GMWatch News Review archive

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WEEKLY WATCH number 252
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from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:

First, a big thank you to all of you who've responded to out financial appeal. We continue to URGENTLY need support in order to get our sites fully operational again as well as to sustain our campaign through the coming year, so please do support us if you can.

Don't forget you can:
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This issue of Weekly Watch covers 2 weeks, including the Rome food summit and its aftermath, so we've again got plenty of opportunistic attempts by the biotech industry to exploit the food crisis. Reassuringly, though, there also seems to be a growing amount of good sense emerging, with a return to sustainable agriculture being championed by some surprising sources.

If you're in the UK, please look out for some important ACTIONS OF THE WEEK.

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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COMPANY NEWS
FOOD CRISIS: ROME SUMMIT
EXPLOITING THE FOOD CRISIS
FOOD CRISIS - FALSE SOLUTIONS/REAL SOLUTIONS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
CLIMATE CHANGE
HEALTH RISKS
AFRICA
EUROPE
AUSTRALASIA
THE AMERICAS
ASIA
LOBBYWATCH
ACTIONS OF THE WEEK
PHARMING
CLONING
GENETIC CROSSROADS

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COMPANY NEWS
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+ NEW SOURCE FOR MONSANTO MOVIE
The World According to Monsanto -- $19.95
Available via the Seeds of Deception website
http://fsicart.com/seeds/?ndrx=99

+ MONSANTO SPENT OVER $1M ON U.S. LOBBYING FIRST QUARTER
Monsanto lavished a cool $1.3 million on Washington lobbyists in just the first quarter of 2008 on issues including ethanol production. Monsanto's second-quarter earnings doubled on corn demand and pricing, which has surged to a very large extent due to ethanol production!
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080528/monsanto_lobbying.html?.v=1

+ WINDFALL PROFITEERS -- WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE?
The steepest run-ups in food prices since 1990, according to an article for financial website Seeking Alpha, saw profits at Monsanto reach nearly $1 billion last year -- a 14-fold increase since 2003. They've tripled to $1.1 billion at Syngenta (SYT) and agriculture divisions of DuPont and Dow have also seen their earnings balloon.
GM Watch comment: It's worth visiting this URL just to see a chart contrasting Monsanto's massive profit increases with Big Oil pariah Exxon's - Exxon's increases are miniscule by comparison.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/79701-windfall-profits-for-big-food-where-s-the- outrage

+ MONSANTO COMPLETES ITS PURCHASE OF DE RUITER SEEDS
Monsanto has completed its proposed acquisition of Netherlands-based De Ruiter Seeds for $850 million. Monsanto said it will start to transition the De Ruiter Seeds business into its vegetable seeds division alongside its other business units, Seminis and the International Seed Group.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1684988/

+ U.S. COURT DECISION THREATENS MONSANTO'S CONTROL OVER SEEDS
The Supreme Court this week unanimously ruled that firms give up the right to control how patented technology is used by the buyer once it is sold. The ruling against S. Korea's LG Electronics could affect patent holders like Monsanto. Patent lawyer, Ray Van Dyke said that the ruling could be good news for farmers who want to use patented seed from the plants that they grow, rather than buying seed every year from Monsanto and other seed companies. Currently Monsanto imposes a single commercial crop use condition in its technology agreements and has sued and otherwise harassed farmers who it suspects of infringing its patents.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7573958

+ MONSANTO, SOLUTIA NAMED IN LAWSUIT
Residents along Escambia Bay, Florida, are suing the companies they say are responsible for polluting the water and fish near where they live with PCBs, cancer-causing industrial chemicals. In tests done by the University of West Florida, PCB samples were higher than state and federal limits in all samples of mullet, a staple for many local seafood lovers. One of UWF's mullet samples measured 1,580 nanograms per gram of PCBs, compared to the federal threshold of 20 nanograms per gram. http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080607/NEWS01/806070326
http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/NEWS01/806100330/1006/NEW S01

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FOOD CRISIS: ROME SUMMIT (3-5 June)
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+ U.S. FOOD POLICY UNDER FIRE
Outside the UN emergency summit on food in Rome, protesters dressed as ears of corn. Inside, Bush administration officials found themselves on the defensive on a wide range of US policies, from biofuel production to genetic engineering and subsidies, says a report in the LA Times.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-food5-2008jun05,0,561673 2.story

+ FARMERS EXPELLED FROM SUMMIT
Farmer and civil society leaders carrying out a peaceful demonstration at the summit on food in Rome, were forcefully removed from the premises. They were trying to draw attention to the fact that millions of additional people are joining the ranks of the hungry as the corporations that control the global food system are making record profits, and that the world's food producers -- the farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers and indigenous people -- had been shut out of the discussion. In previous FAO events, civil society was given more space to express its views and to have a dialogue with the delegates.
http://www.grain.org/m/?id=191
A video of the action and the suppression of the action is available at http://wsftv.net
or http://www.grain.org/videos/?id=175
See http://www.grain.org/foodcrisis/ for links, documents, video and audio on the food crisis.

+ GM -- PHONEY SOLUTION TO FOOD CRISIS
Friends of the Earth warned world leaders attending the UN food security conference in Rome that biofuels, GM and international trade liberalisation are false solutions to the current global food crisis that will push millions more people into hunger and poverty while worsening climate change. FoE's Kirtana Chandrasekaran said: 'Biofuels, intensive GM farming and export-oriented food production are devastating small farmers and local food markets.'
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/world_leaders_warned_off_p_02062008 .html
NOTE: New briefing on the current food crisis: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/food_crisis.pdf

+ USDA DATA EXPOSES LIES OVER FOOD CRISIS
The Bush administration has been busy trying to deflect criticism of the 'biofuel' boom it initiated -- after heavy lobbying by biotech and agribiz interests -- by blaming rising demand for meat in India and China, rather than 'biofuels', for pushing up global food prices. Bush's secretary of agriculture Ed Schafer and the US Dept of Agriculture's chief economist have encouraged this view. But Daryll E. Ray at the Agricultural Policy Analysis Center, University of Tennessee, has analysed USDA data on China and India's grain trade and concludes, 'there is no demand for feed grains from China and India, and none from Indonesia and Brazil as well.'
http://www.agpolicy.org/weekcol/409.html

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EXPLOITING THE FOOD CRISIS
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+ DON'T USE FOOD CRISIS AS OPPORTUNITY TO PUSH VESTED INTERESTS -- WARNING
As governments met in Rome for crisis talks, experts warned against opportunism. The Food Ethics Council published a collection of expert analysis and comment urging governments to tackle the injustice at the heart of the crisis and not to use food concerns as a vehicle to push through vested interests. Even when food prices were lower, and supply and demand seemed in balance, 860 million people went hungry and almost 3 billion malnourished.
http://www.foodethicscouncil.org/node/366

+ MULTINATIONALS PROFIT FROM FOOD CRISIS
The renewed interest in supporting agricultural development announced by world leaders at the food summit is positive but there are concerns that multinationals are profiting out of the food crisis, says development agency ActionAid. 'The solutions promoted by agribusinesses have rarely led to increased food self-sufficiency but rather to increased corporate dependency and indebtedness,' said Magdalena Kropiwnicka of ActionAid. 'Assuring local ownership to agricultural solutions is the key to success.'
http://appablog.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/winners-or-losers-in-the-new-food-reali ty-multinationals-profiting-out-of-the-food-crisis-actionaid/

+ GRABBING AFRICA
At the Rome food summit, the food crisis was exploited to target African smallholders as the last 'unimproved' area of agricultural production reports Helena Paul of Econexus.
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/news/index.php

+ MONSANTO TARGETS AFRICA AS 'GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY'
Monsanto announced at the food summit that it will distribute seeds to African farmers royalty-free. 'That isn't a feel-good thing,' says Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant. 'Satisfying the demand curve is a great business opportunity.'
GM Watch comment: Especially, of course, if the seeds are patented GM seeds. The farmers will be forcibly detached from seed-saving and traditional farming and will become corporate slaves to Monsanto.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_25/b4089032620970.htm?campaign_i d=rss_topStories

+ FIRMS PUSH GM SEEDS
In an attempt to cash in on the food crisis, Monsanto and Syngenta are vigorously pushing their GM seeds, hoping that they will become acceptable now, says an article in The Times of India.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/As_food_crisis_worsens_firms_push_GM_se eds/rssarticleshow/3097653.cms

+ MONSANTO PLANS TO DOUBLE YIELDS, FEED THE WORLD
Monsanto has announced plans to produce seeds that it claims will double yields for 3 crops: corn, soybeans and cotton. It seems that Monsanto executives are trying not to mention GM and are talking instead about marker assisted selection!
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-thu-brf1-monsanto-jun05,0,5099422.sto ry
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/business/worldbusiness/05crop.html?em&ex=12128 11200&en=d379e6176ab9e308&ei=5087%0A

+ AMERICAN SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR ACCEPTANCE OF GM TO EASE FOOD CRISIS
The biotech-industry backed American Soybean Association (ASA) is lobbying the US government in defence of the use of soybean oil for biodiesel production. The ASA also outlined the critical importance of GM crops in meeting the world's growing demand for food, feed and fuel.
http://www.grainnet.com/articles/American_Soybean_Association_Calls_for_Broader_ Acceptance_of_Crop_Biotechnology_to_Ease_Food_Crisis-58554.html

+ BASF WILL BENEFIT AS FARMERS SEEK MORE CHEMICALS
BASF will benefit further from booming agricultural markets as farmers seek more chemicals to kill fungi, weeds and bugs, according to an article for Reuters.
GM Watch comment: This prediction does not factor in the ever-increasing cost of oil, which forms the basis for such chemicals. It's not surprising that the source quoted for this article was BASF's president for crop protection, Michael Heinz.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7564398

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FOOD CRISIS - FALSE SOLUTIONS/REAL SOLUTIONS
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+ MYTH-MAKING WILL NEVER FEED THE WORLD
GM Watch comment: John Gapper's article in the Financial Times ('Bickering will never feed the world') tries to adopt an even-handed tone while clearly coming down on the side of the US government and Monsanto. The FT's chief business commentator tells us, for instance, that Monsanto wants countries such as Brazil to raise yields with high-intensity methods: 'Monsanto's vision -- and that of the US -- is that US-style farming needs to spread across Latin America and Asia.' But large-scale industrial farming, making full use of Monsanto's products, is already well established in several Latin American countries, including Brazil, and we can see the consequences - massive deforestation, an escalating use of pesticides and increasing social conflict. Meanwhile, and this is a critical point, people in all these countries remain hungry. Indeed, food insecurity is also rising rapidly in the US itself, a clear indication that there is something awry with Gapper's analysis.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a40447d0-37d8-11dd-aabb-0000779fd2ac.html

+ SOARING PRICES EXPOSE FERTILISERS AS UNSUSTAINABLE
As oil and gas prices rise so does the price of chemical fertilisers -- the lynchpin of industrial agriculture's claims to be 'efficient'.
http://www.soilassociation.org:80/web/sa/saweb.nsf/848d689047cb466780256a6b00298 980/f8705fd30306ef2a80257466004f26e4!OpenDocument
GM Watch comment: Before the GM lobby starts making any more 'voodoo' claims about GM crops magically reducing fertilizer use, there are not only no GM crops at all on the market that do that, but attempts to understand the mechanisms involved are still at a preliminary stage -- see 'Genetic Engineering Approaches to Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency'
http://www.isb.vt.edu/news/2008/artspdf/may0801.pdf

+ THINK ORGANIC, ROME SUMMIT URGED
Aid charity Send a Cow urged global leaders meeting in Rome to invest in small-scale organic farming as the best way out of the world's food crisis for the poorest of the poor. Send a Cow's chief executive Martin Geake said, 'By using composted manure and organic agricultural techniques, farming families can triple their yields in just one growing season. And unlike chemical fertilisers, compost does not deplete the land, but protects it for future generations.'
http://www.sendacow.org.uk/default2.asp?active_page_id=97
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/jun/05/food.internationalaidanddevelo pment

+ DYSFUNCTIONAL FOOD SYSTEM MUST CHANGE
Our efforts need to be focused on developing production systems that are ethically and environmentally sustainable, based as far as possible on local resources, says Lawrence Woodward, director of the Organic Research Centre, Newbury, UK in a letter to the Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/36af2916-3751-11dd-bc1c-0000779fd2ac.html

+ SMALL IS BOUNTIFUL
Our best chance of feeding the world is a mass return to peasant farming of small holdings, says George Monbiot in an article for the UK's Guardian. The data shows that in spite of the myth that large-scale means efficient, in fact, the smaller the farm, the greater the yield: 'A recent study of farming in Turkey ... found that farms of less than one hectare are twenty times as productive as farms of over ten hectares. ... [This] appears to hold almost everywhere.' This has implications for land ownership that most governments don't want to think about. A large number of people need access to land in order to grow the food we need.
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/06/10/small-is-bountiful/

+ POLICIES WE NEED TO FEED THE PLANET
There are sensible letters to the Guardian about the food crisis at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/jun/05/food.internationalaidanddevelo pment

+ FARMING TODAY ON GM
BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme on 5 June was about GM crops. Mark Holdstock interviewed Michael Jack MP, chair of the parliamentary environment food and rural affairs committee, at the UN Food Security conference in Rome, asking him whether the UN's call for a 50% increase in global food production meant the use of GM was inevitable. Jack replied: 'I don't think necessarily that what could be called the high-tech solution is necessarily the right one... We need to consider all our agricultural technology tools, but we have also heard some very powerful contributions calling for organic agriculture to increase its yields in an environment in which it can build on the traditional methods used by farmers for a very long time. The organic material is there and available, and it builds on the skills of the indigenous farmer.' Listen to a podcast of the programme:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/farming/

+ OVER 250 FAITH ORGANIZATIONS REJECT GMOs, PATENTS ON LIFE
More than 250 faith-based organizations called on the summit leaders in Rome to eliminate the root causes of hunger such as poverty and unjust social structures. In a statement, the faith-based coalition, which includes dozens of Catholic religious orders, echoed the concern the Pope has expressed for the protection of small farmers. They also cautioned against GM crops and patents on life (see QUOTES OF THE WEEK), and urged further review of biofuel production.
http://db.zs-intern.de/uploads/1212652732-faostatement_final_eng.pdf

+ 'ZOMBIE' SEEDS WILL WORSEN CRISIS
The EU is using taxpayer money to develop 'Zombie' seeds - sterile seeds that can be brought back to life with the application of a chemical. This puts at risk the traditional practice of saving and re-sowing seeds, which is how many small Third World farmers survive, writes Michelle Lowe of the Catholic development charity Progressio in a letter to the (UK) Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk:80/opinion/letters/letters-gm-farming-838897.html

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK
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+ WHY OVER 250 FAITH ORGANIZATIONS REJECT GMOs, PATENTS ON LIFE
'There is a moral imperative to feed the hungry, but none to use transgenic biotechnology when less contested and well-tested alternatives can deliver comparable results in the medium and long-term. All that is technically possible is not necessarily good for the person or society. Under no circumstances should patents... restrict farmers' free exchange of seeds and hinder their innovations. Plants, seeds and genes are part of creation which cannot be claimed by intellectual property rights.'
http://db.zs-intern.de/uploads/1212652732-faostatement_final_eng.pdf

+ GM's ARDENT BELIEVERS
'The philosopher Kierkegaard pointed out that the more ridiculous the dogma, the more ardent the belief that is required by those who support it. Completely preposterous arguments, such as those used to defend deficit thinking or that GM crops will feed the world, require unflinching faith.'
-- Dr. Tom Wakeford reflecting on the GM saga in Science & Public Affairs, June 2008
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/News/ReportsandPublications/ScienceAndPublicAffairs /SPAArchive/SPAJune08/index.htm

+ TIME FOR GM PUSHERS TO EAT HUMBLE PIE
'Historians will see 15 April 2008 as a milestone in science policy. It was the date when the GM crop dream was officially judged to be a fantasy. The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), the agricultural version of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), concluded "that data on some GM crops indicate highly variable yield gains in some places and declines in others" ... It's time for lots of science policy-makers to start eating GM humble pie.'
-- Dr. Tom Wakeford in Science & Public Affairs, June 2008
http://www.the-ba.net/the-ba/News/ReportsandPublications/ScienceAndPublicAffairs /SPAArchive/SPAJune08/index.htm

+ THE GM COEXISTENCE MYTH
'There is no place anywhere in the world where coexistence of GM and conventional canola has been achieved. In Canada, they did not even try to achieve coexistence. They did in the US but had to abandon their attempts after just one year. In Canada it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to even source uncontaminated non-GM canola seed for sowing. I have no confidence whatsoever that coexistence of GM and non-GM canola is achievable in Australia or anywhere else in the world.'
-- Kim Chance, Minister for Agriculture, Western Australia

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CLIMATE CHANGE
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+ BIOTECH GIANTS DEMAND HIGH PRICE FOR SAVING THE PLANET
Giant biotech companies are privatising the world's protection against climate change by filing hundreds of monopoly patents on genes that help crops resist it, an investigation by ETC Group has concluded. The study found that nine firms have filed at least 532 patents around the world on genes offering protection against heat, drought and floods. Yet, according to the report, conventional, non-GM breeding techniques are making remarkable progress in developing crops that can tolerate heat, floods and drought. A new Asian rice, due to go on the market next year, can stand being submerged for two weeks without affecting yields, while a new African one flowers early in the morning, escaping the heat of the day. But, it warns, "the patent grab is sucking up money and resources that could be spent on affordable, farmer-based strategies for survival".
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/biotech-giants-demand-a- high-price-for-saving-the-planet-842480.html

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HEALTH RISKS
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+ STATE-OF-THE-SCIENCE ON HEALTH RISKS OF GM FOODS
New 28-page downloadable report from Jeffrey Smith
http://www.seedsofdeception.com/DocumentFiles/145.pdf

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AFRICA
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+ BAYER's GM COTTON ONSLAUGHT
Bayer has made eight permit applications for field trials in South Africa involving eight GM cotton varieties to be tested in the Limpopo Province, where the majority of the population is poor and marginalised.
http://www.cbgnetwork.de/2034.html

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EUROPE
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+ ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS AGREE GM APPROVAL OVERHAUL
EU environment ministers have supported a proposal from France to overhaul Europe's approval process for GMOs and include longer-term discussion of their impact on the environment. A number of member states have in the past accused the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of bias and said it gives the nod to GMOs without the necessary research. 'It is now clear that the authorisation process must be halted until risk assessment procedures are truly independent and compliant with EU legal requirements,' said Marco Contiero of Greenpeace Europe.
http://euobserver.com/9/26285

+ BELGIAN COLZA FIELDS CONTAMINATED WITH BANNED GMOs
Fifteen Belgian colza (similar to rape/canola) fields, owned by Bayer, have been contaminated to a level of 5% by GMOs banned in Europe, said the country's public health ministry.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jsPX6vzW3--SiQ7Ujz8MkGpQWWwg

+ EU COMMISSION AND FOOD INDUSTRY WANT LICENCE TO CONTAMINATE
Europe's food safety chief Androulla Vassiliou will soon suggest allowing 'very limited' amounts of GM material not yet permitted in EU markets to be mixed in imports of foods like maize, rice and soya. At present, EU law sets a tolerance threshold of 0.9 percent for GM material in food and feed, above which a cargo must be labelled as GM.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7573338
Leading companies in Europe's food industry have joined forces with key players in much of the EU grain sector to demand tolerance for tiny amounts of GM material not yet allowed in EU markets.
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssHealthcareNews/idUSL1226352520080612

+ ROMANIA: GENE DETECTIVES TO EXPOSE GM CROP LOCATIONS
In Romania, Greenpeace has launched a 'gene detective' campaign to expose the locations of GM crops because government institutions keep them secret.
http://db.zs-intern.de/uploads/1213027204-GPRomania-GeneDetectives.pdf

+ SWITZERLAND: GM TEST CROP DESTROYED
A group of around 35 protesters destroyed a GM wheat field trial near Zurich on 13 June. Switzerland has banned commercial growing of GMOs until at least 2012 but still has a few highly controversial trials.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/science_technology/GM_test_crop_destroyed.html? siteSect=514&sid=9214908&cKey=1213367809000&ty=nd

+ UK: GM TEST CROP DESTROYED
Thousands of GM potatoes in a field near Tadcaster, North Yorks, have been destroyed. The attack on June 5 leaves Britain with just one remaining field of GM crops.
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/sunday/2008/06/15/gm-field-trashed-in-attack- 98487-20607314/
For background on the Tadcaster text
http://www.gmfreeze.org/page.asp?id=343&iType=

+ NORWAY: REDS AND GREENS RALLY AGAINST GM CORN
The Socialist Left Party (SV) and agrarian Centre Party (SP) are reported to be in an uproar against the import of GM corn. The directorate for nature management has recommended that two types of GM corn be allowed for use as food, fodder and further processing, but not for cultivation. Lars Haltbrekken of the environmental group Norges Naturvernforbund (Friends of the Earth Norway), supports the directorate in their ban on growing GM crops, but rejects import as hypocritical.
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2464369.ece

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AUSTRALASIA
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+ AUSTRALIAN GRAIN HARVESTERS WORRIED ABOUT GM
The Australian Grain Harvesters Association (AGHA) is becoming increasingly concerned about the implications of handling GM canola crops as the countdown to this year's harvest gets under way. There is talk of members boycotting properties growing GM canola for fear of spreading seed into non-GM canola paddocks. At issue are the legal implications which might eventuate should operators unintentionally spread GM canola seeds when moving between properties.
http://theland.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/grains-and-cropping/oilseed/ header-contractors-in-bind-over-gm-canola/786546.aspx

+ WA PREMIER CALLS FOR GM PRODUCT BAN
Western Australia premier Alan Carpenter has called for a nationwide suspension of approvals for foods containing GM crops until health research is carried out. He said the regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand, should not approve any more GM foods for human consumption until independent scientific trials were conducted to determine their safety.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/754/38977

+ ANTI-GM FOODS LOBBY GAINS MOMENTUM IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
There have been renewed calls for Western Australia's state government to retain its moratorium on growing GM crops. Members of the WA Conservation Council and members of the Japanese Consumers Union have presented a 20,000-strong petition to WA agriculture and food minister Kim Chance. The petition voices concerns over the safety and environmental impacts of GM foods. Japan is the state's largest customer for canola and cereal crops, with the industry valued at $550million per year.
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=78338

+ GM COEXISTENCE PLANS A FAILURE
For the first time in Australia, the GRDC-funded GM canola coexistence protocols have been explained to around 120 farmers in Western Australia. Participants soon became aware that supplying non-GM markets for market specification is not a viable option if GM crops are commercially released under the existing protocols. There was outrage in the audience as farmers became aware of the impositions on non-GM farmers and disgust that industry had endorsed the protocols without consideration for farmers wishing to provide a GM-free choice for consumers. 'The protocols are a farce,' said Julie Newman of the Network of Concerned Farmers. 'They only exempt all sectors from liability by placing all the costs, responsibilities and liabilities onto non-GM farmers for every operation from seed production to storage to delivery. The final product cannot possibly meet the market specifications for non-GM products. Both consumer and farmer choice will be denied.'
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/news/index.php

+ 'ADVANTAGE' OF RR CANOLA OVER AS SOON AS PLANT BOOT HIGH
The one supposed advantage of GM Roundup Ready (RR) canola is that it can be sprayed with glyphosate without damaging the plant. But according to the Network of Concerned Farmers, this advantage ends after the plant has reached 6-leaf stage, when you can no longer spray glyphosate. In addition:
***Roundup Ready seed costs at least twice non-GM seed
***An upfront stewardship fee of $1,000/property is charged (half price this year).
***A 'discounted introductory fee' of $10.20 per tonne is charged on all canola delivered for the 2008 season (end point royalty system)
***Legal fees may be required to assess two contracts before signing.
In the following season, the farmer will also need to
***regularly scout and control unwanted volunteer canola plants
***add further chemicals to glyphosate in order to kill unwanted GM glyphosate-tolerant canola volunteers
***limit glyphosate use in following rotations and tillage or use the more toxic paraquat/diquat, which are recommended alternatives.
http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/

+ NZ: DEAF EAR ON GM FEARED
Campaigners lobbying against GM crops in New Zealand fear formal protests to a government agency will fall on deaf ears. The Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) announced that it would hear submissions on Crop and Food Research's application for field trials of GM vegetables to flower. Previous field trials have been halted before the crop seeds. Soil and Health Association spokesman Steffan Browning said there was a feeling the trials would be approved irrespective of the number and strength of submissions against them. 'Why put people through the angst and hassle (of making a submission)?' he said. 'They're better off going in and pulling the crops out.'
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4573876a11.html
SEE ALSO: Outrage over GE crop call
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1836521

+ NZ BIOSECURITY MAN WANTS GM CROPS
Barry O'Neil, the man responsible for monitoring New Zealand's biosecurity, has prompted outrage by advocating the use of GM crops.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1836521

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THE AMERICAS
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+ ARTIST CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES IN PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE
Dr Steven Kurtz, a Professor of Visual Studies at State University New York at Buffalo and cofounder of the award-winning Critical Art Ensemble, has been cleared of all charges of mail and wire fraud. Kurtz's work, and that of the Critical Art Ensemble, was aimed in part at informing audiences about the lack of regulation and potential risks of biotechnology. The four-year persecution of Kurtz by the US authorities has been documented in the film Strange Culture:
http://www.strangeculture.net/
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/400965.html

+ PARAGUAY: CAMPESINO LEADER CHARGED FOR CONFRONTING GM CROP SPRAYING
Tomas Zayas, a municipal councilor, and three campesinos (small farmers), have been detailed and charged with 'homicidal intent and criminal association'. These accusations are due to the conflict that's developed over the intense spraying of GM soya fields suffered by the Leopoldo Perrier community of San Cristobal municipality in Alto Parana, Paraguay. In February this year, the community organised a peaceful protest and this has led to the accusations of a criminal association and of attempted homicide by supposedly firing a gun into the air. The community said that Zayas was not present during the protest, nor were guns fired.
http://www.lasojamata.org/node/113

+ DESTRUCTION OF AMAZON RISES
Destruction of Brazil's huge swath of Amazon rain forest rose sharply in April, says an article for Associated Press. GM soybean farming is one of the main forces driving Amazon deforestation.
http://www.soyatech.com/news_story.php?id=8731

+ CALL TO SUSPEND TOXIC SEED TREATMENTS IN U.S.
In light of the mounting evidence that new seed chemical coatings are deadly to bees and the action of Germany in calling for an immediate suspension of these seed treatments, the Sierra Club has reaffirmed its call for a US moratorium on specific chemical treatments to protect bees and crops, until more study can be done. Recently Germany's federal agricultural research institute noted, 'It can unequivocally be concluded that poisoning of the bees is due to the rub-off of the pesticide ingredient clothianidin from corn seeds.' At issue are the neonicotinoids, including clothianidin, being used in a new way -- as seed coatings. Bayer and Monsanto have acquired patents to coat their proprietary corn seeds with the neonicotinoids.
http://www.gmfreeireland.org/news/index.php

+ ON GM TARO BILL, LEGISLATORS CATER TO BIG BUSINESS
The Hawaiian legislature has killed a bill that would have placed a 10-year moratorium on the genetic engineering of the traditional food plant, taro. This was despite overwhelming public support for the moratorium.
http://www.molokaitimes.com/articles/8610145347.asp

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ASIA
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+ INDIA: PRIME MINISTER MUST BAN BT COTTON IN VIDARBHA -- FARM GROUP
The president of Indian farm group VJAS, Kishor Tiwari, has urged prime minister Manmohan Singh to ban Monsanto Bt cotton seeds in West Vidarbha in order to save more than 3 million distressed and debt-trapped cotton farmers. He also demanded an investigation into the spread of the mealy bug in Vidarbha region, and the promotion of organic farming.
http://mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=5799

+ INDIA UNDER FIRE FOR MISLEADING BIOSAFETY STATEMENTS
Indian government officials said at the food summit in Bonn that full risk assessments and environmental reviews had been carried out for all GM crops being tested in India. But geneticist Suman Sahai of Gene Campaign charges that there is no data in the public domain on allergy and toxicity tests carried out on GM crops, no environmental review of GM cotton, or an analysis of the socioeconomic impact of GM crops.
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/india-under-fire-for-misleading-biosafety-statemen .html

+ INDIA: GM BRINJAL TRIAL VIOLATIONS
R. Selvam, president of the Erode District Organic Farmers Federation, has drawn the attention of India's GM regulator, GEAC, listing a series of violations in the Bt brinjal (eggplant/aubergine) field trials at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/06/08/stories/2008060850110500.htm

+ INDIA: MONSANTO TRIES TO KEEP SAFETY DATA SECRET
Monsanto has suggested inclusion of a provision for maintaining data confidentiality in the draft National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill 2008. Recently, Greenpeace India asked Mahyco, which has developed Bt brinjal with technology sourced from Monsanto, to reveal biosafety data. The Central Information Commission ordered Mahyco to disclose the data.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Monsanto-suggests-provision-for-maintaining -data-confidentiality/320284/

+ IT'S ABSURD TO TRUST MONSANTO FOR GM FOOD SAFETY DATA -- SCIENTIST
P.M. Bhargava is India's leading molecular biologist and now a special invitee to the regulatory body GEAC by order of India's Supreme Court. Bhargava has been shocked by what he has discovered: 'All Bt cotton seeds as well as the data for GM utilisation in India should be withdrawn. We have been trusting Monsanto till now, which is absurd as no verification of its tests have been done so far.'
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1170081

+ GM CROPS DO NOT INCREASE PRODUCTION -- EXPERTS
GM crops do not help increase production and GM seeds are also expensive, according to experts. While Bt cotton seeds cost about Rs 1,500 a kg in India, the normal cotton seeds are available at Rs 450 per kg. And the GM foods that are set to hit the Indian market will do so without having undergone mandatory safety assessments.
http://www.southasianmedia.net/cnn.cfm?id=504328&category=Science&Technology&Cou ntry=INDIA
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/GM_crops_not_the_solution_for_f ighting_inflation_Experts/articleshow/3100334.cms


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LOBBYWATCH
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+ BLAIR'S CHILDREN FED ORGANIC FOOD
There can be few people unaware of the extreme lengths to which Tony Blair went to proselytise for GM and the biotech industry. As a result, in 1999 Downing Street was directly challenged by the media over whether this GM-evangelist would actually feed his own children GM foods. Blair had no hesitation in letting the world know that he did, prompting front-page comment. This week during a book signing in Edinburgh, the former Prime Minister's wife, Cherie Blair commented, 'I always tried to feed my children organic food.' (Today's News, Soil Association, 12 June 2008)
More on Blair's support for GM food and the Iraq war: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20031019/ai_n12746927

+ CONCERN OVER BBC COVERAGE OF GM
We've had a number of comments on the poor quality of recent coverage by the BBC on GM and the food crisis. Of particular concern were pieces broadcast on BBC radio and TV by their new Rural Affairs Correspondent, Jeremy Cooke. Then on BBC Radio 4's flagship current affairs programme Today, Giles Oldroyd from the pro-GM John Innes Centre wasn't challenged when he claimed GM had been proven a 'safe technology', that 25% of our arable land is now cultivated with GM crops, and that millions of people have already been eating GM for decades without a single case of any adverse effects to human health or the environment. Just to pick up the most glaring points:
***The figure for global GM crop cultivation is nearer 2% than 25%.
***And given that the first sizeable GM crop - GM soya did not even begin to be grown commercially till 1996, millions of people cannot have been eating GM for 'decades!!
Unfortunately, scientists at the John Innes Centre have a very long history of making false claims in support of GM.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=67

+ WHY THE LIES?
'Genetically Modified Language - Professor Bullsh*t unspun!' is a 2005 article by GM Watch's Jonathan Matthews that explores the peculiar herd mentality of pro-GM scientists and why it makes them prone to spin and lies.
http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/157/8/

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ACTIONS OF THE WEEK
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+ UK: ACTION ON GM ANIMAL FEED
Recently the Financial Times ran a story about how the NFU, whose leadership is ferociously pro-GM, has been lobbying the supermarkets to drop their GM-free feed policies for poultry. This seems like a good time to remind supermarkets of the demand for non-GM food -- and the risk that weakening policies on non-GM feed will risk a shortage of GM-free ingredients for food. Please take action and send this link to your lists and friends:
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/real_food/press_for_change/gm_labelling_index.htm l

+ UK: GET UNLABELED GM INGREDIENTS OUT OF YOUR LOCAL RESTAURANTS
It is illegal for caterers to use GM ingredients unless they are clearly labeled on their menus or displayed on a prominent notice. Please ask the Trading Standards office of your local authority what they are doing to make sure that caterers stick to the rules. A new action guide, including sample letter, makes this quick and easy to do:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/action_guides/gm_oil_guide.doc

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PHARMING
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+ GM GOATS FOR DRUG PRODUCTION
Charlton, Massachusetts-based GTC Biotherapeutics pharms goats to produce drugs in their milk. An article for salon.com looks at the ethics involved. Jessica Sandler of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is quoted as saying, 'Using goats for drug production has unpredictable effects, and the genetic inheritance of the modified genes is not a given -- 90 to 99 percent of the animals bred are killed immediately because they don't incorporate the desired gene.' The article confirms that creating GM animals has a high failure rate: 'With the technique known as pronuclear injection, only about one to 10 of every 100 attempts results in transgenic offspring, producing a high number of animals typically earmarked for euthanasia.'
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/06/11/transgenic_goats/

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CLONING
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+ UK: MEAT OF COWS BORN TO CLONE ON SALE SOON?
Eight cows have been born in the UK to a clone created in a US laboratory with cells taken from the ear of a prize-winning animal. Meat or milk from the calves could be on sale here within months. Though food from clones is barred from the food chain, there are no legal safeguards over their offspring. The Soil Association said it is unscientific and irresponsible to simply 'assume' these animals are safe for eating.
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk:80/news/article-1024578/Eight-clone-farm-cows-born -Britain--meat-sale-months.html

+ UK: CLONING STUDY PUBLISHED
The UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published research into the views of the UK public about cloned animals, their offspring, and their products (such as milk and eggs) entering the food chain. The study involved giving people a lot of information about cloning. The majority came to the conclusion that they would not want to eat such food and struggled to identify any convincing benefits for consumers.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/jun/clone

+ UK: IT'S NOT THE PUBLIC WHO ARE IGNORANT
An article in The Times disparages the public concerns about cloned animals revealed by the report from the UK's Food Standards Agency. Its author displays a lack of knowledge about the subject that is truly astonishing, even claiming cloning is essential for improving animal health and welfare. Contrast this with what the report tells us: 'As participants learned about the current low efficiency rates of Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) they became increasingly concerned about the impact the technique has on animal welfare. This became a significant factor behind their reluctance to accept food derived from cloned animals.' For the Times article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/melanie_reid/article4092115. ece

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GENETIC CROSSROADS
News and Views from the Center for Genetics and Society
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WILLY WONKA AND THE CLONING FACTORY
by Marcy Darnovsky, Biopolitical Times
Is Lou Hawthorne biotech's Willy Wonka?
http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=4112

DOG CLONING AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
by Marcy Darnovsky and Jesse Reynolds, Biopolitical Times
In the minor flurry of stories last month about an on-line auction of dog cloning services, the issue of intellectual property was completely overlooked. That's too bad, since the cloning business, like so many others, is best understood by following the money.
http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=4111

CLONING THE DEAD
by Jesse Reynolds, Biopolitical Times
The UK is now proposing allowing scientists to try to create clonal embryos from the tissues of dead people, most of whom have not given their consent.
http://www.biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=4106