Franken Foods: MALIGN U.S. INFLUENCE ON MEXICO, THAILAND AND OTHERS

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Subject:GMW: MALIGN U.S. INFLUENCE ON MEXICO, THAILAND AND OTHERS

" GM WATCH " <info

Thu, 12 May 2005 12:26:27 +0100

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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This week Mexico was among 5 countries which tried to terminate

discussions on international GM labelling guidelines at Codex.

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5228

 

The full list was: United States, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay and the

Philippines.

 

Nothing could better point up the malign influence of the US and its

use of " free trade " agreements.

The item below shows how Mexico was originally all set to introduce

mandatory GM labelling until it came under pressure from American agribiz

interests via the US administration.

 

Mexico is vulnerable to such pressure because of the North American

Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which codifies harsh neoliberal economic

policies that have helped to sweep away laws and protections for Mexican

workers and consumers.

 

If anyone is in any doubt that this is the source of US leverage,

consider the way that 2 countries which already have GM labelling also

spoke

out this week against Codex guidelines. They were Australia and

Thailand both of which have been in prolonged negotiations with the

US to

develop bilateral trade agreements. In both cases, it has been apparent

that they are under pressure to amend or block GM-related laws and

regulations.

 

In Thailand, for instance, the Bangkok Post reported how, " Monsanto

sent a letter to the US Trade Representative calling on Washington to

address current trade barriers to agricultural biotechnology with the

Thai

government at the Thai-US free trade agreement negotiations. "

 

And Witoon Lianchamroon of Bio-Thai was quoted in the same article as

saying that both the US administration and Monsanto had been pressing

the Thai government to amend domestic laws and regulations that impeded

market access to American GM products.

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4252

 

Similarly, the Thai Environment Minister was led to publicly object to

the US's insisting that Thailand grow GM crops as a condition of the

bilateral free trade agreement.

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/service117.htm

 

Prior to this the head of the Thai Food and Drug Administration

revealed how a visiting US trade delegation had threatened trade

sanctions

against Thai imports, worth about US$8.7bn a year, if Thai GM labelling

went ahead. The threats to invoke Section 301 of the U.S. trade laws were

made during an official visit.

http://www.just-food.com/news_detail.asp?art=37810 & c=1

 

What happens to countries that displease the US can be seen in the case

of Egypt where the administration suddenly pulled out of bilateral

negotiations on a free trade deal when the country crossed the US in

its GM

policy. " I can relate all of these problems to Egypt's decision to

withdraw its support for the US challenge on the ban of imports of

genetically modified foods to the EU, " said Mostafa Zaki, of the Egyptian

Federation of Chambers of Commerce.

 

The kind of pressures experienced by countries like Egypt and Thailand

are, of course, reminiscent of the bilateral agreements that the US has

signed with regard to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal

Court, and with developing countries that produce generic drugs.

 

The latter led France's President Jacques Chirac at an Aids conference

in Bangkok to accuse America of blackmailing developing countries into

giving up their right to produce cheap drugs for Aids victims. Chirac

said there existed a real problem of favourable trade deals being

dangled before poor nations in return for those countries halting

production

of life-saving generic drugs.

http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4155

 

And the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) shows that

it is not only developing countries that have suffered from this kind of

pressure on the GM issue.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/tech/InnovationRepublish_1170673.htm

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Industry mobilizes to modify Mexico's labeling measures

 

(February 12, 2001 -- Cropchoice news)-- The U.S. agricultural

industry is pressuring Mexico not to implement mandatory labeling of

genetically engineered foods.

 

The Mexican Senate added a provision to the country's general health

code that would require such labels. The Mexican Chamber of Deputies

will

review and act on the measure next month.

 

Possibly fearing that consumers in yet another market might not buy its

transgenic fare, 20 U.S. agriculture groups sent a letter to Secretary

of State Colin Powell in which they asked that President Bush air their

concerns when he visits Mexico in March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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