EU approves GE corn, Protests in Germany & Hawaii's GMO debate

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" News Update from The Campaign " <newsupdate

EU approves GE corn, Protests in Germany & Hawaii's GMO debate

Tue, 9 Aug 2005 06:41:07 -0700

 

 

 

 

News Update From The Campaign

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Dear News Update Subscribers,

 

Posted below are three articles about the ongoing global battle over

genetically engineered crops.

 

EU APPROVES BIOTECH CORN

 

The first article titled " EU clears GM maize despite member state

opposition " discusses a decision made by the European Commission on

Monday

to allow a type of genetically engineered corn produced by Monsanto to

used

as animal feed.

 

Although Environment Council members of 14 of the 25 European Union

nations

opposed approval of the controversial corn, that majority was not large

enough to

decide the policy. As a result, the European Commission was allowed to

make

the final decision and did grant approval.

 

In September, the same biotech corn will be up for approval for human

consumption. This time, instead of the Environmental Council, it will

be the

Agriculture Ministers from the 25 countries making the decision. Again,

if

there is not a " qualified majority " consisting of 2/3 of the member

nations,

it will be decided by the European Commission.

 

PROTESTS IN GERMANY

 

The second article below is titled " GM Corn Protesters Send Message. "

It

discusses a protest held near Berlin, Germany a week ago on Sunday at a

genetically engineered cornfield. About 400 activists participated in

the

protest coming from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France.

 

Protests in the United States are rare, particularly in the fields

since

there are so many millions of acres of biotech crops being grown in

North

America. And details of test plots of the controversial pharmaceutical

biotech plants are kept secret, probably in part to reduce the

potential for

such protests. It is hard to show up at a protest if you can't find the

location of the field that you want to protest.

 

HAWAII GMO DEBATE

 

The third article below titled " GMOs a huge subject of debate " is from

a

Hawaiian newspaper called The Garden Island. The lengthy article goes

into

significant details about genetically engineered crops on Hawaii and

discusses the larger controversy surrounding these foods worldwide. It

also

makes reference to the GMO Free Maui web site that can be found at:

http://www.gmofreemaui.com

 

Craig Winters

President

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

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EU clears GM maize despite member state opposition

 

09.08.2005 - 09:53 CET | By Lisbeth Kirk

euobserver.com

 

The European Commission on Monday (8 August) approved the import of

genetically modified maize despite opposition from 14 member states.

 

The maize, known as MON863, has been engineered by the American biotech

company, Monsanto, to resist the corn rootworm insect by producing a

toxin

in the plant.

 

According to the environmental organisation Friends of the Earth

Europe,

food safety studies of the GM maize on rats showed significantly

different

levels of white blood cells, kidney weights and kidney structure, as

well as

a lower albumin/globulin rate in the rats fed the GM maize.

 

But the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded the MON863

maize

is as safe as conventional maize and unlikely to produce adverse

effects.

 

MON863 is the third GM product to be approved by the commission since

the

end of the EU's six-year moratorium in April last year.

 

In May 2004, the Commission gave the go-ahead to the Swiss firm

Syngenta's

application to import BT-11 sweet corn into the 25-nation bloc and in

October 2004 Monsanto was given the go-ahead to market foods and food

ingredients derived from the genetically modified maize NK603.

 

A majority of member states were opposed to the clearances, but did not

hold

a qualified majority of votes to decide the matter. Under EU rules, the

commission is allowed to take a final decision, if the Council is

unable to.

 

On 24 June, the Environment Council failed to reach a position on the

proposal to allow the import of MON83. 14 member states voted against,

while

seven countries (Germany, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Finland,

Sweden

and the UK) voted in favour and four (Belgium, the Czech Republic,

Spain and

Ireland) abstained.

 

The authorisation now granted to Monsanto is valid for 10 years, but

covers

only the import and the use of the maize as animal feed.

 

Next steps

The commission underlined that the product would be clearly labelled as

containing genetically modified maize. " Its post-marketing monitoring

will

be assured through a unique identifier assigned to the maize to enable

its

traceability " , it said in a press release.

 

The next step will be a decision in September by EU agriculture

ministers on

the food application for the same maize. Environmentalists are hoping

for

ministers to use this last opportunity to block import of the GM maize.

 

" They must use the opportunity to protect their citizens, stand up to

the

commission, and reject it once and for all, " said Helen Holder, GMO

campaign

coordinator for Friends of the Earth.

 

Under EU legislation, no import, including that of animal feed, is

allowed

until the food application has been authorized. " In this case, no

imports

will be able to start unless the MON863 food application is

authorised " ,

according to the Friends of Earth Europe.

 

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GM Corn Protesters Send Message

 

Deutsche Welle

August 3, 2005

 

The issue of genetically-modified corn strikes a nerve with many

Europeans.

To vent their indignation about the lifting of a moratorium, ecology

campaigners protested at a GM cornfield near Berlin.

 

On Sunday, up to 400 ecology campaigners from western Europe flocked to

a

small village some 40 kilometers (25 miles) outside of Berlin to join

forces

for a protest action which they called " voluntary field liberation. "

Their

plan was to symbolically destroy some genetically modified (GM) corn in

a

field outside of the village Hohenstein.

 

One organizer, Michael Grolm, said the protesters did not come to

destroy

the crops in the field, but the provocative nature of the name,

directed

towards a farmer who is growing GM corn on his land, forced police to

counter with a strong presence. According to Grolm, the large number of

police officers needed to protect the relatively small parcel of land

meant

the protest was a success.

 

In his words, farmers and companies who want to propagate the

advantages of

GM grains, will have a " difficult time " if so many police officers are

needed to protect farmland where GM crops are supposed to be grown.

 

Protesters see two-fold danger

 

Ecology proponents and anti-globalization protesters showed up from

Germany,

Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France to demonstrate against what they

believe to be a two-fold danger brought on by an increased usage of GM

crops.

 

Some were enraged by the fact that the cornfield directly neighbors a

natural park, calling it a provocation.

 

" It isn't clear what genetically modified grains do, " said Martin

Webber,

who spearheaded the campaign in Hohenstein.

 

Webber said that he has heard of studies that some species crucial to

ecosystems, such as butterflies, have been dying at much higher rates

than

usual when farmers grow GM crops in their fields.

 

While some demonstrators were concerned about the possible health

hazards

and/or effects to human genetic material, others saw the spread of GM

corn

in another light, namely the light of bright money.

 

" Many people concentrate on the food aspect, " said Christoph Asseuer.

" I'd

rather concentrate on the fact of a monopoly that a certain corporation

holds on the seeds (...) The variety of seeds is in great danger of

being

throttled by the attempt to monopolize certain seeds and take certain

seeds

out of the market. "

 

Monsanto bears responsibility

 

Asseuer didn't specifically name which company he was talking about,

but the

one bearing the brunt of attacks from most GM opponents is Monsanto.

 

Martin Webber also saw sinister motives behind Monsanto's GM marketing.

 

" They will set up a monopoly situation here, " he said. " It's like in

India

or South America. People from there say sooner or later that you lose

your

farm because you can't compete anymore. I don't want that so I'm going

to

throw them out. "

 

Author Hardy Graupner (jdk)

 

http://www.dw-world.de C Deutsche Welle

 

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

 

GMOs a huge subject of debate

 

By Andy Gross - The Garden Island

 

Going to seed: Genetically-modified corn is being grown by farmers from

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., on land leased from leaders at

Grove

Farm along Kaumuali'i Highway across from Kukui Grove Center. The corn

will

be harvested for its seed, Pioneer officials said.

 

Like it or not, the world of biotech, or genetically-modified organisms

(GMOs), is upon us in a big way on Kaua'i.

 

The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association (HCIA) is an industry

association

representing members who produce seed crops valued at $60 million for

2004-2005, utilizing about 3,500 acres of the 8,000 available statewide

to

them.

 

A vast majority of these seed crops are corn, including Pioneer's

station in

Waimea.

 

Proponents of biotech say it is safe, tested, and a viable solution to

create more food globally on less land. The most commonly grown biotech

crops are corn, soybeans, cotton and canola.

 

Opponents argue it is a Pandora's box of potential future problems, and

a

huge economic question mark concerning who it actually benefits.

 

A United Nations study determined that workers in the world's

agriculture

industry produce 1.5 times as much food as they need to feed the

world's

entire population, and that starvation is a matter of entitlement or

faulty

distribution, said Will Fulton, of GMO- Free Kauai.

 

Fulton asked, " Why are we giving these corporations huge tax breaks to

conduct open-field experiments on our islands?

 

" The state Department of Agriculture keeps telling us that this

industry

could be worth billions to the Hawaiian economy. They've been repeating

that

same sentence for over a decade. When are they going to show us some

actual

numbers? " Fulton wondered.

 

" It's the continuation of what's been going on for 10,000 years, " said

Dr.

Harvey Glick, director of scientific affairs at Monsanto, a biotech

giant,

in defending biotech as just another evolutionary step.

 

The HCIA leaders contend that, among other things, biotech crops do not

threaten beneficial insects or animals, and that biotech is not

detrimental

to organic farming. The HCIA officials also claim that biotechnology

does

not pose a threat to native Hawaiian taro and that biotech plants in

Hawai'i

cannot crosspollinate with indigenous species, so that they don't

threaten

the purity of native varieties.

 

And while HCIA representatives are touting GMOs as a safe,

internationally-accepted, efficient way to create stronger,

more-pest-resistant crops on less land, not even their supporters can

be

sure of what might happen in the future.

 

Glick said he could not say that genetically-modified, seed-related

food

that has been deemed safe today by leaders of regulatory agencies such

as

the federal Food and Drug Administration, the National Academy of

Science,

and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, would necessarily be safe 20

years

from now.

 

Or that, because of evolution, no one can say for sure there won't be

modified insects and predators keeping pace with seed and crop changes.

 

" You can't know that, " Glick admitted. " But the issue of food security

is a

huge one now anyway, " he said.

 

The Benefits

 

Dr. Cindy Goldstein, manager of business and community outreach as well

an

as expert in crop genetics and development for Pioneer Hi-Bred

International, Inc., a subsidiary of Dupont, outlined biotech's

strengths.

 

These include far greater crop yield on less land, less plowing, which

is

good for the environment, less use of pesticides, and locally, a

rebound in

the Hawai'i papaya industry due to virus resistance.

 

In 2003, Pioneer Hi-Bred International leaders came under investigation

for

their management of field trials of genetically-engineered corn in

Hawai'i,

including some Kaua'i fields, according to an April 24, 2003 article in

The

Des Moines Register.

 

Officials in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fined leaders of

the

Des Moines-based company $9,900 in 2002 for planting a test plot of

biotech

corn too close to a seed crop, and ordered the company leaders to test

the

seed corn for genetic contamination from the experimental plants. The

EPA

officials said that the testing turned up contamination from a second

plot.

 

The EPA officials also announced at the time that Pioneer leaders had

been

fined $72,000 for failing to report test results within the required 24

hours.

 

EPA enforcement officer Amy Miller said there was no risk that the food

supply was contaminated, because the plants that tested positive for

the

biotech gene were destroyed before pollination.

 

However, Greg Jaffe of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a

private advocacy group, said the case raises questions about federal

oversight of genetically-engineered crops.

 

Some big questions

 

" Why would growing pesticidal corn or herbicide-tolerant soybeans be

important to the economy of remote oceanic islands? " Fulton asked.

 

Glick said this is the ninth year GMOs have been in use. He said an

enormous

amount of study and regulation preceded the actual introduction.

 

" They say GMOs are regulated and safe, at least for now, but they don't

know

about the long term, " said Fulton.

 

" Regulation of genetically-engineered organisms is a myth. Supposedly,

they

are regulated by the USDA, the EPA and the FDA, " Fulton said.

 

" But, in fact, genetically-engineered organisms were early on declared

'substantially equivalent' to the organisms they resemble, and

therefore

required no special regulation. The federal regulatory agencies do not

do

any independent testing of GMOs. They just take the word of the

manufacturing corporations, " he said.

 

As to whether GMOs should be labeled as such, Fulton said, " Independent

testing of the health effects of GMOs on the population cannot be

conducted

if there is no way to collect data as to who is consuming GMOs or to

what

extent, which is the case since they're not labeled.

 

" You would think that if the GMO manufacturing corporations really

believed

that their products were so great that they would be leading the charge

to

have those products labeled. If they're so proud of it, why are they

hiding

it? " Fulton wondered.

 

" They say there is no danger in GMOs pollinating (or) affecting other

crops

because of genetic specificity. The science has not been done to prove

this, " he said, though biotech officials argue this is not the case.

 

Those opposed to GMOs argue that pollen is carried by wind, birds,

bees,

farm equipment, and humans over a range of distances. Spread of

herbicide-resistant genes into weedy relatives has created

" superweeds. "

 

Fulton said, perhaps most dangerously, " what is happening in the

critical

world of soil microbiology as experimental biotech crop root exudates

invade

that world? We say, 'Do the science first.' "

 

While the HCIA leaders talk about increasing food for the world, Glick

noted

that much of what is produced is largely in developed countries, and is

processed into oil or used more as feed for animals than food for

humans.

 

He pointed out that a small farmer using GMOs to grow corn could

benefit

directly either from a larger crop for sustenance or for sale, but the

most

widely modified products are soybeans, corn and cotton.

 

According to various Web sites, GMOs result when specific genes from

any

organism (plant, animal, virus, bacteria) are put into the genetic

sequence

of another organism using recombinant DNA techniques.

 

Other terms used for this technology, or its products, are genetic

engineering (GE), biotech, transgenic, and genetic modification (GM).

 

Wide support for biotech

 

According to several biotech web sites it's not just seed manufacturers

who

support crop biotechnology. Some 31 regulatory agencies in 17 countries

plus

prominent international scientific authorities in the U.S. and

throughout

the world have stated that biotech crops are as safe as conventional

crops.

 

According to HCIA officials, in 2004, biotech crops were grown on more

than

200 million acres in 17 countries, most of them in North and South

America,

Spain and parts of South Africa, China and Australia.

 

Among those authorities include the National Academy of Sciences, World

Health Organization, European Commission, French Academy of Science,

American Medical Association, United Nations Codex, and 3,400

scientists

from around the world including many Nobel Prize winners.

 

Their conclusions reflect the results of thousands of biotech studies

that

have been conducted to date according to those sites.

 

How is it done

 

According to information from several GMO Web sites, both pro and con,

gene

manipulation is done in a laboratory.

 

A section of DNA, (the basic unit that determines an inherited trait),

is

isolated and forced into the DNA of another organism with the

assistance of

a viral vector, usually by coating tiny pellets of gold with DNA and

literally firing these pellets at cells with a " gene gun. "

 

Sexual reproduction is bypassed entirely, along with natural species

barriers. Using recombinant DNA techniques, genes from jellyfish have

been

moved into pigs, and human genes into plants.

 

A cell that takes up the new genetic sequence is then cloned. An entire

crop

is created from just one cell.

 

According to sources with GMO-Free Maui, approximately 79 percent of

GMO

crops on the market have been modified to be resistant to herbicides,

mostly

Roundup, which is manufactured by Monsanto Corporation.

 

These crops, known as " Roundup-Ready, " enable farmers to spray entire

fields

with herbicide without damage to their crop. Roundup-ready crops are

responsible for huge increases in herbicide sales and applications.

 

Approximately 21 percent of GMO crops on the market have been

engineered

with an insecticide in every cell of the plant, including the harvested

seeds used for food. Herbicide-resistant and insecticidal crops

comprise

nearly 100 percent of GMO crops on the market.

 

The GMO papaya is one of the few exceptions, and is resistant to the

papaya

ring-spot virus. However, GMO papaya trees are more susceptible to

fungus

diseases, and are routinely sprayed with toxic fungicides.

 

State support and forums

 

According to biotech leaders, the Hawai'i state Legislature, for

example,

has sanctioned biotech forums that the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation

(HFBF)

will conduct among farmers. These forums are designed to discuss

production

practices, common concerns, and interests as they relate to coexistence

with

conventional, organic, and biotech farming. Members of the state

Legislature

have asked officials in the state Department of Agriculture to submit a

report on the HFBF forums 20 days prior to the start of their 2006

session.

 

At the same time, biotech forums are also being held by leaders in the

University of Hawai'i's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human

Resources

(UH-CTAHR) and the Hawaii Institute of Public Affairs.

 

Questions and answers, from GMO-Free Maui's Web site:

 

Internationally, there is consumer backlash against GMOs. While United

States leaders are promoting biotech foods, officials of many other

nations

throughout the world have been enacting laws and policies that restrict

or

prohibit the growth and sale of GE crops. Many foreign countries

require

labeling of genetically-engineered foods and ingredients.

 

What is being gene-spliced into foods? Genes from bacteria (including

those

for antibiotic and herbicide resistance), viruses, insects, nuts, fish,

and

animals are presently spliced into common food crops. " Synthetic " genes

are

also used. More than 75 percent of processed foods in the U.S. contain

genetically engineered ingredients due to widespread use of GMO canola,

soy,

corn, and cotton seed oil by U.S. food processors. Most Hawaiian

papayas are

transgenic, containing virus, antibiotic-resistant, and e coli bacteria

genes.

 

How is health affected by genetically-engineered food? There are no

requirements for long-term or independent testing of GMOs. A number of

studies over the past decade indicate that genetically-engineered foods

can

pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife.

Human-health effects can include higher risks of toxicity,

allergenicity,

antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression, and cancer.

 

How can I choose to avoid eating genetically-engineered foods? No laws

exist

in the United States to allow labeling of GMO foods. Organic

agriculture

rules do not allow the cultivation of genetically-modified crops.

Purchasing

or growing organic food is an excellent way to avoid consuming biotech

foods.

 

The use of genetic engineering in agriculture could lead to

uncontrolled

biological pollution, threatening numerous microbial, plant and animal

species with extinction, and the potential contamination of

non-genetically

engineered life forms with novel and possibly hazardous genetic

material.

 

Leaders in Denmark imposed a ban on glyphosate, the active ingredient

in

Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, in 2003. It was discovered that the

herbicide

had been moving down through the soil and polluting the ground water at

a

rate five times higher than the level allowed. The European Union

leaders

also have a GMO-labeling requirement, though HCIA officials pointed out

Spain is amongst the most enthusiastic supporters of biotech.

 

The HCIA is comprised of five member companies that produce commercial

quantities of biotech seed: Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.,

Monsanto,

DOW AgroSciences, and Syngenta, as well as the Hawaii Agriculture

Research

Center and 96 individuals.

 

 

 

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