(1) US Grain Transportation System Not Equipped for Biotech http://www.globe.com/search/#keyword  18 April, BOSTON GLOBE By Naomi Aoki, Jeffrey Krasner and Anthony Shadid. The U.S. system for handling and transporting grain -- an infrastructure that has evolved over a century -- probably can not handle separating biotech crops from non-biotech crops, said James A. Bair, vice president of the North American Millers Association.  While well equipped to move huge quantities of grain, "it's not a good system for differentiating intrinsic traits," Bair said yesterday at a meeting of food processors and food industry representatives in Washington.  The discovery last year of StarLink, an unapproved variety of genetically engineered corn, highlighted the difficulties in separating crops with different traits. StarLink, which was not approved for human consumption, showed up in taco shells and other food products, requiring costly recalls.  Bair predicted that the difficulty in separating biotech and non-biotech crops would mean that food free of genetically engineered ingredients would become more expensive and harder to find in the next five to 10 years.  

        (2)  Biotech Alert out For Corn (Thursday, April 19, 2001) http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/041901/agr_041901001.shtml The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (Texas). Planting precautions urged for farmers.  By WAYNE BOARD, A-J Farm Editor. Corn farmers across the South Plains, who are getting seed in the ground for the 2001 season, are being urged to check for the presence of a biotech germplasm that caused major problems for growers and food processors last year. It's the possibility of contamination this year from StarLink corn, as well as volunteer from the 2000 crop, that's prompting the alert from the Lubbock-based Texas Corn Producers Board and the Texas Agri cultural Extension Service.  Corn hybrids containing Star Link's Cry9c protein originally were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in animal feed, but not for use in human food because of concerns about the possibility that the protein might cause an allergic reaction. The FDA is evaluating claims that StarLink corn has caused an allergic reaction in a small number of people who have eaten corn products, such as taco shells....   Aventis CropSciences' Cry9c protein was contained in several corn hybrids sold during the 2000 season. Enough seed to plant 2,000 acres of hybrids containing the germplasm was sold in Texas last year. Azteca Milling in Plainview stopped shipments of....   

        (3)  High-Tech Research Spells Trouble for Soybean Nematodes Agricultural Research Service News, USDAApril 18, 2001. Jan Suszkiw, (301) 504-1630, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Equipped with computer imaging, DNA slides and a robotic arm, Agricultural Research Service scientists are closing in on soybean genes that could improve the legume's resistance to soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). ARS plant physiologist Benjamin Matthews credits the "microarray" technology with granting his lab a first-ever look at thousands of soybean genes working in concert to mobilize the plant's defenses against SCN attacks. One interest, for example, is tying gene activity to a biochemical process--the phenylopropanoid pathway--that produces lignin, a substance that some resistant soybeans may use to cordon off SCN feeding sites, called syncytia. Currently, few commercially grown soybean cultivars resist all 14 known SCN races, which cause $1 billion in annual losses. Eventually, plant breeders may be able to use genes identified from microarray studies to develop new cultivars that have broader resistance to these races, according to Matthews, at ARS's Soybean Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. There, his team is using the microarray to screen 1200 genes from six different soybeans for activity against SCN. In the lab, a robotic arm prints soybean DNA as tiny spots on a glass slide. Each spot is a DNA fragment harboring one gene. Next, the slides are bathed with fluorescent probes made of complementary material called messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA comes from the roots of....  ((Note: Scientific contact is Benjamin Matthews, ARS Soybean and Alfalfa Research Lab, Beltsville, Md., phone (301) 504-5730, fax (301) 504-5728, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. ))

        (4)   THERE'S A FLY GENE IN MY SOUP.  Monsanto in Court. http://208.141.36.73/listarchive/index.cfm?list_id=30 (4/18 Post) April 2001, Wired News, Manu Joseph. MUMBAI, India -- Concerns over genetically modified food aren't new, but in India they've taken a different twist. Over half the population, or about 500 million people, are purely vegetarian. Therefore the transfer of animal genes into plants has raised an issue that could seriously ruin the chances of this country embracing biotechnology in the near future. The importation of genetically modified seeds for public consumption has not been approved by the government, although indications are that it's only a matter of time. India's Department of Biotechnology has been created to test and approve GM seeds, and with an annual budget of US$40 million, the government isn't hiding its eagerness to usher in biotechnology. But opposition is mounting on a number of fronts. There are the greens, who oppose GM foods in general. Then there are those who are concerned about the religious implications. Green activists like Vandana Shiva -- director of the Research Foundation for Science Technology and Ecology -- are staunchly resisting it. Shiva is an important figure on the ecological scene, both inside and outside of India. She recently took Monsanto to court, alleging the multinational corporation had sowed transgenic seeds before obtaining DBT's approval. "I don't believe the government's stand that food crops that have been genetically modified are imported purely for research purposes," Shiva said. "GM seeds have already infiltrated the Indian food chain. How can the hapless consumer know the difference? MNCs (multinational corporations) like Monsanto are facing a crisis today because western nations and even East Asian countries are not touching GM seeds. So they want to dump them on India."  Clearly, the vegetarian issue has taken root. Hindus (82 percent of the population) are supposed to be vegetarian because their religion demands, and Jains (0.4 percent of the population) don't eat garlic and other roots. Though not all Hindus and Jains adhere strictly to their religious codes, most do. A bill that would call for mandatory labeling of all food products -- not just GM foods -- as to whether they use non-vegetarian ingredients is making its way through the parliament. "India is a complex...  

        (5)  FURY AT PRO-GM SCHOOL MAGAZINES.  Monsanto. April 15, 2001, Sunday Herald, Rob Edwards. More than 140,000 glossy brochures sponsored by the US corporate giants of genetic modification such as Monsanto are, according to this story, being pushed into Scotland's schools by Scottish Enterprise, with the enthusiastic backing of the schools watchdog HM Inspectorate of Education. The story says that the brochures, which sing the praises of GM technology in medicine and marine science, have provoked widespread protests from teachers, consumer groups and environmentalists who are suspicious that GM companies are trying to soften up students as part of a campaign to quell mounting public fears about the dangers of genetic engineering. The story adds that the "infiltration" of industry into the curriculum worried the Educational Institute of Scotland, the trade union representing teachers. The institute's general secretary, Ronnie Smith, was cited as saying he wanted the Scottish Enterprise and HM Inspectorate of Education to exercise more critical judgement, and urged teachers to do the same, adding, "I think every product of industry that purports to be a curriculum resource should be viewed carefully by teachers before they use it. Most commercial organisations do not involve themselves in this area out of a charitable concern to help education." Your World - Biotechnology And You" is a 16-page full-colour magazine produced in the US by the Biotechnology Institute. The institute was....  

        (6)  UK: Action Aid stress: Involve Developing World Farmers in Golden Rice Debates.  Rival Conferences. 18 Apr 2001 Source:  www.just-food.com editorial team. An international conference being held today in Norwich is setting the stage for a high profile debate on the issues surrounding use of biotechnology in tackling global hunger. But pressure group, Action Aid, believes that the high profile debaters are missing the point, however, and has invited affected representatives in developing countries to participate in a rival conference in the same city.   So-called "Golden Rice" has received a mixed press to date. Biotechnology advocates argue that it will save millions of lives, alleviating hunger and preventing child blindness in developing countries through its vitamin A enriched composition.  On the other hand however, environmental action groups such as Greenpeace UK completely oppose genetic engineering. From the group, Charlie Kronick comments: "[we] oppose GM crops because the technology is unpredictable, imprecise and irretrievable." They argue that "it is based on unsound nutritional science - a genetic engineer's approach to hunger [:...] a technical "fix" to economic and social problems such as poverty is no solution."   Either way, Action Aid believes that the debaters are missing the point, and are failing to involve the very people that are expected to reap the benefits, or drawbacks, from GM rice. It is therefore attempting to establish a series of court style "citizens' juries" to discuss more sustainable methods of farming and....  

        (7)  Spain's Senate: Transgenics: The Senate Decides to Ask the Government for Strict Application of the GMO Standard. (Translation) The Commission of Agriculture of the Senate decided, unanimously, to ask the Government for strict application of the regulation and conditions anticipated in Law 15/94 in relation to the commercialization of genetically modified organisms (GMO).  All the groups accepted four amendments presented by the PNV to the motion initially defended by the mixed group (IU), relative to genetically manipulated foods and fulfillment of the administrative authorizations directed to the confined use, voluntary liberalization and commercialization of GMO. Another one of the requests the Government decided to make refers to patents of inventions concerning plants and animals, that will have to respect community directive 98/44 on the legal protection of biotechnological creations. All the spokesmen also asked for collaboration with the Independent Communities in the development of public programs public of investigation, starting off of the scientific advances and their ethical and partner-economic implications to the future analyze of agriculture and the nourishing security.  In the motion, they insisted to the Government to intensify the collaboration with the autonomies in relation to the monitoring functions, control and sanction in the matter of food modification.  

        (8)  Biotech 2001 to Offer Credit for Pennsylvania Licensed Attorneys (PR Newswire, 18 April 2001) Pennsylvania licensed attorneys will receive CLE credit for attending Biotech 2001: Opportunities in the Nation's Pharmaceutical Center, which will take place on April 23-24, 2001 at the Atlantic City Convention Center and Sheraton. Full story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010418/phw001b.html.  This year's Symposium features a workshop, entitled Law and Biotechnology, which will examine issues in the law that executives and attorneys need to understand to successfully manage transactions in the biotechnology arena. The workshop features prominent speakers Michael J. Malinowski, Professor of Law, Widener University Law School and Author of Biotechnology: Law, Business, and Regulation; and Manya Deehr, Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. The speakers will discuss recent deals and current legal issues facing the biotechnology industry.  

      (9) The People Have Their Say at a Rival Debate (The Guardian, UK) www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4171186,00.html Wednesday April 18, 2001. Britain today hosts a weighty international conference in Norwich at which leaders of industry and agriculture will examine how biotechnology can tackle global hunger. Inevitably, there will be claims that genetically modified "golden rice" will lead the way in saving large numbers of lives and prevent child blindness among those struggling to live on diets lacking vitamin A nutrients. What the conference will lack are representatives from the millions of poor people in developing countries....  

        (10)   Anti-GMO Protestors Target French Sites

Agence France Presse, April 17, 2001. Demonstrators staged protests in several parts of France on Tuesday as part of a worldwide day of action to demand a halt to the cultivation of genetically engineered crops. Protestors gathering outside the premises of the country's gene research programme, Genoplante, in Evry, northern France, while activists stormed an experimental farm in Aveyron in the south east. Local authorities in the southeastern town of Cabeuil ordered a ban on all planting of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) from 2002 and further demonstrations were expected later in the day in Marseilles and nearby towns. The protests were part of a worldwide campaign launched by Via Campesina, a global network of farming, environmental and other organisations including Greenpeace and France's Cofederation Paysanne (Peasants' confederation), whose leader Jose Bove is famous for spectacular protests against globalisation and GMOs. Bove has....  

        (11)  Monsanto's First Annual Meeting.  New Board of Directors. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010418/cgw072.html Chief Executive Officer Hendrik A. Verfaillie said the new Monsanto is devoted completely to agriculture and is creating value through a business model that combines herbicides, biotechnology traits and genomics into integrated solutions for its customers. Verfaillie also noted that the company is focusing its efforts in three areas for 2001: (1) Growing sales of Roundup herbicide through brand leadership and volume growth; (2) Gaining approvals for biotechnology traits and commercializing them globally; and (3) Realizing the full value of the company's new product pipeline. At the annual meeting, shareowners elected the nine current members of its board of directors to new, one-year terms. Those elected include....  

        (12)   Hatchery Salmon Weaken Gene Pool    Wed Apr 18 05:56:45 EDT 2001, Channel6000 Special Report.  www.Channel6000.com news.           

(13)  Biotech Seeds find Growing Popularity    Sun Apr 15 15:33:48 EDT 2001, Evansville (Indiana) Courier. http://www.courierpress.com/archives/past.html (search)  

        (14)  Strict Regulations for GMF Importers  (Sri Lanka net News) http://www.lanka.net/lakehouse/2001/04/17/new12.html (4/17/2001) Importers of Genetically Modified Foods (GMF) will be required to re-export their food consignments at their expense if they do not comply with the requirements imposed by the Health Department. These requirements will be in effective from May 01. Already, regulations imposing restrictions on the import of food commodities which are subjected to or exposed to genetic modification have been gazetted in an Extraordinary Gazette on April 06.  These restrictions will cover 21 food items announced by the Health Department. They are; Soya Beans Whole, Soya Flour, Defatted Soya Flour, Soya Nuggets/Textured Vegetable Proteins (TVP), Soya Milk, Soya sauce, other products that contain soya bean derivatives as one of their ingredients, corn/maize, corn four/maize flour, other products containing corn, tomato-fresh, tomato puree, tomato paste, tomato ketchup, tomato sauce, other tomato based products, cheese, potatoes and other products containing potatoes, bakers yeast and brewers yeast, beet sugar and microbiological starter cultures used in foods. The importers are required to furnish certificates obtained from the Government authorities of the exporting countries to ensure that the food commodities in question are not subjected to any genetic modification using DNA recombinant technology, Director General of Health services Dr. A. M. L. Beligaswatte told the Daily News yesterday.  Such certificates should also confirm that these food items do not contain any ingredient that has been derived using DNA recombinant technology.  Dr. Beligaswatte also said that Controller of Imports has been requested to direct the banks to include a clause in Letters of Credit to this effect." Those who import such food products on Direct Payment Terms should also adhere to these requirements to avoid detention and possible re-export of such food items.  

        (15)  Scotsman Online: DNA pioneer Urges Against Fear Barrier to Genetics. Tue Apr 17 03:37:43 EDT 2001. http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/uk.cfm (search)  

     (16)   Ministry Expects GMO Labels on All Food Products, Year's End http://www.bangkokpost.com/today/190401_News07.html or www.bangkokpost.com news. by Aphaluck Bhatiasevi Products could be labelled for GMO content by the end of the year. Policies for labelling genetically modified products would be drawn up within three months, Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday. The Food and Drug Administration would do the labelling, she said.  "Three months is not too long a time. What we're concerned about is the health of consumers and our exports. "There is no clear information about the safety of the products and the policies we issue will likely affect our exports," she said. While policies would be drawn  up on the basis of Codex (a joint effort between the Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation), officials would not wait for final resolutions from the grouping. Food and Drug staff had been asked to work with the Agriculture and Co-operatives Ministry in gathering details on food products likely to contain GMO. "The public should be given a chance to choose whether to eat them or not," he said.  

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