News Update from The Campaign: California, Canada & France + John Kerry on GMOs

[Guest guest]

> " News Update from The Campaign "

> <newsupdate

 

> California, Canada & France + John Kerry on

> GMOs

> Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:52:32 -0500

>

> News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically

> Engineered Foods

>

----

>

> Dear News Update Subscribers,

>

> Posted below are four articles that discuss various

> news about the battles

> over genetically engineered foods.

>

> CALIFORNIA

>

> Since four California counties have ballot measures

> this November that would

> ban the growing of genetically engineered crops,

> pro-biotech forces are

> gearing up for a battle.

>

> Sacramento Bee Staff Writer Mike Lee's article

> posted below is titled

> " Biotech bans finally arouse farm industry. "

>

> CANADA

>

> The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed to

> Greenpeace Canada

> that Monsanto has not discontinued their wheat test

> fields. Monsanto had

> previously indicated they were stopping their effort

> to commercialize

> genetically engineered wheat and were also going to

> " discontinue breeding

> and field-level research. "

>

> The second article posted below is titled " Monsanto

> ripped over wheat

> experiments. "

>

> FRANCE

>

> Hundreds of activists destroyed a field of

> genetically engineered corn in

> France on Saturday. The third article below titled

> " French Protesters Trash

> Biotech Corn Field " will provide details on the

> heated confrontation that

> took place.

>

> JOHN KERRY

>

> While The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered

> Foods has a policy of not

> endorsing candidates, we do try to report their

> comments and positions on

> genetically engineered foods when possible.

>

> In a recent stop in Missouri, democratic

> presidential candidate John Kerry

> addressed the issue of organic crops becoming

> contaminated by genetically

> engineered crops. Kerry indicated that he was

> considering an insurance

> policy to protect organic farmers against such

> contamination.

>

> According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, discussing

> organic crops, Kerry

> stated, " If your crop gets polluted by a GMO

> (genetically modified organism)

> crop, poof, you're gone. "

>

> Kerry further stated: " I heard the number of farmers

> who said, 'Gee, I'd

> like to go do this (grow organic crops) but I'm

> afraid, because if I invest

> in the crop and it doesn't qualify as organic, I

> lose the entire deal.' So I

> thought of an insurance concept which says, 'OK,

> let's share the risk, share

> the burden'. . . I don't think it will be that hard

> to pull off. "

>

> The fourth article posted below from the St. Louis

> Post-Dispatch titled

> " Kerry pitches energy proposals to Missouri farmers "

> contains Kerry's brief

> comments on this issue in paragraphs four through

> seven.

>

> We are pleased that Senator Kerry is aware of the

> threat that genetically

> engineered crops pose to organic agriculture.

> However, if Kerry is elected,

> we hope he will support a ban on the outdoor growing

> of genetically

> engineered corn rather than simply setting up an

> insurance policy.

>

> Craig Winters

> Executive Director

> The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

>

> The Campaign

> PO Box 55699

> Seattle, WA 98155

> Tel: 425-771-4049

> 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. "

>

>

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

>

>

> Biotech bans finally arouse farm industry

> Opposition gears up to fight county ballot measures

>

> By Mike Lee -- Sacramento Bee Staff Writer

> August 16, 2004

>

> California's agricultural establishment is gearing

> up for a ballot-box brawl

> this fall.

>

> Worried that county bans on biotech crops could

> spread throughout the state,

> mainstream farm groups from the California

> Cattlemen's Association to the

> national Farm Bureau are marshaling their resources.

>

> It's a change in tactics for biotech backers, who

> until now have left the

> ban issue mostly in the hands of biotech companies.

>

> The stakes are higher than ever. November ballot

> measures in Humboldt,

> Marin, San Luis Obispo and Butte counties could

> determine whether the state

> embraces the new seed technology or makes its mark

> as free of genetically

> engineered crops.

>

> Two counties - Mendocino and Trinity - already have

> outlawed such crops,

> citing a desire to protect organic crops from

> genetic pollution and to

> oppose the control of farming by a few multinational

> biotech companies.

>

> Several other counties also are being targeted,

> mostly in areas with strong

> organic sympathies and the kinds of crops that won't

> have biotech options

> for years.

>

> For conventional farmers, the issues are twofold:

> preventing counties from

> regulating what they can grow and preserving the

> possibility of genetically

> engineered crops for the future.

>

> " It's going to wreak havoc on the state if every

> county passes ordinances to

> regulate " genetically modified organisms, said Don

> Bransford, a Colusa

> County grower and chairman of the California Rice

> Commission.

>

> The key November battleground is rice powerhouse

> Butte County, where Measure

> D convinced ag leaders that the biotech backlash was

> a real threat, not just

> a political statement.

>

> If biotech crops are barred from Butte, some fear it

> would send an

> anti-technology message about California, and

> companies would hesitate to

> develop biotech varieties here. Herbicide-tolerant

> rice, which allows

> farmers to chemically kill weeds without harming

> crops, is expected to be

> one of the next major biotech crops.

>

> The board of the rice commission - the industry's

> dominant voice in

> California - voted 28-1 last week to fight Measure

> D. It's developing a

> " communications plan " to influence Butte voters

> along with a backup

> litigation plan in case the measure passes.

>

> The commission didn't take a position on genetically

> engineered crops, which

> growers both support and oppose. Instead, Bransford

> said state law, not

> county mandates, should control how rice is planted.

>

> Genetic engineering typically protects plants from

> bugs or makes them

> resistant to herbicides. The trick is accomplished

> in laboratories by

> cutting and pasting DNA.

>

> Many farmers around the world embrace the

> technology, which allows for

> easier pest and weed control. However, consumer

> advocates and organic

> growers worry about the potential health and

> environmental consequences of

> tinkering with the genetic code.

>

> California has an estimated 600,000 acres of biotech

> crops, split between

> corn and cotton. That number has grown steadily over

> the years, but remains

> small compared to Midwest states. Much of California

> produces specialty

> crops that don't yet have biotech options, though

> several are being

> developed.

>

> David C. Nunenkamp, deputy secretary of the

> California Department of Food

> and Agriculture, last week told county agriculture

> commissioners that local

> ordinances could have a " chilling effect " on a core

> state industry.

>

> That's a common feeling in farm country, though many

> acknowledge concern

> about federal regulatory gaps and a state policy on

> biotechnology that

> hasn't been updated in two decades.

>

> In July, the California Cattlemen's Association

> became one of the first

> statewide ag groups to publicly oppose all county

> biotech bans. They say

> such measures set a dangerous precedent that could

> someday threaten

> ranchers.

>

> " It's inappropriate for local governments to dictate

> what tools may be used

> by agriculturalists now or in the future, "

> cattlemen's president, Darrel

> Sweet, said in a statement.

>

> The cattlemen have dispatched a top official to lead

> opposition to the Butte

> measure. Their efforts will be backed by American

> Farm Bureau Federation

> President Bob Stallman, who plans to speak at an

> Aug. 23 fund-raiser for

> Measure D opponents.

>

> In Sacramento, biotech backers are widely rumored to

> be shopping legislation

> that would stop counties from regulating biotech

> crops. Even the U.S.

> Department of Agriculture, the main regulator of

> biotech crops, reportedly

> is scouring county initiatives to build a legal case

> against them.

>

> The mounting opposition has the attention of

> anti-biotech activists who for

> months pushed ballot measures with relatively little

> resistance. " All of the

> ag world is lining up against Butte County, "

> observed Renata Brillinger at

> Californians for GE-Free Agriculture in Occidental.

>

> Butte activist Scott Wolf remains defiant despite

> his opponents' daunting

> political and financial force. " We are definitely

> not going away, " said

> Wolf, chairman of Citizens for a GE-Free Butte. " We

> are hoping our personal

> relationships and educating people about the issues

> will make the

> difference. "

>

>

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

>

>

> Monsanto ripped over wheat experiments

>

> By COLIN PERKEL

> August 17, 2004

>

> TORONTO (CP) -- Field trials of genetically modified

> wheat are still being

> conducted in Canada by multinational biotech giant

> Monsanto despite a pledge

> earlier this year that the testing would be

> abandoned, critics said Tuesday.

>

> In a letter to Greenpeace Canada late last month,

> the Canadian Food

> Inspection Agency confirmed that 16 Monsanto trials

> of so-called Roundup

> Ready wheat are continuing " to allow researchers to

> complete their

> research. "

>

> Greenpeace, one of several environmental groups

> opposed to the trials, said

> Monsanto should have torn up the fields as it said

> it would.

>

> " The trials are a danger for both the environment

> and for the potential for

> release for farmers, " said Pat Venditti, genetic

> engineering campaigner for

> Greenpeace.

>

> " It could pose a serious threat to Canada's ability

> to export wheat crops. "

>

> Monsanto did not immediately return phone calls

> Tuesday.

>

> Genetically modifying crops involves manipulating

> their genetic material to

> produce special characteristics. In May, Monsanto

> declared it would

> " discontinue breeding and field-level research " into

> wheat resistant to the

> popular herbicide Roundup.

>

> Many export markets, Japan and the European Union

> among them, have warned

> they would stop buying wheat from Canada if any of

> it is genetically

> modified.

>

> Monsanto's decision followed a campaign by critics

> who argue that little is

> known about the impact of genetically altered crops

> on the environment or

> human health.

>

> Also, a government report in January suggested

> farmers would need to use

> more pesticides if the wheat were to be widely

> cultivated.

>

> Monsanto also withdrew requests to Ottawa to allow

> unconfined environmental

> release of the crop and assessments of the wheat's

> safety for animals and

> people.

>

> While Ottawa insists it has tough rules to isolate

> the fields, critics

> maintain there are no guarantees contamination of

> other fields won't occur.

>

> " It is worrisome they would be doing this, " said

> Marc Loiselle with the

> Organic Agriculture Protection Fund from Hague,

> Sask.

>

> " The understanding was that all trials were to be

> abandoned and . . .

> existing test plots would be destroyed. "

>

> Citing concerns about vandalism, the federal

> government refused to disclose

> the locations of the 16 plots.

>

> The secrecy is another problem, said Venditti.

>

> " If you are a farmer or producer half a mile or 100

> yards from a genetically

> engineered wheat trial, you have no way of knowing

> if what's growing next

> door is genetically engineered, " Venditti said.

>

> " We don't think there should be any field trials of

> this crop . . .

> particularly if it's not going to be

> commercialized. "

>

>

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

>

>

> French Protesters Trash Biotech Corn Field

>

> MARSAT, France, August 14, 2004

>

> Several hundred protesters trashed a field of

> genetically engineered corn

> Saturday, despite the presence of about 100

> pro-biotech militants and almost

> as many police.

>

> After a long face-off in which the two sides traded

> insults and occasional

> blows, and gendarmes attemped to keep them apart,

> the protests pushed down a

> fence and trampled a 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) area

> where the genetically

> modified corn was growing, yelling, " no, no no to

> GMO. " The protesters

> included Gilles Lemaire, national secretary of the

> Green party, and Gerard

> Leras, the party's regional chief.

>

> One of the protesters was punched in the face and

> was seen bleeding, an AFP

> reporter said, and two protesters were detained by

> police. About 500 people

> took part in the demonstration according to

> organizers, but police put the

> figure at 300.

>

> Last month, a group of self-styled Green vigilantes

> led by Jose Bove, the

> French farmers union activist who shot to prominence

> after he helped

> demolish a partly built McDonald's fast food

> restaurant in 1999, vowed to

> destroy all genetically modified crops in France.

> The government has

> approved tests of GM crops in 15 regions.

>

>

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

>

>

> NOTE: SEE PARAGRAPHS 4 THRU 7 REGARDING GMO COMMENTS

>

> Kerry pitches energy proposals to Missouri farmers

>

> By Bill Lambrecht

> Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau

> 08/07/2004

>

> SMITHVILLE, Mo. - Sen. John Kerry left his campaign

> train for a tour of corn

> country on Friday to deliver a pitch for a

> farmer-friendly, $30 billion

> energy plan and the votes of rural America.

>

> On his third day in Missouri on his trip to the

> West, Kerry proposed

> doubling the amount of ethanol and farm-derived

> fuels required in gasoline

> as part of a broad energy proposal that he said

> could wean Americans off

> foreign oil.

>

> In a discussion with farmers, the Democratic

> presidential nominee also

> promised to appoint an attorney general who would

> enforce antitrust laws in

> cases where corporate consolidation of agribusiness

> might be illegal.

>

> And Kerry said he was considering an insurance

> program to protect organic

> farmers against losses if their crops intended for

> organic-only markets

> become dusted with windblown pollen from genetically

> modified crops.

>

> " If your crop gets polluted by a GMO (genetically

> modified organism) crop,

> poof, you're gone, " Kerry remarked while speaking on

> the farm of Jim and

> Ruth Nelson.

>

> Kerry later said during an interview with the

> Post-Dispatch that he hadn't

> yet figured out how such an insurance program should

> work.

>

> " I heard the number of farmers who said, 'Gee, I'd

> like to go do this (grow

> organic crops) but I'm afraid, because if I invest

> in the crop and it

> doesn't qualify as organic, I lose the entire deal.'

> So I thought of an

> insurance concept which says, 'OK, let's share the

> risk, share the burden'.

> . . I don't think it will be that hard to pull off. "

>

>

> The farm event near Smithfield, in Clay County 25

> miles north of Kansas

> City, was tailor-made for TV with corn waving in a

> mid-day breeze and

> farmers perched on hay bales. Sounding populist

> themes, Kerry told the

> gathering that 60 percent of farm subsidies go to 10

> percent of farmers.

>

> " There's an awful lot of rural Missouri, Iowa and

> other states where small

> farmers are just getting clobbered. Do you know why?

> Sure you do. Because

> the big guys are getting all the money because the

> system is tilted against

> the small people, " Kerry said.

>

> In his ambitious energy plan, Kerry embraced

> proposals that would be of

> considerable benefit to the Midwest if they passed

> the Congress, among them

> a federal requirement that 5 billion gallons of

> ethanol and other farm-based

> fuels be produced for gasoline by 2012.

>

> Kerry said he also would seek to:

>

> Devote $10 billion to research into clean-coal use,

> aimed at enabling

> utilities to burn more high-sulfur coal like that

> mined in Illinois.

>

> Commit $10 billion to speed the production of cars

> powered by hydrogen fuel

> cells and give consumers $5,000 tax incentives to

> help them purchase cars

> using hydrogen fuel cells.

>

> Spend as much as $10 billion over 10 years for a

> partnership between

> government, farmers and industry to develop an array

> of alternative fuels,

> as well as to create jobs in clean-energy

> technology.

>

> Kerry's ethanol plan resembled provisions in a new

> energy bill that almost

> passed the Congress last year. But it derailed amid

> opposition both to more

> ethanol subsidies and a controversial proposal to

> give immunity to producers

> of MTBE, a gasoline additive found to pollute

> groundwater.

>

> The train that Kerry, Sen. John Edwards of North

> Carolina and their families

> boarded at St. Louis Union Station on Thursday left

> Kansas City Friday night

> for an all-night trip through Kansas en route to

> campaign events in

> southeastern Colorado today.

>

> In response to Kerry's plan, Sen. Don Nickles,

> R-Okla., noted in a

> conference call with reporters Friday that neither

> Kerry nor Edwards were on

> hand in the Senate the day the bill failed by two

> votes.

>

> Kerry could expect hurdles in Congress to another

> proposal - extending to

> 2020 tax breaks for renewable fuels. Critics see

> those tax provisions, set

> to expire in 2007, as costly subsidies of dubious

> value that often enrich

> political donors.

>

> Keith Ashdown, an analyst for Taxpayers for Common

> Sense, a Washington-based

> advocacy group, remarked that presidential

> candidates often try to outdo one

> another to promote ethanol because of the importance

> of the Midwestern vote.

>

> " It makes good sense in the Electoral College, but

> unfortunately it doesn't

> make much sense in terms of achieving energy

> independence, " he said.

>

> Kerry noted that oil prices hit historic highs this

> week of $44 a barrel. He

> contended that somewhere between $8 and $15 of that

> can be attributed to

> global instability, which he blamed in part on the

> Bush administration's

> policies.

>

> Kerry said both he and Edwards had ordered for

> purchase the forthcoming 2005

> Ford Escape hybrid, which conserves fuel by using an

> electric motor along

> with a gas-powered engine.

>

> " You want to drive a great big SUV? Terrific.

> Terrific. That's America. But

> don't you think it's better to drive one that is

> more fuel efficient and

> saves you money? " he said.

>