QOD from item 4:
Today's market [is] "totally manipulated" by the major economic and political powers, "is blind to the poor, who have needs but do not represent demand, blind to the future generations who are not present, and blind to creation, to life" - Jos' Lutzenberger, former environment minister of Brazil
For more on the action against Monsanto in Brazil see the Reuters report ngin put out on Friday, "Brazilian farmers storm Monsanto, uproot plants'
1. Latest news from DAVOS + Vandana Shiva Beaten By Police
2. GM criticism growing worldwide
3. Brazil hosts 'alternative Davos'
4. Blind market confuses science with progress - *recommended
5. Greenpeace blocks GM soy at Danish port
6. Jim T. hits NZ
7. S Korea to tighten checks on genetically modified food imports
8. Japan, U.S. fail to resolve StarLink test gap
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1. Latest news from DAVOS
via The Independent Media Center at: http://www.davos.indymedia.org/index.php3?lang=en
Reports include:
Vandana Shiva Beaten By Police in Davos 2:30 27. January 2001 The Public Eye on Davos conference participants, including Vandana Shiva - environmental and human rights activist from India - came out to join the street protest and were attacked by police. Vandana Shiva, who attempted to climb over a police barrier, was grabbed and beaten with a baton. Vandana subsequently held a press briefing.
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2. GM criticism growing worldwide
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/environment/2001/01/item20010127134854_1.htm
ABC News [Australia]
There are signs that opposition to genetically-modified (GM) foods is growing in different parts of the world.
Three large British food retailers have announced moves to ensure that food supplies come from animals fed GM-free diets.
The BBC's Barnaby Mason reports that retailer Tesco says it is not against GM products but was responding to consumer demand.
A similar stand has been announced by Marks and Spencer and the US owned Asda chain.
In southern Brazil 1,000 poor farmers took direct action against genetically modified crops, joined by activists attending the world social forum held to protest against the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
They invaded a Monsanto research centre and pulled up GM maize and soy beans.
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3. Brazil hosts 'alternative Davos' WORLD SOCIAL FORUM
By GEOFF DYER DATELINE: PORTO ALEGRE EXCERPTS from Financial Times (London) January 27, 2001, London
Opting for the steaming heat of a Brazilian summer over the Alpine skiing at Davos, speakers at the first World Social Forumyesterday delivered a blistering attack on globalisation and the overbearing influence of financial markets.
Attended by 3,000 delegates from 120 countries, the conference is an attempt to put some intellectual muscle behind the raucous anti- globalisation protests of the past 18 months in Seattle, Washington and Prague. "This is part of an effort to act against the hegemony of neo-liberalism on every aspect of our lives," said Bernard Cassens, director-general of Le Monde Diplomatique, the French newspaper, and one of the principal organisers of the "anti-Davos" conference in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. "We will be putting forward ideas rather than criticising.
Through the very modern medium of a tele-conference call, which will be broadcast on the internet, organisers said the debate would include George Soros, the investor and philanthropist, and Michael Moore, head of the World Trade Organisation, on the Davos side, and Mr Cassens and Joao Pedro Stedile, leader of the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST), on the Porto Alegre team. Over the five days of the conference the dominant themes are expected to be the taxation of capital flows, cancellation of poor-country debt, the role of trade in development, production by small farmers, and genetically modified food. The latter issue was emphasised yesterday when the MST invaded a research centre owned by Monsanto, the US life sciences group, in Nao-Me-Toque, which translates as "Don't Touch Me", near Porto Alegre.
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4. Blind market confuses science with progress
WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: ECONOMY AND TECHNOLOGY, THE ... PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil, Jan 26, 2001 (Inter Press Service via COMTEX)
Excerpts:
..."Economicism" is an ideology that denies empirical evidence by maintaining that only economic growth can produce well-being, reduce poverty and preserve nature, stated Quiroga. He emphasized the need to change the paradigms of economic development, proposing instead a social-ecological economy that takes into account the finite nature of the earth's ecosystems, which are the basis of production. Meanwhile, Lutzenberger [former environment minister of Brazil] insisted that the market could serve as a mechanism for balancing competitive forces, but in its current form, it is not serving that function. Today's market, "totally manipulated" by the major economic and political powers, "is blind to the poor, who have needs but do not represent demand, blind to the future generations who are not present, and blind to creation, to life," he stated.
Confusing science with progress is another ploy of the current dominant ideology, and is stimulated by capitalism, said Jacques Testart, a French biologist who heads his country's National Institute for Health and Medical Research, and serves as president of the Sustainable Development Commission. The threat is the "techno-science that seeks to spread its influence over the whole world, while science itself seeks only knowledge," he explained.
Social control over techno-science is essential, especially because it is proffered as "a common good," as with genetic therapies, for example, but can cause death, as in the case of "mad cow disease," and causes uncertainty without holding anyone responsible for its negative effects because "it is perpetually in the experimental stage."
...Genetically modified organisms, or transgenics, are another example of technology serving "neoliberalism" under the false pretext of producing enough food everyone, commented Elvino Bohn Gass, a state representative for Rio Grande do Sul. The world is already capable of producing enough to feed all humanity, he maintained. The obstacle is unequal distribution and the lack of access to food because of limited income. Bohn Gass pointed to the struggle of Rio Grande do Sul to remain a "transgenic-free territory," despite pressures from the national government and from the transnational seed and agro- chemical companies, such as the U.S.-based Monsanto.
With transgenics, the companies are attempting to spread soya farming throughout Brazil, as part of the "green revolution" developed in past decades with the same promises of food for the world, stated Bohn Grass in his panel presentation at the World Social Forum (www.forumsocialmundial.org.br). The result was an increase in hunger, thousands of peasant farmers expelled from their land, and greater social inequality, he said. Copyright (c) 2001 IPS-Inter Press Service. All Rights Reserved.
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5. Greenpeace blocks genetically modified soybeans at Danish port
Agence France Presse January 27, 2001, Saturday
LONDON, Jan 27 BODY: Activists from the environmental group Greenpeace prevented an Argentine cargo ship carrying 20,000 tonnes of genetically engineered (GE) soybeans from docking in the Danish port of Aarhus, the group said in a statement Saturday. "Enormous quantities of GE animal feed imported from Argentina and the United States continue to sneak into the food chain despite the fact that consumers want to avoid GE foods," said Greenpeace activist Dan Hindsgaul. Hindsgaul appealed to EU agriculture ministers, who are due to meet in Brussels on Monday, to adopt measures to curb, and eventually ban, genetically engineered foods from being used in animal feed. "The present void in EU regulations on GE animal feed is completely unacceptable and harms consumers, farmers and the environment," said Hindsgaul, one of the activists who boarded the Argentine ship preventing it from anchoring.
"Across Europe we are now witnessing an increasing number of food producers and retailers rejecting GE animal feed", added Hindsgaul. Denmark is the largest importer of Argentine soya, of which around 90 percent is genetically altered, Greenpeace said. The group hailed the recentdecision by British supermarket chains Sainsbury's, Tesco and Asda to stop selling both dairy and meat products from animals fed with GE foods under their own brand-names.
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6. Jim T. hits NZ
The Nelson Mail (Nelson) January 25, 2001 SE
GE-free message pushed
Greenpeace will be taking a ''GE-free New Zealand'' campaign to the street of Nelson this weekend while the environmental lobby group's flagship is in dry dock at the port. The Rainbow Warrior, which was in Nelson late last year for upgrading, returned today for maintenance work. It would be in dry dock until next Wednesday, skipper Bart Terwiel. Meanwhile, the crew would take to the streets of Nelson tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday to promote their anti-genetic engineering message.
Campaigner Jim Thomas said a stall would be set up promoting Greenpeace's True Food Guide -- a small handbook listing major food products and whether they contained genetically engineered ingredients. A focus of the campaign was chicken producer Tegel, which Mr Thomas said was the largest user of GE soya in the country.
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7. S Korea to tighten checks on genetically modified food imports
excerpt
AP Worldstream January 26, 2001; Friday
SEOUL, South Korea BODY: South Korea plans to tighten customs inspections to prevent the import of genetically modified grain for human consumption and other food, government officials said Friday. The move came after government food inspectors on Jan. 15 found that genetically modified corn known as StarLink was included in a 55,000-ton shipment from the United States meant for human consumption. StarLink corn has never been approved for humans because of concern that it may cause allergic reactions.
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8. Japan, U.S. fail to resolve StarLink test gap
TOKYO, Jan 26
(Reuters) - Japan said on Friday it had failed to resolve differences with the United States over testing for unapproved StarLink biotech corn, the discovery of which last year prompted Japan to sharply cut its U.S. corn imports. Japan's Health Ministry said it and the United States had failed to discover why tests for StarLink by the two countries had shown up different results. The announcement came after meetings on Thursday and Friday between officials from the ministry and visiting experts from the U.S. Agriculture Department. The ministry said the two sides would hold further talks on the issue. Tests by the United States on corn samples came up negative, while similar tests conducted by Japan found StarLink traces. The tests are part of confidence-building measures between the nations following the discovery in late October of traces of StarLink corn in food and feed products made from U.S.-imported corn. Since then, Japan, the biggest buyer of U.S. corn, has sharply cut back its purchases.