NB how to protest at end of the GM-Free Brazil bulletin below

for more on the pro-GM lobby's assault on schools:
Fury at pro-GM school magazines
http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/news/progematerial.cfm
Letter to the Scottish Minister of Education
http://www.members.tripod.com/~ngin/11101b.htm
John Innes Centre in our schools
http://www.members.tripod.com/~ngin/biospin.htm
The pro-GM play for performance in schools
http://www.members.tripod.com/~ngin/articlebartlett.htm
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Monsanto and public schools
GM-FREE BRAZIL
Periodical news & analysis of the Campaign For a GM-Free Brazil
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, April 20, 2005
Bulletin #15

The company is now engaged on children education and, supported by the Ministry of Culture, developed a "social" project to take its doctrine into public schools

After its successful lobbying campaign to liberate the transgenics in Brazil, that ended up with the approval of the Biosafety Bill at the Deputies Chamber, followed by the president's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signature of the law, now the giant company Monsanto is engaged on an attempt to rule the subjects of agriculture and environment at public schools in Brazil.

Two weeks ago, the company proudly announced its new partnership with a publishing house that foresees the distribution of didactic material concerning these two disciplines to a number of public schools in the country. The project was presented as a programme of "social responsibility", but obviously, it means much beyond that, and it surely aims to gain future consumers of GMOs (genetic modified organisms).

The aggravating circumstance is that the project has the support of the Ministry of Culture through the federal law of culture incentive.

According to Monsanto, high school students from 5.049 public schools from the states of Mato Grosso, Bahia, Goias, Rio Grande do Sul and Distrito Federal will be enrolled on the project. Moreover, 560 junior and high school teachers, educators and instructors are receiving "information, support textbooks and additional training courses regarding two of the most important matters of our present reality: agriculture and environment".

At some point the leaflet "Horizonte Geografico", Monsanto's partner on the project, instructs the teachers to promote a debate among the students around the subject "O grao que conquistou o Brasil" ("The grain that captivated Brazil", in English), a reference to the Soya seed. Is that what it is important on children's education?

Monsanto was not satisfied in sponsoring the smuggling of its transgenic seeds from Argentina to Brazil, neither with its lobbying campaign to vote the Biosafety Bill on its terms, not even with its campaign of deceiving advertising, and now will use public schools to reach thousands of kids and promote its doctrine.

We hereby denounce this absurd and request you all to write a letter to the Ministry of Culture, asking for this project to be reviewed. The letters should be sent to the following electronic addresses:

Gilberto Gil Minister of Culture
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Adolpho Netto Cabinet Executive
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Luiz Artur Toríbio Communications Assessor
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