence, the first to be considered for growing since approvals were halted in

1998. If Belgium turns down the application, it effectively rejects it for the

whole of Europe. If

it approves the application, it is then considered by all member states. Both

European [3] and Belgian law outlaws GM crops that may cause damage to the

environment.

 

The advice, published today by the Belgium Biosafety Council, says that Bayer´s

GM oilseed rape, which has been engineered to resist the company´s own herbicide

[4], risks wider GM contamination. The report says: " gene flow will occur in and

outside the field, resulting inherbicide-tolerant oilseed rape volunteers, feral

oilseed rape populations and wild relatives " . It continues [1] grown land

wildlife in npe volunteers, feral oilseed rape populations and wild relatives

evaluated the next stage difficultis negative consequences on biodiversity may

not be

controlled " and that agricultural guidelines for farmers growing the crop are

" impracticable, hardly workable and hard to control " . Containing the crop will

be " hard to avoid " and that the long-term effects are " hard to predict " .

 

The advice also highlights the threats to conventional and organic farmers " it

is hard to avoid the adventitious presence of GM material in neighbouring non-GM

oilseed rape fields resulting in difficulties for the coexistence of GM,

conventional and organic oilseed rape crops including legal and socio-economic

issues " .

 

Belgian Ministers will now make the final decision on approving or rejecting the

crop by Monday (2 February). If Ministers ignore the serious concerns raised by

their advisors and approve the

application, it will progress to the second stage for consideration by all

member states.

 

Friends of the Earth's GM campaigner Clare Oxborrow said:

 

" The advice from Belgian experts is clear. A llowing GM oil seed rape to be

commercially grown will damage the environment. Belgian ministers now have

little option under EU law than to reject this dangerous application and take an

important step in

ensuring a GM-free future for the UK and Europe. "

 

Commenting on the EU Commission's backing for a proposal to allow imports of GM

maize, Clare Oxborrow said:

 

" The EU Commission has caved in to pressure from the USA and big biotech firms.

European consumers do not want GM food. If GM maize is imported it will make it

harder for companies to supply GM-free food. Member States must stand firm,

listen to the public and reject this biotech-backed recommendation . "

 

Notes

 

[1] The Advisory Committee for Releases to the Environment (ACRE) issued its

advice to Government on the Farm Scale Evaluations on 13 January

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acre/fse/index.htm[1]. The report showed

that GM herbicide tolerant spring oilseed rape and sugar beet caused significant

damage to farmland wildlife and should not be approved commercially. The FSE

results showed weed cover and the production of weed seeds seriously declined

under the GM management regime as did insects such as butterflies.

 

[2] Friends of the Earth briefing available.

 

[3] The Deliberate Release Directive 2001/18/EC

 

[4] http://www.conseil-biosecurite.be/bac_advices.html

 

[5] Friends of the Earth believes that no GM crops (including GM crop trials)

should be planted in the UK until legally enforceable rules are in place to

prevent contamination of organic and conventional crops, and to determine who is

liable if things go

wrong. Friends of the Earth supports Conservative MP Gregory Barker who has

brought forward a Bill to set such rules. It will be debated in Parliament on

26th March 2004. It is not known whether the Government will support this Bill

or not.

 

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