Guest guest Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 > " ETC group " <etc > ETC: CGIAR and GM Contamination - Taking > Care of Business > Fri, 27 Aug 2004 10:32:17 -0600 > > > ETC Group > News Release > Friday, August 27, 2004 > www.etcgroup.org > > > Taking Care of Business > The CGIAR and GM Contamination > > > In a remarkable departure from its role as a public > science network, the Consultative Group on > International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is > huddling with the biotech industry (including > Monsanto and DuPont) to craft a policy response to > the unwelcome and ongoing spread of DNA from > genetically modified plants to farmers' varieties. > The meeting begins in Rome on Monday and comes three > years after scientists first confirmed GM > contamination in Mexico's maize crop - and two and a > half years after farmers' organizations and their > civil society allies called upon CGIAR and the UN > Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to take > action. Farmers' organizations are not invited to > the meeting. > > [Note: The world's most important collections of > seeds, the vast majority of which were collected > from farming communities in the South, are > maintained in a network of 16 gene banks overseen by > the CGIAR. In 1994, the FAO and CGIAR signed > agreements placing most of the seed collections > under the auspices of the United Nations. At the > meeting next Monday, CGIAR will examine the > implications of GM contamination for gene bank > collections it holds in trust for the international > community. Officially, the meeting is known as " The > development of CGIAR policies to address the > possibility of adventitious presence of transgenes > in CGIAR ex situ collections. " ] > > Policy workshop: Beginning next Monday in Rome, 30 > invited participants from the biotech industry and > national and international agricultural research > institutes will sit down for 2.5 days to hammer out > a strategic policy response to the ballooning > problem of worldwide GM contamination. > > The meeting will hear formally from government > institutes such as EMBRAPA in Brazil, CGEN in > Netherlands and the USDA. The agenda also calls for > presentations from three industry representatives > including Monsanto and DuPont - the world's two > largest seed corporations. Missing from the speakers > list are the representatives of farmers' > organizations, South government policymakers, > development agencies, and civil society > organizations (CSOs) familiar with the issues. FAO > is invited but not offered a place on the agenda. > The workshop organizers defend their limited > invitation list stressing the " technical " nature of > the discussion although the invitation states that, > " The emphasis of the workshop should be on the > policy and economic-related implications of > different approaches to the issue, with a lesser > focus on potential scientific, technical means. " The > timetable following the battery of industry > statements concentrates on " points of agreement " and > " controversial issues " as CGIAR and its national > scientific partners look for policy recommendations. > (CGIAR's workshop agenda and description, as > received Aug. 20, are posted as PDF documents on ETC > Group's website.) > > Paternalist turned partner-predator? " The CGIAR has > mandated itself to use science for 'poverty > alleviation' but now seems to be more concerned with > helping the agbiotech industry get through the > crisis created by their own sloppy science, " says > Pat Mooney of the Canadian-based ETC Group. " The > CGIAR network has always had a paternalistic > approach to farmers and their organizations, " Mooney > adds, " but this is the first time we have known them > - as an international consortium of public sector > scientists - to side so thoroughly with industry. It > is farmers' seeds that are being contaminated. > Industry's GM crops are causing the contamination. > Whose business is the CGIAR taking care of? " > > The workshop was proposed by the CGIAR's Genetic > Resources Policy Committee in February. The > invitation states that a maximum of 30 invitees > include " ...representatives from (most affected) > IARCs, NARS and private companies, and experts. " > Belatedly recognizing that news of the meeting would > leak out, organizers opined earlier in the summer > that they might convene an electronic conference to > appease stakeholders not invited to the meeting. As > the summer wore on, however, and as the reaction to > FAO's May report on agricultural biotechnology > evoked unprecedented outrage among farmers, CGIAR > apparently decided to keep the meeting as low-key as > possible. Organizations of small farmers such as La > Via Campesina are being shut out. One farmer who > sits on a CGIAR committee in a private capacity may > attend the final half-day of the workshop along with > the rest of the committee - but has not (perhaps > until now?) been asked to make a presentation. > > Stakeholders and Steak-eaters: " Both from a > political and from a scientific point of view, the > organizers have been breathtakingly stupid, " says > Silvia Ribeiro of ETC's Mexico office, " a meeting > between the CGIAR and industry was bound to become > known and widely-resented. It is also profoundly > insulting that the CGIAR - that claims to work with > and for farmers - does not realize that farmers' > organizations have a critical perspective on the GM > contamination issue that cannot be ignored. The > CGIAR is seeking policy advice from the culprits and > not the victims. The decision not to invite farmers' > organizations and CSOs was political, " Ribeiro > concludes. > > " This workshop is a case study in bad science, " > argues Hope Shand of ETC in the USA. " With GM > contamination, " Shand adds, " the stakeholders are > the farmers whose very lives and livelihoods depend > on their seed. The companies do not have their lives > at stake and they're the ones who caused the > contamination. Monsanto is a steak-eater not a > stakeholder! " > > Malicious presence: " The language of the agenda > pretty well says it all, " Pat Mooney notes. " Farmers > and civil society organizations typically refer to > the unwanted intrusion of transgenes into farmers' > fields as 'contamination.' Industry refuses to use > the term and CGIAR has gone along with them. They > prefer 'adventitious presence,' which means > unintended and unavoidable presence and, ironically, > even sounds a bit like 'advantageous.' By adopting > language manufactured by industry spin doctors, > CGIAR has made it clear whose side it is on. " > > Contamination controversy: The CG system can't claim > that it didn't know farmers and civil society were > both well-informed and alarmed about GM > contamination - especially in Third World centres of > genetic diversity. > > * In February 2002, 144 civil society organizations > from 40 countries signed an open letter to the > Director-General of FAO and the Chair of the CGIAR > asking them to take up the issue of GM > contamination; to advise on how future contamination > could be monitored and prevented; to explore the > feasibility of decontamination; to consider the > impact of contamination on farmers' varieties and > their livelihoods; to review the protocols for gene > bank collections, grow-outs and exchange; and to > examine the complications brought about by > intellectual property. CGIAR replied that no > specific action was required. FAO acknowledged in > March 2002 that the situation was serious and > requested that CIMMYT investigate.. > http://www.foodfirst.org/progs/global/ge/jointstatement2002.html > > > * A second letter, signed by 302 CSOs from 56 > countries was sent to the Government of Mexico, FAO > and CGIAR in November 2003. > http://www.peoplesfoodsovereignty.org/statements/new/03.htm > > > * In June this year, more than 650 civil society > organizations responded to FAO's contentious report > on agricultural biotechnology with yet another > letter of protest - which specifically mentions GM > contamination in Third World centres of crop > diversity. http://www.grain.org/nfg/?id=180 > > Reforms needed: Last week, CGIAR scrambled to > invite a representative of the Ottawa, Canada-based > ETC Group to attend the Rome meeting. With barely a > week's notice, ETC shot back a sharp " no " and > roundly criticized the organizers for failing to > involve farmers' organizations. " We're not a > farmers' movement, " Hope Shand says, " and we > certainly do not speak for them. " > > ETC Group believes the workshop should be cancelled > and then convened under other auspices with the full > participation of farmers' organizations on a newly > formed planning committee. However, since the > gathering begins Monday, cancellation is unlikely. > " The workshop should be downgraded to a meeting to > discuss a future workshop that will engage the real > stakeholders from farmers to South governments, " Pat > Mooney proposes. " Next week's meeting should be a > meeting of FAO, CGIAR, and national public sector > institutes only. The industry people should be > dis-invited immediately. It is simply unacceptable > for CGIAR to convene a GM policy meeting with the > private sector and without civil society or > governments. " > > For further information: > Pat Mooney, Canada, Phone: 1-613-241-2267 email: > etc > Silvia Ribeiro, Mexico, Phone: +52 55 55 63 2664 > email: silvia > Hope Shand, USA, Phone: 1-919-960-5223 email: > hope > > The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and > Concentration, formerly RAFI, is an international > civil society organization headquartered in Canada. > The ETC group is dedicated to the advancement of > cultural and ecological diversity and human rights. > www.etcgroup.org. The ETC group is also a member of > the Community Biodiversity Development and > Conservation Programme (CBDC). The CBDC is a > collaborative experimental initiative involving > civil society organizations and public research > institutions in 14 countries. The CBDC is dedicated > to the exploration of community-directed programmes > to strengthen the conservation and enhancement of > agricultural biodiversity. The CBDC website is > www.cbdcprogram.org > > > To view CGIAR's workshop agenda and description,go > to: > http://www.etcgroup.org > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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