With regard to item 1, Grain SA is an association of South African grain farmers formed to have a "powerful organisation representing their interests" http://www.grainsa.co.za/content.asp?ContentId=67
With regard to item 2, the reason the Royal Society are celebrating the appointment of a chief scientific advisor in the Department for International Development (DfID) is that they have been strongly lobbying for this increased input of "science" into UK international development policy. Using a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee Inquiry (under Ian Gibson's chairmanship) into the Use of Science in UK International Development Policy as a lever, the Royal Society lobbied for the establishment of such a post to help "strengthen scientific in-house expertise" and direction.
Britain's Secretary of State for International Development has now agreed to the creation of the new post which the Royal Society say "will help put science at the heart of the Government’s international development work". Lord May of Oxford, President of the Royal Society, says science's "massive contribution" will include developing "drought resistant crops", confirming that the aim is one of further mining overseas development in the interests of publically subsidising UK reserarchers.
This means more top down development generated out of British labs. DfiD has already funded a 13 million pound plus programme to create a new generation of GM animals, crops and drugs throughout the Third World. http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=175
1.Grain SA against import permit for untested genetically modified maize
2.Royal Society celebrate DfID Chief Scientific Adviser announcement
3.Protecting Indigenous Knowledge of Biodiversity
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1.Grain SA against import permit for untested genetically modified maize
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
"Grain SA has opposed in writing the application for an import permit by Monsanto to import genetically modified maize for human and animal consumption," mr Bully Botma, chairman of Grain SA said.
He said concern centres around the fact that the imported maize could also be used for domestic production purposes, considering that the importers cannot guarantee that the prospective maize will be immediately milled and only be used for human and animal consumption, or fed as whole grain to animals. Since the indicated genetically modified maize events have not been locally evaluated in terms of the possible negative affects they may have on animal and human health, as well as the environment, Grain SA has objected to the granting of a Goods Clearance Permit for the importation thereof.
Enormous pressure is currently being placed on local producers who want to service the export market to develop an identity preservation system and use it to produce, store and transport GMO and non-GMO maize separately. The same requirements to establish the GMO status and certify the identity must therefore also apply to overseas producers who want to enter the RSA market.
"Grain SA has therefore urgently requested the Registrar not to approve Goods Clearance Permits for importing consignments of yellow maize which may originate from hybrids containing such untested BT events, which may in any case not be produced domestically," Mr Botma said.
Bothaville 6 July 2004
Enquiries: Mr Fanie Brink, Deputy General Manager, Grain SA Tel: 056-515 2145 Cell: 082 783 3213
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2.Royal Society response to DFID Chief Scientific Adviser announcement
7 July 2004
Today’s (7 July 2004) announcement by the Department for International Development (DFID) that it is to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser has been warmly welcomed by the Royal Society, the UK national academy of science.
The Secretary of State for International Development, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, announced the creation of the new post which will help put science at the heart of the Government’s international development work while giving evidence at the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.
Lord May of Oxford, President of the Royal Society, said: “Science has a massive contribution to make to international development work from developing robust vaccination programmes to drought resistant crops. It is essential that DFID fully capitalises on this new post by ensuring that the post holder has the same status as in Government departments such as DEFRA where the introduction of a Chief Scientific Adviser has had a significant impact. This individual must have the standing and power to be taken seriously both within DFID and across other departments, as well as with the scientific community at large.”
Notes for editors The objectives of the Royal Society.
For further information contact: Sue Windebank, Tel: 020 7451 2514 Bob Ward, Tel: 020 7451 2516 , Mob: 07811 320346
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3.Press Release
Contact : DR. SUMAN SAHAI
Phone:- +91 11 26517248; 98110 41332
07 July, 2004
Gene Campaign today launched its project on legal protection of Indigenous Knowledge of Biodiversity, with a symposium involving stakeholders and experts. Held at the India International Center, experts like Prof Anil Gupta, Sri Darshan Shankar, Dr. P Pushpangadan, Dr GG Gangadharan, Dr. BD Sharma, Dr Rajendra Gupta and many others working in the field of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) attended the day long meeting. Representatives of Adivasi communities, civil society organizations, international organizations, students and activists attended the meeting and contributed comments, suggestions and offers of support. Dr. Madhav Karki from IDRC and Ms Sara Camblin Breult from the Canadian High Commission were present to attend the meeting of the project which is supported by the IDRC. Dr. Suman Sahai explained that Gene Campaign would be examining the various existing legal instruments at the national and international level that deal with Indigenous Knowledge (IK) of biodiversity.
Dr. Sahai said that it is of little use to keep complaining about biopiracy, we need to be aggressive and proactive about providing legal protection to the body of knowledge that local communities have generated and continue to generate. This highly sophisticated system of knowledge must be protected in the interest of the communities so that the creators and holders of knowledge are given due recognition and control over their knowledge systems.
Gene Campaign is concerned at the hijacking of IK by the herbal drug industry in India. Companies who earn millions from medicinal plants collected from the forests and use the knowledge of communities to make their products, do not pay a single paisa for the use of that knowledge . A new policy and new law is urgently needed to protect IK in a way that community interests are protected and biodiversity is protected.
Prof. Anil Gupta emphasised that knowledge is conserved only by tribals and that they should be respected and rewarded for this effort, not kept in poverty, as is the case today. Indian society must respect its innovators by according them respect and reward. Mr. Darshan Shankar of FRLHT pointed out that knowledge is being lost because it is not being used and respected by us. He suggested that Gene Campaign’s exercise should lead to legal literacy, which can recreate an interest in this valuable knowledge. Discussions of various kinds of documentation like the Peoples’ Biodiversity Register, as well as documentation work done by other NGOs , it was suggested, should lead to a depository in the form of a legally protected database. Dr. Pushpangadan explained the problems
faced by the Kani tribe when they succeeded in commercializing a product derived from the valuable medicinal plant Arogyapacha and the IK of which was developed by the Kani. The forest department became the greatest impediment to the Kani’s efforts to benefit from their knowledge by not allowing them access to the Arogyapacaha and not even allowing them to take out the plants when they cultivated them. This must change.
NGOs and activists working in tribal areas and familiar with the problems faced in conserving bioresources pointed out that unless biodiversity is conserved, the IK associated with it cannot be conserved. Once the plant is gone, the IK goes with it. They suggested that urgent steps must be taken to involve the local communities centrally in conservation since they, not government agencies, are familiar with both, the bioresources as well as the IK associated with it and could contribute meaningfully to devise mechanisms of protection that would also allow sustainable use. It is clear that the tribal community has to be the cornerstone of finding the way ahead, for the conservation of both resources and IK.
Dr. Suman Sahai GENE CAMPAIGN (INDIA) Em: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web. http://www.genecampaign.org