The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which has been criticised over the years for its alleged support of biotechnology, has come under further attack from its own Deputy Director-General. Louise Fresco has resigned in protest and written a letter which is highly critical of Director-General Jacques Diouf and his approach.

In the letter, which was leaked to the UK paper the Observer, Fresco is apparently fed up with the FAO's failure under Diouf to address the real needs of the hungry. Insiders suggest that Mr Diouf is instead more supportive of multinational agribusiness companies.

Many NGOs would support these beliefs, particularly over the report that the FAO produced in 2004 called "Agricultural Biotechnology: meeting the needs of the poor?", which failed to include basic facts about the way that patented GM crops would harm the rural poor and allow companies like Monsanto to create monopolies. The report failed to consult with any NGO groups working directly with farmers on the issue, ignored a wealth of evidence about the problems that GM has brought to farmers around the world, and used controversial data to prove its point. Unsurprisingly, it concluded that GM had the potential to feed the hungry.

In response, over 650 civil society organisations from over 120 countries signed a letter of objection to the report, claiming that the "FAO declares war on farmers, not on hunger." They said that the report "...sadly, raises serious questions about the independence and intellectual integrity of an important United Nations agency."

Last week, the Asian Peasant Coalition, an alliance of organisations across Asia, added their voices to the criticism of FAO, pointing out that the organisation supports harmful liberal economic policies that allow exploitation and poverty, and has failed to identify and address the real causes of hunger.

Hopefully these events signal that it is time for FAO to take a good look at itself and the interests of those it claims to represent.

Best wishes,
Teresa
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1.UN Food Agency Deputy Resigns Over Leader's 'Culture of Silence'
Article from the Observer. Date: 14 May 2006 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1774642,00.html?gusrc=rss

2.FAO Accused of Persecuting Farmers in Asian Countries Article from the Jakarta Post. Date: 17 May 2006
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20060517.J01

3. "FAO Declares War on Farmers, Not on Hunger"
Press Release from Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN).
Date: 16 June 2004
http://www.grain.org/front/?id=24

4. FAO Declares War on Farmers not on Hunger Open Letter to Mr Jacques Diouf, Director General of FAO.
Date: 28 May 2004
http://www.grain.org/nfg/?id=180

5. New Studies Contradict FAO Report and Show that Genetically Engineered Bt Cotton Fails to Benefit Farmers Communication from The Deccan Development Society, Andhra Pradesh (AP) Coalition in Defence of Diversity and GRAIN.
Date: 16 June 2004
http://www.grain.org/research/btcotton.cfm?id=129