GMWatch News Review archive

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WEEKLY WATCH number 297
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from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:

According to the latest story about glyphosate-resistant superweeds in America, it isn't only Roundup Ready technology that's threatened, but large US farms. Because weed control is no longer as simple as spraying herbicide, they are no longer viable (THE AMERICAS).

Claire <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
www.gmwatch.org / www.lobbywatch.org

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CONTENTS
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GM ANIMAL FEED/LABELLING
CLONING
AFRICA
LOBBYWATCH
CORPORATE TAKEOVER
ASIA
THE AMERICAS
EUROPE

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GM ANIMAL FEED/LABELLING
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+ DNA FROM TRANSGENIC PLANTS FOUND IN MILK AND ANIMAL TISSUE
A Testbiotech survey shows that DNA fragments from GM plants are increasingly found in animal tissue (i.e. meat) and milk. In April 2010, scientists from Italy reported DNA from GM soy in milk from goats. Traces of specific DNA were also identified in kids fed with the goat's milk. These findings are not the first to report DNA fragments in the tissue of animals fed with GM plants. A few years ago, DNA from GM maize was found in samples from pigs. More recently, research found DNA traces from GM plants in the organs of fish. In fish, GM DNA was found in nearly all inner organs.

"Recent publications could lend support to those stakeholders in favour of labelling products such as meat, milk and eggs derived from animals fed with genetically engineered plants. If the methods for sampling DNA get even better, those traces will be found more often in future," says Christoph Then from Testbiotech. "So far detection is not possible in each and every case. Most frequently these traces seem to occur in fish."

In the past, several experts and also the European Food Safety Authority EFSA were of the opinion that specific GM DNA fragments could not be detected in animals. For years now it has been known that DNA from plants is not completely degraded in the gut, and can be found in organs, blood, and even offspring of mice.
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12427-dna-from-transgenic-plants-found-in-milk-and-animal-tissue

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CLONING
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+ TIME TO CLEAN UP AFTER CLONING CATTLE
On July 30 an article in the New York Times revealed that milk and perhaps meat from the descendants of clones was being sold in Britain, Switzerland and possibly elsewhere, without the knowledge of either the public or governments. The article ended with a quote suggesting that cloning is "inevitable" and stressed that European governments do not want a "trade war" with the US.

A sane commentary on the cloning scandal and issues relating to the technology has been published by Biopolitical Times. Writer Pete Shanks wrote, "Amusingly, the Daily Telegraph set up duelling editorials on the safety issue, and couldn't get a fight going. On one side, Peter Melchett of the Soil Association argued against cloning animals; on the other, Sir Ian Wilmut [cloner of Dolly the sheep] argued that even if the meat is as safe as the FDA said it was, "there is a clear reason to be concerned about the use of cloning in animal breeding" because it "raises troubling ethical concerns about animal welfare."
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12424

+ RSPCA FLAGGED UP CLONED MEAT RISKS BACK IN 2008
The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) warned UK food and agriculture ministry Defra of the danger of 'cloned meat' entering the UK food chain as early as March 2008.

The RSPCA wrote to Lord Jeff Rooker, a Defra minister, on 20 March 2008, highlighting the inadequacies of the ­current regime for clone imports. The letter pointed out that records of embryos and semen imported into the UK did not include whether they had been cloned, or whether they were from cloned animals.

"Unless this information is recorded, it is our belief that it will not be possible to trace the existence of cloned animals, or their offspring within the UK," the RSPCA said in the letter.

"It will therefore not be possible to monitor their health and welfare, or to ensure that any products derived from them do not enter the food chain without prior approval and ­applicable labelling."

In response to the letter, the charity claims it was told by Defra that the ­system in place for tracing cloned animals or their ­offspring relied upon food producers applying via the novel foods process.

"It's fairly ironic that, two and a half years later, its premise that 'if nobody's told us, nothing's happening' is not correct," said David Bowles, director of communications for the RSPCA.
http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=211728

+ CATTLE ARE BEING CLONED FROM DEAD ANIMALS
A BBC article has revealed that cattle are being cloned from dead animals. Brady Hicks of the JR Simplot company in Idaho said his organisation was among many that had tried out the technique successfully.

"The animals are hanging on a rail ready to go to the meat counter," he told BBC News. "We identify carcasses that have certain carcass characteristics that we want, but it's too late to reproduce the genetics of the animal. But through cloning we can resurrect that animal."

These "resurrected" animals are then bred with naturally born cows. The next step is to see if their offspring - whose meat can be sold to consumers in the US - have the same qualities as the grandparent from which the cells were originally taken.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10951108

+ CLONED STEAK AND GM FRIES
Watch this exceptional video (in French) of France's leading public affairs TV show "C dans l'Air" debate with Prof. Gilles-Eric Séralini, food writer Périco Légasse, and two pro-GM scientists.

Cloned steak and GM fries
C Dans l'Air, France5.fr, 16 August 2010
http://a533.v55778.c5577.e.vm.akamaistream.net/7/533/5577/42c40fe4/lacinq.download.akamai.com/5577/i
English translation/transcription of first 5 minutes:
http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12420

+ WHO'S BEHIND THE CLONING PUSH
Follow the money - and there are strong connections to human genetic engineering, writes Pete Shanks of Biopolitical Times.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12424

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AFRICA
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+ MONSANTO ABANDONS GM CANOLA IN SOUTH AFRICA
Monsanto has withdrawn its application to conduct GM canola field trails in South Africa. The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has welcomed the news. The ACB objected to Monsanto's field trial application in September 2009 on grounds of unacceptable environmental risks, including gene flow into wild populations. The South African biosafety authorities were of a similar opinion, and twice requested that Monsanto provide additional biosafety information. Monsanto's decision to withdraw its application shows it could not provide sufficient safety assurances.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12423

+ GM SORGHUM: AFRICA'S GOLDEN RICE
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has released a report that analyzes the African Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) project, a GM 'poster project' in Africa. ACB challenges the project's claims to be an "African-led solution" to poverty and malnutrition on the continent. ACB also looks at the many sorghum research initiatives underway in Africa, using both GM and marker assisted selection (MAS).
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12423

+ REPORT CALLS FOR STRICTER LABELING OF GM FOOD
The African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) has compiled a report on the need for mandatory labelling of GM food products in South Africa.
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12423

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LOBBYWATCH
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+ GATES FOUNDATION BUYS SHARES IN GOLDMAN SACHS, MONSANTO
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation took advantage of sagging stock prices in the second quarter to add Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to its portfolio. The Seattle-based charity endowment, set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife, bought a half a million shares in Goldman Sachs during the quarter ended June 30.

Among the Gates Foundation's five biggest holdings are shares in McDonald's, CocaCola, and Waste Management Inc (major toxic waste site operator and polluter). These seem odd choices for a foundation that claims improving health as one of its main objectives. It has also been buying shares in Monsanto and Exxon Mobil.

NOTE: Banks such Goldman Sachs are making huge profits by gambling on the prices of key commodity crops such as coffee, cocoa and wheat, according to the World Development Movement's report, "The great hunger lottery: how banking speculation causes food crises". The report says that Goldman Sachs has not only exacerbated hunger but caused long-term damage to the fight against global poverty. Other banks involved in the trading are Bank of America, Citibank, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan.
http://www.wdm.org.uk/food-speculation/great-hunger-lottery-how-banking-speculation-causes-food-crises
http://gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12421
http://www.gurufocus.com/news.php?id=104835

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CORPORATE TAKEOVER
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+ TOXIC ROW FOR OBAMA AFTER BHOPAL EMAIL IS LEAKED
As Barack Obama's administration was attacking BP over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (death toll: 15), one of the president's most trusted advisers was writing an email to an Indian official in which it was implied that if the New Delhi government did not shut up about the 1984 Bhopal gas leak (death toll: up to 16,000), there might be a "chilling effect" on investment.

The Bhopal tragedy, in which deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the US-owned Union Carbide pesticide plant, remains the world's worst industrial accident. Up to 16,000 people were killed and another 558,125 injured. Chemicals from the plant are believed still to be contaminating groundwater supplies in the area.

Five years after the tragedy, Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million in compensation to the victims. The company was bought by Dow Chemical, in 2001, which claimed the affair had been resolved.

However, the Bhopal Medical Appeal says Union Carbide remains liable for "environmental devastation", because it was not included in the 1989 settlement. And the Indian government is reportedly deciding whether Dow should be held liable for an additional $200m in compensation.

The current furore is the result of an email exchange obtained by India's Times Now television channel.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Indian Planning Commission, wrote to Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser Michael Froman to lobby for US backing in India's application for World Bank funds.

In the course of the exchange, Froman writes: "While I've got you, we are hearing a lot of noise about the Dow Chemical issue. I trust that you are monitoring it carefully.

"I am not familiar with all the details, but I think we want to avoid developments which put a chilling effect on our investment relationship."

The exchange has been taken in India as implying that US backing could be relied upon only if India pulled back from its pursuit of further damages from Dow.
More, and for videos about Dow and Bhopal:
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12431-toxic-row-for-obama-

+ MONSANTO "HEALTHY BACON" PATENTS RAISE QUESTIONS
Patent applications covering the enhancement of meat, including pork with omega-3 fatty acids, are stimulating debate over the ethics and legalities of claiming intellectual property over food.

Monsanto has filed patents that cover the feeding of animals soybeans, which have been genetically modified by the company to contain stearidonic acid (SDA), a plant-derived omega-3 fatty acid.

Omega-3s have been linked to improved cardiovascular health and there are many companies engineering them into foodstuffs.

But the new patent applications have touched a raw nerve among those who see them as an attempt by the company to exert control over the food chain.

"As a community we need to decide whether we want our most basic foods to be owned by chemical companies," says Greenpeace Australia's Laura Kelly.

A statement on Monsanto's website responds to such concerns. "Since the initial patent filings, Monsanto has taken steps to withdraw the specific claims in the patent applications relating to animals and their meat," the company states. "Monsanto has no plans to take ownership of or sell company-branded omega-3 enriched meat."

But Greenpeace remains unconvinced. Ms Kelly says even if they do not claim ownership of the meat Monsanto might still claim royalties on meat product sales that have been produced using their transgenic feed.
http://www.gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/12429-healthy-bacon-patents-raise-questions

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ASIA
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+ BT BRINJAL COULD BE BACK - TAKE ACTION
The Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) bill has been approved by the Cabinet and will be tabled in the Parliament soon. The BRAI bill will clear GM crops, overriding the concerns raised by the general public and state governments against GM food. The Cabinet cleared this bill in a hurried and hushed fashion, denying people a chance to voice their opinion.

But there is a way to change this bill. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC) can force the Government to re-draft the bill with suggestions from the public. It has been done before and can happen again if the opposition to the bill in its current form is known.

TAKE ACTION (within India only): Please sign the open letter to Sonia Gandhi asking the NAC to make the Government consult people before tabling the bill:
http://greenpeace.in/safefood/change-brai-bill-stop-gm-food-india

More about the bill: http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12426-bt-brinjal-could-be-back-take-action

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THE AMERICAS
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+ ROUNDUP READY TECHNOLOGY COLLAPSES - TAKES LARGE FARMS DOWN WITH IT - U.S. FARMER TO CONGRESS
Indiana farmer Troy Roush, who was the target of a 2000 suit brought forth by Monsanto, has been giving evidence to a Congressional Committee chaired by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) called "Are Superweeds an Outgrowth of USDA Biotech Policy?"
 
In his testimony to the committee, Roush documented the development of glyphosate-resistant weeds on his 5,500 acre family farm:

"In 2005, we first began to encounter problems with glyphosate resistance in marestail and lambsquarters in both our soybean and corn crops... I contacted a Monsanto weed scientist to discuss the problems...

"Despite well documented proof that glyphosate tolerant weeds were becoming a significant problem, the Monsanto scientist denied that resistance existed and instructed me to increase my application rates.

"The increase in application rates proved ineffectual, and I was forced to turn to alternative methods for weed management including the use of tillage and other chemistry.

"In 2007, the weed problems had gotten so severe that we turned to an ALS inhibitor marketed as Canopy to alleviate the problem in our preplant, burndown herbicide application.

"In 2008, we were forced to include the use of 2,4-D and an ALS residual, to our herbicide programs. Like most farmers, we are very sensitive to environmental issues and we were very reluctant to return to using tillage and more toxic herbicides for weed control. However, no other solutions were then or are now readily available to eradicate the weed problems caused by development of glyphosate resistance,” Roush said.

Roush, who is also vice-president of the National Corn Growers Association, says bigger farms with multiple herbicide resistance problems are in great danger:

"The increased ease of use and convenience of herbicide tolerant crops enabled many farmers to significantly increase crop acreage which helped to offset higher production costs and, in some cases, lower yields. Biotech companies encouraged farm expansion by offering discounts for buying seed in bulk.

"The advent of glyphosate tolerant weeds necessitated the return to using tillage for weed control, eliminating the time savings that was initially afforded by using biotech crops.

"Farmers who expanded farm size are now finding it difficult, if not impossible, to manage the larger operations now that additional time is required for weed management."
http://gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/12428-superweeds-put-usda-on-hotseat

+ SUGAR BEET FARMERS FORGET HOW TO GROW NON-GM BEETS? OR MONSANTO WON'T SUPPLY THE SEED?
Idaho's sugar beet growers say it will be difficult to find enough conventional seeds for their crops after a federal judge revoked government approval of GM seeds. US District Judge Jeffrey White issued a ruling halting the use of the GM seeds until an environmental impact study is completed.

A large portion of sugar beet farmers use the modified seeds developed by Monsanto Co. They are designed to resist the company's weed killer, Roundup.

"I'm really concerned because I really don't think its possible to go back to the conventional way of raising sugar beets," said Drew Eggers, a Meridian farmer for 33 years with 100 acres of sugar beets. "Its just not feasible."

Eggers and other farmers have concerns over the availability and cost of conventional sugar beet seeds. Sid Freeman, a third-generation Canyon County farmer, said, "There's not enough seed available in the non-GMO (genetically modified organism) varieties to plant all the acres that would be put into sugar beets."
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12430-sugar-beet-farmers-troubled-by-judges-decision

GMWatch comment: It's really "not feasible" to go back to the non-GM/non Roundup-dependent way of growing beets? So just two years of GM beets wipes out years of farmer experience? More likely is the possibility that Monsanto is restricting access to non-GM seed, as it is doing in Brazil with soy:
http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12237

+ IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM MADE WITH GM HORMONES?
Ben & Jerry's gets all their milk from dairies that have pledged not to inject their cows with GM bovine growth hormone (rBGH). Why can't Haagen Dazs, Breyers and Baskin-Robbins do the same? - asks John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-robbins/is-your-favorite-ice-crea_b_686629.html

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EUROPE
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+ GM CROP SABOTAGE IN FRANCE
Sixty people have uprooted an open-air field of GM grapevines in France.  In Spain last month, dozens of people destroyed two GMO fields. On the millennial cusp, Indian farmers burned Bt cotton in their Cremate Monsanto campaign. Ignored by multinational corporations and corrupt public policy makers, citizens are acting to protect the food supply and the planet.

The French vineyard is the same field attacked last year when the plants were only cut. But the security features installed after that incident kept authorities at bay while the group accomplished its mission yesterday. Speaking for the group, Olivier Florent told Le Figero that they condemned the use of public funds for open-field testing of GMOs "that we do not want."
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12425-gm-crop-sabotage-on-the-rise

+ ITALIAN FARMER PUSHES GM CROPS
Italian farmer Giorgio Fidenato has made a habit of carrying a raw ear of yellow corn and taking a hearty bite whenever a camera is in sight. It's a provocation. The Italian farmer's corn is genetically modified. "Our biggest goal is to show consumers that it is safe to eat," said Fidenato.

More activist than farmer, Fidenato's cultivation of nearly 5 hectares, or 12 acres, of GM corn was a rogue act aimed at forcing the legalization of GM crops in Italy. Word spread about the crop, and on August 9 about 70 anti-GMO activists wearing chemical protection suits trampled nearly an acre of corn to the ground.
http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12425-gm-crop-sabotage-on-the-rise

GMWatch comment: This story brings to mind another provocateur "farmer" in Wales, Jonathon Harrington, who claimed to have grown GM maize on his land. It later turned out that Harrington was a member of GM industry lobby group CropGen. An investigation found no evidence that he had grown any GM maize.
http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Jonathon_Harrington