Making the world hungry for GM crops
News release \ New from GRAIN
25 April 2005
http://www.grain.org/go/usaid

The United States government is forcing genetically modified (GM) crops onto countries around the world. A new report [1] by GRAIN shows how the US agency for international development (USAID) is a central part of its multi-pronged strategy.

USING CARROTS...

The report demonstrates how the US government uses financial incentives and agricultural support to steer governments into opening their countries to GM crops. And USAID in particular has been using a number of different strategies to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. Within target countries, GM projects are quickly set up with the support of a barrage of workshops.

"USAID is not the neutral international aid agency looking to help countries assess the implications of GM crops. Instead, they're out to spread GM crops for the benefit of US corporations - pure and simple," said GRAIN.

.. AND STICKS

And when the incentives don't work, the US government uses sticks to ensure that countries toe the US line. USAID "assistance" is always backed up by aggressive bilateral and multilateral dealings.

For example, the US suddenly pulled out of bilateral negotiations with Egypt on a free trade deal when the country crossed the US in its GM policy. "I can relate all of these problems to Egypt's decision to withdraw its support for the US challenge on the ban of imports of genetically modified foods to the EU," said Mostafa Zaki, of the Egyptian Federation of Chambers of Commerce

UNPLEASANT RELATIONSHIPS

The relationship between USAID, US corporations and pro-GM institutions is very close, often seamless. The report investigates some of these relationships and discovers a tangled web of a powerful network with the sole aim of pushing GM crops on the four corners of the world.

"Ultimately this is all about smoothing the way for US GM corporations to import their own GM crops" said GRAIN.

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NOTES:

[1] GRAIN, 2005, USAID: Making the world hungry for GM crops, GRAIN Briefing, 30pp http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=191.

This briefing examines how the US government uses USAID to actively promote GM agriculture. The focus is on USAID's major programmes for agricultural biotechnology (such as ABSP and PBS) and the regions where these programmes are most active in parts of Africa and Asia. These USAID programmes are part of a multi-pronged strategy to advance US interests with GM crops. Increasingly the US government uses multilateral and bilateral free trade agreements and high-level diplomatic pressure to push countries towards
the adoption of many key bits of corporate-friendly regulations related to GM crops. And this external pressure has been effectively complimented by lobbybing and funding from national and regional USAID biotech networks.

View and download from: http://www.grain.org/go/usaid

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GOING FURTHER:

GM Watch, website focusing on the use of hype, propaganda and spin to promote GM, and on exposing the role played by corporate-friendly scientists, industry front groups, PR companies, lobbyists, and political groups: http://www.gmwatch.org/

Caroline Brenner, "Telling Transgenic Technology Tales: Lessons from the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) Experience," ISAAA Briefs No. 31. ISAAA: Ithaca, NY. 2004: http://www.isaaa.org/kc

Mariam Mayet, "Africa: the new frontier for the GE Industry," Third World Resurgence, Issue NO. 159-160, Feb 2004: http://www.biosafetyafrica.net/briefing_papers.htm

Herbert Docena, "Silent Battalions of 'Democracy'," Middle East Report 232, Fall 2004: http://www.merip.org/mer/mer232/mer232.html

Greenpeace, "USAID and GM Food Aid," October 2002, http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/MultimediaFiles/Live/FullReport/5243.pdf

Noah Zerbe, "Feeding the Famine? American Food Aid and the GMO Debate in Southern Africa," The GE Information Bulletin, No. 31, March 2005: http://www.geinfo.org.nz/032005/03.html

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