GMWatch News Review archive

from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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In Italy, battle rages between Bush and Blair's ally -Italy's pro-GM, pro-war premier, Silvio Berlusconi - and a broad coalition of government, consumer and farmer representatives. This follows Berlusconi's attempt to open the door to GM crops. (EUROPE)

Berlusconi's reckless refusal to accept GM safeguards can be seen for what it is in the wake of Hawaii's disastrous GM papaya contamination scandal, which has led the state's Democratic Party to pass a tough new resolution calling for restrictions on GM crops; and Argentina's story of human suffering and ecological devastation following its conversion to GM soy monoculture continues. (THE AMERICAS).

It's now the final chance to support those in Brazil trying to stop GM soy devastating their country. You can send your protest to Lula via this link - it only takes a minute:
http://www.gmwatch.org/proemail1.asp?id=5

GM supporters claim that because a minority of Brazilian farmers are illegally growing GM soy, the Government must of necessity legalise GMOs. So why aren't they urging the Colombian Government to legalise coca production and the Afghans to approve opium growing?!

Don't miss our FOOD SAFETY section for the latest reminders from scientists of the dangers of GMOs and how the safety testing of GM foods just hasn't been done.

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

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CONTENTS
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QUOTES OF THE WEEK
FOOD SAFETY
EUROPE
AFRICA
THE AMERICAS
ASIA
AUSTRALASIA
NEW CAMPAIGN
LOBBYWATCH - UK
DONATIONS

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QUOTES OF THE WEEK
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"Consumers get no benefit and they take all the risk.'' - Dr Judy Carmen, Public Health Association of Australia
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4524

"These products are dangerous in their unpredictability, especially considering their prolonged use. We don't know their eventual effects on the human body" - Vladimir Kuznetsov, head of the scientific council of the Russian Academy of Sciences
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4525

"As a biologist that uses biotechnology as one of the many tools in my basic research, I believe (as most biologists do when we speak inside the lab) that the use of genetic modification in agriculture and the invasion of nature by these organisms is at least hugely irresponsible and dangerous, since there is no way to control the further effects, once the GM organisms have been released" - Molecular biologist, Lilian Joensen
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4499

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FOOD SAFETY
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+ DR ARPAD PUSZTAI ON "ANTIBIOTICS IN GM PLANTS ARE A NON-ISSUE"
We previously circulated the comments of the medical biotechnologist, Dr Michael Antoniou, on the Medical News Today article, "Research shows antibiotics in genetically modified plants are a non issue". Dr Antoniou noted that the article not only contained numerous errors and questionable claims but conveniently ignored evidence that failed to fit its reassuring thesis.

Below are Dr Arpad Pusztai's comments on the article. Dr Pusztai points directly to the vacuous nature of the claims in the article. The actual research that would resolve this issue, Dr Pusztai points out, has simply not been done. So to claim, as the article does, that "research" shows that antibiotic resistance in people consuming food from GM plants containing antibiotic resistance genes is a "non-issue", is, in the words of Dr Pusztai, "really stupid!"

The primary source of the widely disseminated article appears to be one "W. De Greef". De Greef has no especial expertise in the sciences of nutrition, toxicology or medicine, but he is the former Global Head of Regulatory Affairs for GM at Syngenta! This is not mentioned in the article.

For the original article, Dr Antoniou's comments, and more on the source:
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4494

Dr Arpad Pusztai comments:

This is really stupid! How can one expect to decide about such a contentious and important issue when no experiment has been done that was designed to answer this question? The only experiment with any relevance to this was the Newcastle experiment [undertaken by researchers at the University of Newcastle, commissioned by the UK's Food Standards Agency - FSA] but even in this the FSA selected a GM food that contained no antibiotic resistance marker gene. How could the researchers then find the take-up of the antibiotic resistance marker gene by the gut bacteria when the GM plant given to the volunteers contained no such thing? Excellent design, isn't it? I in fact questioned the researchers about their selection of GM soya for the experiment to which the answer was that they could not use any other GM food because none are available in the UK that contain the antibiotic resistance marker gene?!

As others have already pointed this out, [the antibiotic against which many GM plants are engineered to carry a resistant gene] kanamycin is still being used by the medical profession and there are also some indications that if bacteria are made resistant to one antibiotic they can pick up others more easily.

Indeed, the Newcastle experiment, if it proved nothing else, did prove that our gut bacteria already contain GM gene constructs and this is in a country where labeling is done and most people try to avoid GM foods! I suggest that the biotech companies ought to be compelled to do such experiments in the USA and with other GM foods and, as a background study, generally test the gut microbes of the US population for genetic constructs containing antibiotic resistance marker genes and their resistance to antibiotics as well.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4510

+ WORLD HEALTH ORG URGES FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH
Here's as plain an admission as you could get that food safety research on GM food simply has not been done. The World Health Organisation on 12 October suggested Thailand conduct further research on GMOs so that an early action plan can be implemented to cope with possible health risks posed by transgenic food.

"At this point, we have no evidence to say that it is dangerous to consume food products that contain GMOs, but at the same time we also don't know its negative side. So, we have to say that we do not know the adverse health effects of GM food," WHO assistant director-general Kerstin Leitner said.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4519

+ RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS WARN PUTIN OF GM FOOD THREAT
Russian scientists have warned about the dangers of GM products in a letter to President Putin. Importing GM foods is jeopardizing both Russia's health and agriculture, they claim.

Alexander Baranov, president of the National Association for Genetic Security, explained that GM products are putting the health of the nation in serious danger. The letter to Vladimir Putin, signed by more than 30 key public, political, and scientific figures, reads:

"This address is imposed by the growing vulnerability of Russia's biological security. There is a process of substituting environmentally friendly foods, which are typical for Russia, with imported genetically modified products. Russia is becoming a site for testing foreign biotechnology."

Among other precautions, the letter advises a ban on GM products in baby food, a moratorium on growing GM crops until they are proven harmless, and a new federal law concerning biological security. The letter also notes that the Russian food market is flooded with imported GM products that are not subject to state control.

"These products are dangerous in their unpredictability, especially considering their prolonged use. We don't know their eventual effects on the human body," Vladimir Kuznetsov, head of the scientific council of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4525

+ GAPS IN GM TESTS - AUSTRALIAN SCIENTIST
The Public Health Association of Australia's Dr Judy Carmen says a link between human disease and GM food may exist even if such a link is never found. Carmen says a link would be difficult to prove scientifically because people could not be expected to remember everything they ate.

"There are surveillance systems only for a few existing diseases,'' she said. "There may be only a small possibility of something happening but the consequences could be awful because of the number of people eating GM food. There is an urgent need to stop and fully test all the GM food on the market, and make sure any new ones get fully tested before they go on the market.''

This view is supported by Ben Miflin, former director of the UK's Institute of Arable Crops at Rothamsted, who is a GM proponent. As an article in the journal Nature notes, "He argues that, under current monitoring conditions, any unanticipated health impact of such foods would need to be a 'monumental disaster' to be detectable". According to the article, "Miflin points out that a general increase in gastrointestinal disorders, for example, would be difficult to attribute to a particular food, given the diverse possible origins of such symptoms."

EPA toxicologist Dr Susan Wuerthele points out in the same article, "It took us 60 years to realize that DDT might have oestrogenic activities and affect humans, but we are now being asked to believe that everything is OK with GM foods because we haven't seen any dead bodies yet."
(Long-term effect of GM crops serves up food for thought, Nature, Volume 398:651)
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4524

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EUROPE
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+ ITALIAN GOVT SPLIT OVER GMOS
In a move that has split the government, the Italian Council of Ministers has blocked a motion, put forward by the agriculture minister Giovanni Alemanno, aimed at regulating the introduction of GMOs in Italy.

Following last month's decision by the European Commission to allow EU farmers to commercially grow up to 17 types of GM maize seeds, Mr Alemanno had proposed a law strictly regulating the planting of GM crops.

"There is still a lot to know on GMOs and if we show ourselves to be too flexible now, we might one day find ourselves in an ungovernable situation," said the minister. "We must also take into account that 12 Italian regions have declared themselves GMO-free," he added.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi personally scotched Alemanno's attempt to impose stringent restrictions on the cultivation of GM crops, claiming he was motivated by the need to guarantee citizens greater "freedom of choice".

But the prime minister's stance has prompted criticism from within his own party. The Forza Italia governor of Piedmont, Enzo Ghigo, said: "We feel the exercise of liberty is in allowing producers and consumers to decide what they wish to grow and eat." Opinion among farmers and the public is overwhelmingly opposed to the introduction of GM seeds.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4513
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4521

+ SPECIAL REPORT ON GM CRISIS IN ITALY
A very useful report from Roberto Pinton of Italy's Greenplanet on the decree put forward by the agriculture minister Giovanni Alemanno, aimed at strictly controlling GMOs, which is being blocked by Berlusconi, is at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4521

Roberto details the remarkably broad-based coalition supporting the decree and working to stop GM contamination in Italy.

Excerpt:

The decree was thought of positively by the envirommental movement. According to the decree, no GMO crop is allowed without a regional law (12 regions out of 20 have declared themselves GMO free, together with about 1,200 city councils; two more are discussing new laws and only two are possibilist about GMOs), from 6 to 12 months' imprisonment (or a fine from 2,600 to 29,500 euros) for farmers who contaminate neighbouring farms with GMO pollen, sharp division of chains etc.

Tomorrow a meeting of State/Regional governments will be held in Rome about the decree. A coalition of conventional farmers' associations, organic farmers' associations, environmental associations, 12 out of 20 Italian regional goverments, trade unions, political parties (ranging from the conservative Alleanza nazionale to the new-communist Rifondazione comunista), consumers' associations, national retailers' associations, confederations of processing crafts, will take a sit-in ("Presidio per le liberta", Defence of freedom).

Yesterday Mr. Pasquale Pistorio, vice president of Confindustria, General confederation of Italian industry, said, "It is a just decree, as it is not to be restrictive, but its aim is only to avoid one person's freedom interfering with someone's else's".

The two largest farmers' associations are part of the coalition.

+ GMO THREAT TO POLAND - CAMPAIGN GROUP CALLS FOR HELP
Following the European Commission's decision to allow 17 varieties of a Monsanto maize to be grown throughout Europe, campaign group ICPPC (International Coalition to Protect the Polish Countryside) fears that widespread lack of awareness of GMOs will lead Monsanto to target Poland with its GM crops. The group is appealing for help - see
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4496

+ EU'S NEW FARM CHIEF WANTS THE LOWEST GM LEVEL IN SEEDS
The European Union's incoming farm chief has said there should be as little GM material as possible in batches of conventional seeds.

Mariann Fischer Boel, a former agriculture minister in Denmark, told members of the European Parliament that GM seed thresholds should be set at the lowest possible level. This is also the position favoured by green groups. "On GMOs, I have my own personal views," she said at the hearing that is part of the process to confirm the appointment of the next EU executive, due to take office in November. "My clear view is that (GMO) residues should be as low as possible, taking into account all the interests at stake in setting a limit," she said. "If we want to continue with organic production in the long term, we have to pay attention to that."

The problem with the seeds dossier is due to a disagreement between the EU commissioners representing five policy areas: agriculture, trade, research, environment and food safety. The Commission's deadlock may now be eased, since Greece's Stavros Dimas - the designated environment commissioner - said at his hearing last week that he favoured a "detection level" of 0.1 percent, which is the lowest technically feasible.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4504

+ IRELAND'S ANTI-GM HERO REMEMBERED
There was a memorial service on 14th October for John Seymour, anti-GM campaigner and godfather of Ireland's sustainability movement, at Duncannon Church, Co Wexford in Ireland.

An excellent obituary from The Irish Times is at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4520

John Seymour compared the invasion of Ireland by Monsanto's "genetically mutilated" crops to the invasion by the Norman army, and saw it as his duty to resist. As a result, in 1999 he ended up in court at the age of 84 as one of the Arthurstown Seven, saying, "And if I have to go to prison because of it then I will go with a good will, and make the best of it, and when I get out I will try to stop them again!"

Seymour was also known for his singing of sea shanties and his doggerel verse. Here's what he wrote about Irish protests against Monsanto's GM beet:
The GM Fairies got it right
they bashed the Beet in dead of night
Monsanto's game - just one solution
they had to stop this life pollution.
Mutant beet we do not need
Planted in Ireland just for greed.
Those twisted genes for sure would spread
to gardens, fields, and our daily bread.
For more anti-GM verse: http://ngin.tripod.com/poetry.htm
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4520

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AFRICA
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+ NOBEL PRIZE FOR OPPONENT OF GMOS AND PATENTS ON LIFE
This year's Nobel Peace Prize is to be awarded to Wangari Mathai, leader of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. A biologist by training, Mathai is the first African woman to win the prize.

She has won international recognition for her campaign for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She has also been among the African scientists who've drawn attention to the dangers of genetic engineering and of patents on life.

In praising the award, Nigerian environmental campaigners noted her "dogged determination to reject genetically modified foods or organisms (GMO) as a panacea for Africa food shortage".

Maathia herself has said, "being an effective environmentalist today is not just about planting trees, but working at the grassroots with the poorest communities and challenging powerful political and commercial forces."

And of the battle over patents and GMOs she's said, "The resistance must continue to grow, North and South, in solidarity, in order to avoid the old tactic of divide and rule."

An essay by Mathai on the subject is at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4500

Here's an excerpt:

"History has many records of crimes against humanity, which were also justified by dominant commercial interests and governments of the day. Despite protests from citizens, social justice for the common good was eroded in favour of private profits. Today, patenting of life forms and the genetic engineering which it stimulates, is being justified on the grounds that it will benefit society, especially the poor, by providing better and more food and medicine. But in fact, by monopolising the 'raw' biological materials, the development of other options is deliberately blocked. Farmers therefore, become totally dependent on the corporations for seeds."

Nnimmo Bassey of the Friends of the Earth Nigeria commented on the award: "We environmentalists are sometimes portrayed as anti-development, as anti-progress, but this award is a great vindication that caring for the environment is crucial to Africans who live so close to the earth."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4501

+ PROTEST WAMBUGU'S APPOINTMENT TO UN HUNGER TASK FORCE
As if in some ghastly caricature of Maathia's Nobel prize, comes news of the recent appointment of Monsanto-trained Kenyan scientist Dr Florence Wambugu (of failed GM sweet potato fame) to the UN Hunger Task Force.

Wambugu is notorious for the lies, hype and misinformation she has used to promote GMOs in Africa and around the world. And this appointment demands an immediate repsonse. Please endorse the letter of protest from Kenya GMO Concern reprinted at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4514
by emailing your name, organisation, country and email address to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more on Wambugu whose "communication programme" is supported by CropLife International, an organisation led by Monsanto, Syngenta, Bayer, Dow and DuPont, see the GM Watch profile:
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=131

+ AFRICAN COUNTRIES URGED TO SAY NO TO GMOS
Participants at an international workshop on eco-farming have called on African countries to say no to GMOs that destroy livelihoods and biodiversity on the continent. They said Africans were being forced indirectly to accept GMOs, which was the main cause of genetic erosion and loss of biodiversity on the continent.

Participants from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Benin, Sudan and Malawi, attended the workshop which was organised by the Network for Eco-farming in Africa (NECOFA), an NGO, and sponsored by the German government, the Centre for Food, Rural Development and the Environment (ZEL) of the German Foundation for International Development (DSE).

The participants called for recognition of Africans as certifying bodies of organic produce. They also called for the rural poor to be given the right to participate actively in all issues concerning development and policy formulation.

Addressing the closing ceremony, Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the introduction of agrochemicals had led to the neglect of basic African traditional farming practices. He said there was therefore the need to encourage the reintroduction of eco-farming efficiently in order to achieve food security.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4512

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THE AMERICAS
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+ MOST CANADIANS UNEASY ABOUT GM FOODS
Unease over GM food continues to rise among Canadians with three out of five saying such foods provide more risks than benefits, according to a recently released federal government poll.

This concern translated into a majority (53 per cent) of adult Canadians telling pollsters working for Ottawa that they were uncomfortable buying foods with genetically modified ingredients. Only 31 per cent gave the same answer in the first such survey five years ago.

"Canadians are not yet at a point where they feel comfortable with genetically modified food. In fact, comfort levels have continually declined," said a summary of the results prepared for senior federal officials.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4509

+ BRAZIL TO ANNOUNCED GM PLAN THIS WEEK - LAST CHANCE TO PROTEST
Brazil will agree to rules governing the planting of GM soybeans during the 2004-05 season this week, Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues said.

THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE to support all those in the Brazilian government and civil society who are urging Lula to stand up to Rodrigues and the agribiz lobby and to defend the rights of Brazil's small farmers and landless labourers, its consumers, and its GM Free regions, and to protect Brazil's environment and biosafety.

You can send your protest to Lula by just going to this link - it only takes a minute:
http://www.gmwatch.org/proemail1.asp?id=5

And remember even if Lula does grant special permission, the letter urges him to ensure proper biosafety liegislation, proper GM food labelling and to respect the rights of those agricultural states in Brazil that have declared themselves GMO free zones.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4511

+ SOY PRICES TUMBLE AS BRAZIL FLOUNDERS
After hitting a high of $10.55 a bushel in March, soybean prices have tumbled nearly a third as China abruptly cut back on its purchases.

Even if the law to allow GM soy is approved, Roberto Requiao, governor of the leading agricultural state of Parana, a major producer and shipper of soybeans is standing firm. He has ordered that the major port of Paranagua, in his state, be closed to GM crops, and has also threatened to close highways to trucks hauling them.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4518

+ HAWAII DEMOCRATIC STATE CONVENTION PASSES TOUGH GM RESOLUTION
The GMO Resolution passed during the 2004 Democratic State Convention of the State of Hawaii, proposing tough new restrictions on GM crops, is at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4517
- and it's well worth reading!

Hawaii has been at the epicentre of the biotech onslaught in the US with more field tests taking place there than in any other State. But as the cost has become clearer, in terms of massive contamination, Hawaii is turning into an increasingly hostile environment for the industry.

A recent report on an upcoming election in Hawaii noted that of the candidates from all political parties, including Democratic and Republican, "Regarding the controversial genetically modified organisms (GMOs), no one supported open-air testing".
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4517

+ MONSANTO'S ROYALTY GRAB IN ARGENTINA
A brilliant "dramatic comedy in three acts" subtitled, "How corporations get their way with a little help from their friends in government" from GRAIN is at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4498

It's well worth reading in full and should be mandatory reading for all governments. In Argentina, Monsanto at first turned a blind eye when farmers started planting GM soy illegally (i.e. without paying royalties to Monsanto). When the seed stocks were thoroughly contaminated with Monsanto's transgenes, the company moved in and demanded royalty payments from farmers. The government indulged in some outraged showmanship but then did a deal with Monsanto to arrange a tax on farmers as a way of paying the royalties.

GRAIN says, "Argentina, the first country outside of North America to start planting GM crops, is a case in point. But the same pattern is being reproduced around the world, as with GM cotton in India and West Africa. The story of what has happened in Argentina should serve as a stark warning of what occurs when GM agriculture takes root."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4498

+ MORE ON THE RISE OF HUNGER IN GM-FILLED ARGENTINA
Another excellent article from GRAIN is at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4499

Excerpt:
"The rise of the soybean has been accompanied by massive increases in hunger and malnutrition in a country long accustomed to producing 10 times as much food as the population required. The consequences of growing GM soya include a massive exodus from the countryside and ecological devastation. Now soya is being imposed on Argentinians as an alternative to traditional foods."

+ ARGENTINA: FILM ON DEFORESTATION CENSORED
The manager of a cinema owned by local authorities in the northeastern Argentine province of Salta cancelled the screening of a film on the damages caused by deforestation in neighbouring Chaco province.

According to Salta filmmaker Alejandro Arros, the decision was based on the fear that showing the film could be interpreted as a hostile act against similar environmental policies followed by the local government.

Arros said that his production company had invited his colleague Alejandro Fernandez Moujan to show Solo se escucha el viento (Only the Wind Can Be Heard), a short documentary that graphically exposes the impact on the forests and local residents of Chaco of the bulldozers used to clear farmland for planting transgenic soy. But "blaming pressure from the government," the manager called off the screening, said Arros.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4498

+ CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY IN BIOTECH BATTLE
California State University's biotechnology program is taking a stand against efforts to ban GM crops in four counties - the first political foray of its kind for the 17-year-old program. While the announcement gives a boost to opponents of four November anti-biotech ballot measures, it also raises questions for some about publicly funded institutions taking sides on an issue that divides Californians.

"It's predictable but continually disappointing and, I think, outrageous," Renata Brillinger of Californians for GE-Free Agriculture, said of the CSU endorsement.

Biotech prohibitions already are in place in Mendocino and Trinity counties. Proposals to ban the growing of biotech crops are on Nov. 2 ballots in Butte, Marin, Humboldt and San Luis Obispo counties, making this election critical for an emerging technology with substantial implications for California agriculture.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4522

+ CALIFORNIA: GM LOBBY MONEY SKIPS MARIN COUNTY
Money is pouring into agriculture-rich Butte and San Luis Obispo counties to fight Nov. 2 ballot measures banning GM crops - but Marin opponents say no one is flashing a bankroll there.

"We've not been offered any money; we probably wouldn't take it anyway," said Henry Grossi, board president of the Marin County Farm Bureau. "We like to be fair and balanced; we don't want someone to turn around and say, 'You're Monsanto's guinea pig.'"
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4523

In Mendocino County the industry (via CropLife America) threw more than half a million dollars at the ballot and lost. They were seen as the big outside vested interests trying to push the locals around. So now the lobbying is being done via local sources - farm bureaus, farm press etc. - and is presented as local farmers standing up for their rights in the face of, what Harry Cline of Western Farm Press dubs, "out-of-staters", socialists and the equivalent of the KKK.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4453

Harry shows no equivalent concern about the Farm Bureau, which has passed resolutions opposing the Voting Rights Act - the cornerstone of US civil rights protection, the Equal Rights Amendment, gun control and an increase in the minimum wage. Some Farm Bureaus have also been notable amongst those who have formed alliances with the so-called Wise Use movement to lobby against environmental regulations.
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=267
For more on CropLife America
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=159

+ MORE ON CANADIAN FARMERS' RIGHTS TO SAVE SEED
GM WATCH has received a comment from Phil Bereano, Professor of Engineering at the University of Washington, on the Canadian press article on the Schmeiser decision that we circulated, "Monsanto Victory Plants Seed of Privatisation".
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4484

This article said that the Schmeiser decision and a recent Seed Review by industry threaten Canadian farmers' rights to save seed. It quotes Bill Leask, executive director of the Canadian Seed Trade Association, as saying that in Canada, "I don't think farmers ought to have a legal right to save seeds."

Here's an excerpt from Phil's comment:

If one READS the Schmeiser decision, I think you'll see that the Court specifically says that the Seed Saving statute is still valid. Leask is wrong, and is misleading the press (spin, I guess) because he is representing the industry (and we know what their standards of morality are). Percy was not found to have infringed because he SAVED the seed but because he SOLD it (illegal under that Act)...
More at: http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4502

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ASIA
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+ DID BT COTTON FAIL AGAIN?
In India, Bt cotton has been outperformed by non-GM cotton for 2 years in a row. The third and final year trial for Bt cotton is now underway, according to an article in the Star of Mysore. Facts and figures are at
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4505

+ INDIAN FIRMS TO OFFER BT COTTON SEEDS
Several Indian companies are getting ready to sell GM Bt cotton seeds.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4515

+ MEDIA TRAINING FOR ASIA'S MEDIA C/O ISAAA!
A three-day South Asia media workshop on "Agricultural Biotechnology" has just taken place in Hyderabad, India, in which the biotech-industry backed ISAAA has been involved.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=71167

It is the first of several such workshops planned to take place in Asian countries. According to the Financial Express, the aim of the workshops is "training mediapersons in their reportage on modern biotechnology". Among the speakers at the media workshop are "several scientists working in multinational companies".
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=66656

ISAAA has multi-million dollar funding from Bayer, Cargill, Dow, Monsanto, Novartis, Pioneer, Syngenta, in addition to foundations and Western governmental funding agencies. Its board of Directors has contained leading biotech industry executives.
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=66&page=I

In the interests of reassuring journalists about GM crop regulation, Dr RP Sharma of the National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology told the media workshop that India's regulatory authority "followed necessary procedures in time while approving the country's first transgenic crop [bt cotton]".
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=71167

By contrast, GM proponents in India have been calling for the fast-tracking of GM crops, complaining in the words of former Syngenta man, Dr Shantu Shantaram, "all we have is one stupid Bt cotton to talk about"!

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AUSTRALASIA
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+ NORTHERN TERRITORY GOVT STANDS FIRM AGAINST GM COTTON
The Northern Territory Government says growing GM cotton would be damaging to the Territory's reputation. The Territory Opposition says cotton farming could be considered around the second stage of the Ord River, on the Territory-Western Australian border. But the Opposition has ruled out growing cotton in areas like the Douglas Daly.

The Minister for Primary Industry Kon Vatskalis says the Government is standing by its decision not to support the introduction of cotton farming anywhere in the Territory. "If we want to continue to sell food from the Territory to promote the Territory as the origin of good quality food, clean food green food, we have to actually safeguard our other products from the perceptions of public," he said.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4503

+ REVEALED: SITES OF GM CANOLA CROPS
The State Government has revealed the locations of two GM canola sites in the South-East. Agriculture Minister Rory McEwen has disclosed the locations of the sites - totalling 18 hectares - following pressure from Democrats MLC Ian Gilfillan. Agricultural research giant Bayer CropScience is paying two farmers - at Lucindale and Padthaway - to allow the controversial crops to be grown on their properties.

Mr Gilfillan, who obtained the information through a Freedom of Information request, says he intends to reveal the exact addresses to any concerned neighbouring farmers and the public.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4503

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NEW CAMPAIGN
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+ WORLD CONSUMER BODY LAUNCHES GM CAMPAIGN
Consumers International, the worldwide federation of consumer organisations, is launching a campaign to press for a moratorium on GMOs in seeds, crops and foodstuffs, while putting stringent safeguards in place for GM foods already in the market.

The campaign aims to stop the spread of GM crops until internationally agreed regulations are in place and there are clear benefits to consumers, farmers and the environment. At present about two-thirds of GM crops are grown in the USA, with the remainder in a few key countries. Most countries have not switched to GM crops, in part because of widespread consumer resistance to GM foods.

In regard to existing GM foods the CI campaign will focus on four areas. It will aim to ensure that all GM foods are subjected to rigorous, independent safety testing, are adequately labelled, and traceable back to their origin; and that producers are held liable for environmental or health damage which they may cause.

The campaign will begin in Thailand. The campaign will be launched at a press conference in Bangkok on Sunday, 10 October.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4507

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LOBBYWATCH - UK
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+ UPCOMING SPINWATCH EVENT
Spinwalk at the European Social Forum on Friday 15 October 2004
Join the SpinWatch guided walk of some of the key PR and lobbying offices in London. This event will be of interest to activists interested in corporate propaganda (including biotech) who are in London for the European Social Forum.

The walk begins at 9.15 outside University of London Union on the corner of Malet Street and Torrington Place, opposite Waterstone's bookshop and will last approximately three hours (including a break along the way!). Numbers are limited. Please book by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+ GENETICS MEETINGS AT THE EUROPEAN SOCIAL FORUM
London - October 14-17
GeneWatch is working with other groups to organise a series of seminars and workshops on genetics and related issues at this year's European Social Forum. These meetings will be an ideal opportunity to meet and discuss the important issues with others from Europe and around the world. Meeting details: http://www.genewatch.org/esf.htm
You can find out more and how to register (GBP20-GBP30 for individuals for three days) at: www.fse-esf.org
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4516

+ SCIENCE TV 'DEBATES' FIXED BY USUAL SUSPECTS
A little while back Channel 5 TV in the UK upset big pharma and related interests when it ran a drama programme about the possible link of the MMR vaccine to autism. The drama was followed by a debate featuring Dr Mike Fitzpatrick - part of the LM network - and Evan Harris MP, who were among those attacking the programme makers and the critics of the MMR vaccine.

Channel 5 has obviously been heavily lobbied to make amends as now it is to run a series of science "debates" on "controversial issues such as fertility, the 5-in-1 vaccine, stem cell research and cloning", which are billed as "providing everyone with the chance to have a say on science" but do the exact opposite to judge from the panel below.

The 4 panelists include:
+LM-er Mike Fitzpatrick
+Evan Harris MP (virulently pro-GM, etc.)
+Mark Henderson of The Times whose headlines on GM say it all:
*GM grass to put club golfers on par with the best
*GM crops could revive endangered wildlife
*GM cotton boon for Indian farmers
*Bananas 'will slip into extinction without GM'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=947 and
+Stephen Minger, an embryonic stem cell pioneer

The panel appears to have been dreamt up by Susan Greenfield's Royal Institution whose science Media Centre is headed by Fiona Fox - also part of the LM group like Fitzpatrick. LM's specialty is organising debates which are supposedly balanced but actually carefully orchestrated to promote their own agenda - see here for more:
http://www.lobbywatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=40&page=1
Also on Fox
http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=45

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