1.Third Japanese Shipment Tests Positive for Bt10
2.Over 80% of Poland declares itself a GM free zone
SEE THE CALL TO SUPPORT A 10 YEAR MORATORIUM IN ITEM 2. PLEASE TAKE ACTION!
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1.Third Japanese Shipment Tests Positive for Bt10
High Plains Journal, 27 June 2005 [shortened]
http://www.hpj.com/dtnnewstable.cfm?type=story&sid=14598
OMAHA (DTN) -- A third shipment of corn intended for feed use in Japan has tested positive for Bt10, a biotech event that is unapproved in that country. The Ministry of Agriculture - Forestry & Fisheries (MAFF) announced this week that a third shipment of U.S. corn tested positive for Bt10.
In early June, Both MAFF and Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare (MHLW) announced all vessels containing U.S. corn will be tested for the presence of Bt10. Both agencies had started random testing for Bt10 in early May.
Of the U.S. corn imported by Japan for food use, 90 percent is identity preserved and considered non-genetically modified.
The Government of Japan has not, to date, accepted U.S. government regulatory agency arguments as sufficient to allow Bt10 to be legally imported under Japanese law.
The U.S. exported more than 15 million metric tons of corn to Japan in 2004.
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2."Call for 10 Year GMO Moratorium"
ICPPC will be officially launching a ten year moratorium against all GMO's in Europe on June 30th at the conference "GMO, CAP, Biodiversity - European Solidarity" at the European Parliament in front of around 40 MEPs.
If you support this action, please send us a letter (fax: 0048 33 8797114, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) stating: "I/we support a ten year moratorium against all GMO's in the European Union" including your name/organisation, position, signature and address.
Why MORATORIUM? - Supporting facts:
On June 20th, the Regional Assembly of Zachodnio-Pomorskie (Poland) unanimously voted to declare their region a GMO Free Zone. This is the 12th region (out of 16) in Poland to pass such a declaration. Now over 80% of Poland has declared itself a GMO free zone. It complements over 160 existing regional GMO Free Zones and 4,000 smaller areas across Europe.
This situation, plus the fact that over 80% of European consumers are against GMO's, sends a powerful signal that GMO's ARE NOT WANTED.
In addition to this, recent scandals surrounding the attempt to cover-up reports revealing serious health implications of Monsanto's GM Maize product MON863,, and the "loss" of 1,000 tons of Syngenta's genetically modified Bt.10 maize in Europe, have exposed huge flaws in the control and authorisation systems of GMO's in EU.
Furthermore, the proposal that organic and conventional crops can somehow "coexist" with GM crops in European agriculture, is completely impossible to achieve in reality and would lead to widespread and unstoppable cross contamination.
Best wishes,
Jadwiga Lopata and Julian Rose,
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ICPPC - International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside, Miedzynarodowa Koalicja dla Ochrony Polskiej Wsi
34-146 Stryszów 156, Poland tel./fax +48 33 8797114 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
www.icppc.pl, www.gmo.icppc.pl,www.eko-cel.pl