1.Pioneer illegally distribute GM seed in Croatia!
2.Bayer to Pay $66 Mln to Settle Price Fixing Charge that "harmed millions of American consumers"
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1.Pioneer illegally distribute GM seed in Croatia!
From: "osjecki zeleni" <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date: 15 July 2004 23:22:58 BST
Subject: Pioneer illegally distribute GM seed in Croatia
Battle to stop GMO

After scandalous results of laboratory analyses of food products from croatian markets, when GMO was found in one of them and few was suspicios, another GMO scandal is shaking the country.

Croatian branch of Pioneer Hi-Bred International (1) distributed GM seed to farmers and companies in the country, announced Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management (2). During next ten days, 2000 hectares of maize will be destroyed to withold contamination of other crops. Despite priceless environmental and economic damage, national legislation prescribe certain financial punishments for illegal distributers of GM seed. According to minister of agriculture Mr Petar Cobankovic, the Pioneer will pay conviction of aproximatelly 150.000 EUR and financial satisfaction to farmers and companies who bought their seed.

On 9 July, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management released [the information] that sample of certain maize and soybeen seeds is positive on GMO and yesterday announced the name of distributer Croatian branch of Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the company which suplies more than 40% of country's agriculture market and is leading seed distributor in the country.

Petar Cobankovic, minister of agriculture, brought Decree on security measures and protection from uncontrolled emission of hybrid maize «PR34G13» (3), and called farmers to denounce contaminated crops.

Official calculations said it is likely that more than 2000 hectares is contaminated, but [the] right number of crops will [only] be known if farmers and companies would cooperate. All maize crops in Croatia covers huge territory of 300 400 thousand hectares.

PUBLIC IS WORRIED FOR HEALTH AND NATURE

All Croatian public media covers this case with high attention. In spite of claims of small number of scientists that health damage from GMO is not argumentative, general public state is strictly opposing all kinds of GMO. Some newspapers commentaries ask for "Dracon[ian] convictions for GM polluters". Voice of Slavonija, newspapers distributed in Slavonija (most agricultural region in the country) published article about companies who cooperate with Pioneer. Most of them are small, in proces of privatisation and after this scandal it is unknown if will survive. Their directors said that received specific Pioneer's letter that "their seed is GMO free".

Although Pioneer deny results of analyses in todays press release, farmers who forgotten what they bought, can check their fields and if see "maize with six legs" then must denounce it to competent veterinarian inspection. [presumably, this is a Croatian joke?!!!]

GMO FREE CROATIA!

Environmental NGOs demanded GMO free Croatia zone five years ago. After discovering field GM trial in Slavonija region, environmental NGO Osijek Greens (4) urged and introduced public with biotechology near their towns demanding destructions and stopping of distribution of GM seed. Now, parliament opposition is demanding the same.

In todays press release, Osijek Greens remind that they discovered field trials with GM seed "clarrisa" and "evelyn", in 1999, and called on destroying these fields too.

Kruno Kartus
 
Links:
1.     http://www.pioneer.com/croatia/default.htm
2.     http://www.mps.hr/eng/ministarstvo/
3.     http://www.pioneer.com/croatia/proizvodi/kukuruza/pr34g13.htm
4.     http://www.zeleni.hr/
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Osjecki zeleni / Osijek Greens
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D. Neumana 2
31000 Osijek
Croatia
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faks/tel: ++385-31-368-730
www.zeleni.hr
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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2.Bayer to Pay $66 Mln to Settle Price Fixing Charge
c/o Coalition against BAYER-dangers
http://www.cbgnetwork.org/index2.htm
July 15, 2004

Bayer AG, Germany's second-biggest drug and chemical maker, agreed to pay $66 million to settle a U.S. charge it participated in a global conspiracy to fix prices of chemicals used to make rubber. Bayer agreed to assist the government's investigation that has already netted the guilty plea of Crompton Corp., which was fined $50 million for its role in the cartel, the Justice Department said. European Union and Canadian authorities are also investigating the cartel.

Bayer agreed to plead guilty in federal court in San Francisco to one charge of conspiring with other participants to fix prices between 1995 and 2001.

The plea bargain "is an important step in our prosecution of a cartel that harmed millions of American consumers who use a broad spectrum of products manufactured with rubber chemicals," said R. Hewitt Pate, the Justice Department's chief antitrust enforcer. The guilty plea will expose Bayer to possible civil damages sought by tiremakers and other purchasers of chemicals for making synthetic rubber.

Civil Damages

Prosecutors said Bayer representatives participated in meetings with other companies where prices were
set for rubber chemicals used to improve the elasticity, strength and durability of rubber used in tires, outdoor furniture, hoses, belts and footwear.

Bayer, Crompton and BASF AG, the world's largest chemical maker, have been named in at least 13 antitrust lawsuits filed in U.S. courts accusing the companies of fixing prices for urethane, a component of plastics and synthetic rubber used to make conveyer belts, tires, gaskets and soles for shoes.

In May, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the largest North American tire maker, accused Crompton, Bayer and other companies of conspiring to overcharge for ethylene propylene diene monomer, or EPDM, synthetic rubber. The Goodyear lawsuit also names Polimeri Europa SpA of Italy and DSM Elastomers BV in the Netherlands.

Joint Venture

DuPont Dow Elastomers LLC, a joint venture of the two largest U.S. chemical companies, has agreed to pay $36 million to settle antitrust claims by customers it overcharged for neoprene, a synthetic rubber. A federal judge in Washington gave preliminary approval last month to the settlement, according to documents on the court's Web site.

DuPont Co., based in Wilmington, Delaware, has agreed to pay 100 percent of any liability of the joint venture up to $150 million and 75 percent of any amount exceeding that figure, DuPont and Dow Chemical Co. said in April.

Freudenberg-NOK, an auto parts joint venture of Germany's Freudenberg & Co. and Japan's NOK Corp., also accused Dow, DuPont and Crompton of fixing prices in a separate suit filed in San Francisco.

American depositary receipts of Bayer, each representing one ordinary share, dropped 17 cents to $27.80 at 3:48 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. (Bloomberg)