Guest guest Posted June 24, 2005 Report Share Posted June 24, 2005 WEEKLY WATCH 129 " GM WATCH " <info Thu, 23 Jun 2005 23:03:26 +0100 --------------------------- WEEKLY WATCH number 129 --------------------------- --------------------------- from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor --------------------------- Dear all: This Friday, 24 June, Europe's ministers will vote on whether to allow the unelected European Commission to overturn national bans on certain GMOs. This is an important vote; please see CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK to ask your country's minister to uphold the nations' right to decide - or (it only takes a minute) go straight to: http://www.foeeurope.org/ban_risky_gm_food/#eirEmail Ministers will also be voting on whether to approve Monsanto's MON863 maize, which has been found unfit even for rats. A German court has overruled Monsanto's appeal and has now forced the reluctant company to release the rat-feeding study it tried to suppress (FOOD SAFETY). This has allowed scientists to start to comment publicly on the study. Prof Gilles-Eric Seralini of the French state Commission du Genie Biomoleculaire (CGB), which is a French government agency responsible for risk assessments of GM plants, says, " I would conclude from these tests that the insecticide appears to have significant effects on health. I believe it is not an isolated case and that the pesticides contained within GMOs have the same kind of side effects as chemical pesticides. " (FOOD SAFETY) Another big story this week is the disastrous debut of Bt cotton in the Punjab - a leading Indian agricultural state. Negative reports about the performance of this only-just-approved crop have been pouring in. This follows on from Monsanto being completely banned from the the state of Andhra Pradesh. (ASIA) Claire claire www.gmwatch.org / www.lobbywatch.org ------- CONTENTS ------- FOOD SAFETY BIO 2005 - CONVENTION NEWS LOBBYWATCH WTO LATEST ASIA THE AMERICAS AFRICA EUROPE AUSTRALASIA Bt10 CONTAMINATION COVERUP LATEST CORPORATE CRIMES CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK ------- FOOD SAFETY ------- + MONSANTO LOSES APPEAL - ORDERED TO MAKE SECRET STUDY PUBLIC A German law court on 20 June ordered Monsanto to disclose a suppressed report on rat feeding trials related to the company's GM maize MON863. EU environment ministers will vote on the maize's import authorisation on 24 June. Monsanto has consistently tried to prevent the publication of the 1,000-page document, after concerns were raised regarding the health impact on rats of MON863. The German state endorsed Greenpeace requests to access the document under EU law, but Monsanto introduced a case against Germany to prevent the disclosure. The court's decision overrules the company's appeal against the decision in this case, originally delivered on 10 June 2005. On 24 June, environment Ministers will vote not only on MON863 but also on national bans imposed by five member states against the use and cultivation of GMOs (see CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK). http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5393 + SCIENTISTS COMMENT ON STUDY FINDINGS Two renowned toxicology experts - Gilles-Eric Seralini and Arpad Pusztai - presented their analyses of the suppressed Monsanto rat-feeding study on MON863 maize at a Greenpeace press conference in Berlin on 22 June. EXCERPTS: " The GM maize should not be allowed to be licensed as food or feedstuff in EU countries. If a trial produces such striking results, it must at all events be repeated... The safety standards in EU authorisation procedures for genetically manipulated plants are in general inadequate. " - Prof Gilles-Eric Seralini of the French state Commission du Genie Biomoleculaire (CGB), which is responsible for risk assessments of GM plants http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5397 " I would conclude from these tests that the insecticide appears to have significant effects on health. I believe it is not an isolated case and that the pesticides contained within GMOs have the same kind of side effects as chemical pesticides. " - Prof Seralini http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1119532562873_114941762/?hub\ =SciTech " It cannot be presumed that the damage to the rats' inner organs and the animals' blood picture are based on chance. The documents also show that the set-up for the experiments was inadequate and evaluation of the data incorrect. Further investigations are absolutely necessary. " - Prof Arpad Pusztai, who made a risk assessment of MON863 for the German government http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5397 See Dr Pusztai's review, in easy-to-read table form, of some of the significant differences found in the rat-feeding study (these include possible allergic reactions and abnormal immune responses to the GM maize): http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5395 See detailed information on the study provided by Profs Pusztai and Seralini to the Greenpeace press conference at: http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5400 ------- BIO 2005 - CONVENTION NEWS ------- + BIO-DEMOCRACY 2005 CONFRONTS U.S. BIOTECHNOLOGY Angry that the world's largest convention of biotech and pharmaceutical executives (BIO 2005) was held in Philadelphia June 18-21 in pursuit of BIO's agenda of GM agriculture, bioweapons proliferation and healthcare for profit, a large coalition of organizations challenged them with a festival, teach-ins, and " creative action " as part of the counter event Biodemocracy 2005. This diverse group, which included Philadelphia RAGE (Resistance Against Genetic Engineering), the Institute for Social Ecology, the Student Environmental Action Coalition, Mobilization for Social Justice and many more, claimed that the biotech industry is attacking US people's well-being and democracy without their consent. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5378 A press report on the protests and links to some GREAT LISTENING (with Ignacio Chapela and Sheldon Krimsky, amongst others) in the counter events to BIO 2005: http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5394 + GM LOBBY EXPLOITS DEATH OF POLICE OFFICER Philadelphia Police Officer Paris Williams had an apparent cardiac arrest during protests in front of the Convention Center that's housing BIO's annual convention. Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson was reported as saying that although there was a scuffle close to the officer, " I don't think Officer Paris Williams was involved in the scuffle. " Unfortunately, that did not stop the biotech industry and its lobbyists leaping to exploit the situation. Biodemocracy 2005 issued a statement saying they were saddened by the news and that " We were gathered in Philadelphia today to celebrate and protect life, and any loss of life is a tragedy to us all. " http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5398 + SCIENTISTS THREATENED FOR SPEAKING OUT ON JEB BUSH BIOTECH PROJECT This year's BIO convention will undoubtedly have been packed with mayors and governors from across the US desperate to lure biotech companies to their area with promises of tax breaks, government grants, and even help with parking. One of those who will be pumping the flesh is Florida governor Jeb Bush, brother of president George W. Bush. As our second press report below notes, " Bush plans to shake hands in Florida's booth at the upcoming Bio2005 biotechnology industry conference in Philadelphia. He said he'll do whatever he can to 'close the deal' when life-science companies express interest in relocating to Florida. " Bush has already spearheaded an initiative to hand over USD510 million of Florida and Palm Beach County taxpayers money to build a new biotech centre for the San Diego-based Scripps Research Institute. Bush and other Florida officials hope that Scripps will make Florida a biotech hub. Now, Florida Dept of Environmental Protection scientists have been warned that they will face " the harshest possible discipline " if they hamper efforts to build Scripps by voicing concerns over environmental impacts. Lisa Interlandi, an attorney for the Environmental & Land Use Law Center which represents groups opposed to the designated site for Scripps, is clear about where the pressure is coming from: " There was an atmosphere created, from the state, from the governor's office, that this project had to be approved at all costs. " http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5385 ------- LOBBYWATCH ------- + ROYAL SOCIETY ATTACKS LANCET EDITOR - AGAIN The Royal Society has never forgiven The Lancet's editor, Richard Horton, for publishing Pusztai's GM research on the basis of its " scientific merit " , after it had successfully come through a particularly stringent peer review. According to the Guardian, the Royal Society's Biological Secretary even threatened Horton as to the consequences if he proceeded with publication, but Horton stood his ground. Now the Society is baying for Horton's blood once again, claiming that his " poor editorial judgment " has had dire consequences. The Society's latest attacks come after Horton called the Society " a shrill and superficial cheerleader for British science " , which is precisely right. The Society's latest onslaught is reported in a Times article, " 'Scaremongering' Lancet accused of causing harm to health and wasting millions " , by pro-GM reporter Mark Henderson. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5387 --------------------------- ASIA --------------------------- + INDIA: DISASTROUS DEBUT FOR GM COTTON IN PUNJAB Bt cotton was officially approved for cultivation in Punjab this year. Within a few weeks, negative reports have started pouring in. The following is from a front page story in the Indian press: EXCERPTS: Touted as the answer to the American Bollworm menace and making a much-hyped official debut in Punjab this season, Bt cotton seems to have fallen to the very disease it has been designed to resist in Fazilka and Abohar. Cotton growers spoken to in the two districts said many of their plants had been fully or partly eaten up by worms. Some had grown fungus and others didn't germinate at all. Those who tried the seeds illegally last season (these were approved only recently) have gone back to the traditional " desi " (local) varieties after the not-so-happy experience with designer seeds. .... Even as Punjab has approved six Bt cotton varieties for sowing this year, states like Andhra Pradesh have banned these seeds... The comprehensive failure of Monsanto's Bt cotton in Andhra was so well documented that eventually even the GEAC [india's pro-Gm regulatory body] decided not to renew the license for three varieties in the state. Media reports coming in from other parts of the country and world, too, have been unfavorable. Despite the state government's massive publicity campaign, farmers in Madhya Pradesh have been protesting the move allowing multinational corporations to push Bt cottonseeds. The farmers alleged that the designer seeds in Nimar region of the state had ruined thousands of farmers. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5382 + INDIAN GM RESEARCH " LACKS FOCUS AND TRANSPARENCY " GM crop research in India is unfocused, and not regulated in a transparent way, says a joint Swedish-Indian study. The report, Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety in India: Expectations, outcomes and lessons, was published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden, and Centre for Budget and Policy Studies in Bangalore, India. EXCERPTS: During research in Karnataka on Bt cotton, the study found the monitoring and evaluation by the Department of Biotechnology to be " cursory and very narrowly focused. " It was limited... It did not independently and intensively assess risks such as pollen and gene flow to other nearby plants, impact on the health of livestock feeding on Bt cotton seeds, or potential agronomic and socio-economic impact of Bt cotton. ....the main regulatory authority Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has declined to put it's reports into the public domain, despite repeated calls by civil society organisations and the media. The study also notes the government did not commission long-term safety studies nor monitoring of the potential build-up of Bt-resistant insects. Nor has the government effectively dealt with Indian companies selling illegal Bt cotton seeds... http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5399 + CHINA: FUTURE OF RICE HANGS IN BALANCE The Chinese Biosafety Committee is meeting in Beijing this week to discuss the possible approval of GM rice, amid growing international turmoil over the illegal spread of untested GM rice from field trials in Hubei province. Last week, Greenpeace reported the discovery of illegal GM rice in Guangzhou in Southern China. Greenpeace's Steven Ma said, " The proposed commercial release of GE rice is a decision that will affect every single person in China - as well as future generations. It is far too important a decision to be left to a small group of scientists with vested interests in the technology who have taken the issue into their own hands. " http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5390 + CHINA RESISTS FRANKENBEAN AND SEES WINDFALL China's producers are finding an unexpected windfall from growing non-GM soya. " We can't meet all the orders, " said Li Yanmei, vice president of Beijing Gingko-Group Biological Technology Co, which produces vitamin E from Chinese non-GMO soybeans. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5389 + THAILAND: GM FIELD TRIAL BAN SHOULD CONTINUE, SAY ADVISORS Thailand's National Economic and Social Advisory Council (Nesac) will recommend that the government maintain the ban on open field trials of GMOs and their eventual commercialisation. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5403 + GM MAY BE UNNECESSARY, SAYS THAI MINISTER Thailand's science and technology minister Korn Thapparansi says, " When you can specify the crops you want to develop, you are then able to decide how you want to grow them. It may not be necessary to think about genetic modification in the first place. " http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5403 ------- THE AMERICAS ------- + BRAZIL PORT OF PARANAGUA STOPS GM EXPORTS DESPITE COURT RULING The Brazilian port of Paranagua stepped up its ban on exports of GM soybeans in May, despite a Supreme Court ruling in April that the port must ship the GM beans. The port says it doesn't have the facilities to segregate GM and non-GM produce, but the Supreme Court ruled that argument isn't valid. During May, the port turned back 745 truckloads that tested positive for GM soy. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5388 ------- AFRICA ------- + BUSH, BLAIR, BOB... AND A TRUCKLOAD OF NONSENSE In the run-up to the recent UK election there was an interesting report on the BBC. Tony Blair's Labour Party had an answer to the hole it was in. The problem? Blair & Co. had not just alienated large numbers of ordinary voters, they'd also alienated large numbers of Labour's own members - sickened by a leadership in hock to Lord Sainsbury, hellbent on a destructive lovefest with Dubya, and too arrogant to bend an ear to anyone other than the rich and powerful. The answer? The BBC journalist explained that Blair & Co. had come up with a winning formula which they were going to use to rebrand - not by fundamentally changing their agenda, but by adding an element which their research showed would appeal both to many of their unhappy supporters and to many of their critics outside the Party. The magic ingredient? Placing a big emphasis on development, especially in Africa. Post-election it has unfolded like a dream and it now seems likely that Bush and Blair, and the other G8 leaders, will soon appear on the international stage in the guise of the saviours of Africa to the accompanying blaze of publicity generated by the Live8 concerts. As PR goes, it's as good as it gets. But when it comes to development, both Bush and Blair have established and disturbing agendas. In the case of GM, one only has to look to the roles taken by USAID and Britain's Department for International Development to see how aid is used to promote a corporate strategy of GM entry. Two fascinating articles by George Monbiot at http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5392 - while they do not mention GM - show how Western 'conditionalities' for African debt relief are simply a permit for corporations to take over state-owned assets in African countries. At the same URL, world music pundit Andy Kershaw voices indignation that Bob Geldof's larger upcoming Live8 concerts neglect to feature African musicians. ( " The myth of Saint Bob, saviour of Africa " ). Incidentally, new research from Christian Aid shows that sub-Saharan Africa is a massive US$272 billion worse off because of " free " trade policies forced on them as a condition of receiving aid and debt relief. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/indepth/506liberalisation/Economics%20of%20failur\ e.pdf + FAKE BLOOD ON THE MAIZE As Bush, Wolfowitz & Co - in an effort to 're-brand' themselves with an air of sanctity that will make us all forget about what they did to Iraq - get ready to bestride the international stage as the saviours of Africa, it's worth remembering the kind of treatment they and their corporate associates dole out to even the most vulnerable of African countries if they fail to toe the US line. An article by GM WATCH editor Jonathan Matthews shows how the US has exploited drought and hunger in Zambia in its efforts to dump surplus GM crops, even to the extent of rewriting history and manufacturing crimes against humanity. Background: In 2002, in spite of drought and food shortages, Zambia refused GM maize food aid from the US after taking scientific advice. The US went into PR overdrive, claiming that Zambians had died of starvation as a result of " ideological " objections to GM fuelled by affluent Western activists. In fact, no one appears to have died as a result of the decision on GM. EXCERPT: .... I was forwarded an email that had been sent to a leading environmental campaigner, demanding that he spell out his position on Zambia. The sender of the email was one " Max Russell-Bennett, " ostensibly a private citizen, and he attached to his email a press release from the pro-GM lobby group AgBioWorld. The press release seemed to imply that a few years earlier thousands had died in the Indian state of Orissa - victims of resistance to GM food aid. AgBioWorld urged " activists " not to repeat " the mistakes of 'Orissa' " . In reality, the deaths in Orissa had been due to a devastating cyclone, and no one had died for want of GM food. And a check on the email's technical headers revealed it had originated not with a private individual but with Monsanto Belgium. This message, crafted by a multinational corporation in the guise of a fake citizen... seemed to capture the cynical mendacity that has marked the industry's Zambia campaign. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5384 ------- EUROPE ------- + EU MINISTERS TO VOTE ON NATIONAL GM BANS On 24 June, EU member states will vote on a Commission proposal to force the lifting of national bans on the growing of certain GMOs. Countries with old bans are Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, France and Greece. Countries with new bans are Hungary, Poland and Greece. (See CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK) Ministers will also vote on a GM maize which caused kidney damage to rats. (See FOOD SAFETY) The ministerial vote will be a key test of the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA). Last year the EFSA claimed the national bans had no scientific basis. So far, member states have never supported any of the GM products cleared by the EFSA and Friends of the Earth has been critical of EFSA's pro-biotech position and close links with the GM industry. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5401 + COMPLEXITIES OF GM ISSUE DELAY WTO DECISION The WTO decision on whether the EU's moratorium on approvals of GMOs is a barrier to trade will be delayed until October this year. The complaint against the EU was filed by the GM crop producers, the US, Canada and Argentina. Chairman of the GM dispute panel at the World Trade Organisation, Christian Haberli, cited the complexity of the case, the large amount of documentation submitted, and the decision to consult with scientific experts on technical issues, as the reasons for the delay. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5383 If ministers vote on 24 June to maintain national GM bans (see previous item), the US will doubtless cite this to support its case before the WTO. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5386 ------- AUSTRALASIA ------- + NZ CLAIMS ITS 30 PIECES OF SILVER Many Cartagena Protocol delegates were horrified and incredulous when New Zealand sided with the biotech industry and blocked GM labeling and liability moves at the recent meeting in Montreal. After all, NZ has not been a biotech exporter and has nothing to gain. But now it seems that NZ has invested in becoming one. At the BIO convention, the NZ government is promoting NZ biotech via its " New Thinking programme " which helps NZ biotech businesses " compete globally by building on NZ's 'clean, green' image " ! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5380 + NZ A FRONT FOR U.S. CORN STATE A further explanation for NZ's pro-GM industry stance in Montreal is that NZ was acting as a proxy for the US. Evidence for this is also mounting. Details have emerged of a biotech deal between NZ and Iowa, a state at the heart of the US farm belt. In the next year, Iowa hopes to see investment from NZ companies interested in establishing a US presence. No state has been harder hit than Iowa by the controversy over GMOs, with even the Americans admitting they've lost hundreds of millions of dollars in blocked corn exports. And no state was harder hit by the Starlink GM disaster, which contaminated over 50% of Iowa's corn crop. In other words, no state has a greater interest in global genetic pollution escaping unnoticed, and NZ, it seems, is desperate to curry favour with its business partner - no matter what the global cost! http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5404 + GM CROP TRIALS WORRY DEMOCRATS The Australian Democrats are alarmed at the approval of another licence to conduct a GM crop trial in South Australia. The Office of the Gene Technology Regulator has given Bayer CropScience approval to plant GM Indian mustard in the state's south-east. Democrats' MLC Ian Gilfillan believes there is still a lot of opposition among South Australians to the introduction of GM crops. " Let's bear in mind consultation doesn't necessarily mean that the people you consult agree with what you're doing and the councils in the south-east have in the past been vehemently opposed to the planting of GM crops in their local government areas, " he said. http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5391 --------------------------- Bt10 CONTAMINATION COVERUP LATEST --------------------------- + FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY ACCUSED OF STALINIST TACTICS Britain's official food safety watchdog - which prides itself on its " openness " - is embroiled in a row over the blanking-out of large sections of a document relating to banned GM maize Bt10 being illegally imported into the country. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) had even erased the telephone numbers of the European Commission and the biotech company Syngenta, along with statistics on the total trade in maize between Europe and the US. The documents, which were finally released under the Freedom of Information Act after weeks of pressure from a small environmental group, GM Free Cymru, help to expose one of the greatest GM scandals of recent years. At least a thousand tons of the maize has been illegally exported from the US to Europe over the past four years. The FSA refused to try to track down the banned maize in Britain. Having carried out no tests, it says it was " not aware " of the crop's presence. It took action to stop the imports only when forced to do so by the European Commission. .... Dr Brian John of GM Free Cymru, who has lodged a formal complaint with the agency, said: " After endless procrastination, we have at last been sent a bunch of documents relating to the scandal, only to find that they have been heavily censored in a manner that would have done credit to Stalinist Russia. " http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5379 ------- CORPORATE CRIMES ------- + INDIAN TAXPAYERS MUST CLEAN UP BHOPAL, SAY JUDGES Two judges in the Indian state high court of Madhya pradesh have thrown a lifeline to [chemicals and GM company] Dow Chemicals in its continuing attempts to deny responsibility for the role of its subsidiary, Union Carbide, in the Bhopal gas disaster. They have decided that *Indian* authorities should clean up the heavily polluted plant and decontaminate the drinking water used by thousands of Bhopalis. The ruling postpones indefinitely any finding on the question of who is actually liable and comes at a handy time: it gives Union Carbide the chance to foreclose legal action against it in New York, brought by some of the Bhopal gas explosion survivors. A court case, with US rules of disclosure, could have been so embarrassing. Meanwhile Bhopal police have been ordered to crack down on demonstrators. Last week a group of local women went to ask the Gas Relief Tragedy Dept why it had done nothing to provide them with safe water. Police broke up the meeting with punches, kicks and rattan canes. - Private Eye (UK), no 1134, 10-23 June 2005 ------- CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK ------- + STOP THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION OVERTURNING NATIONAL GM BANS The European Commission has tabled a vote on 24 June to overturn national GMO bans that some countries have introduced. You can help stop the Commission. Send an email, fax or letter to your Environment Minister, urging them to vote NO! on 24 June. Take action (only takes a minute) http://www.foeeurope.org/ban_risky_gm_food/#eirEmail ------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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