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Mothers for Natural LawInternational News on Genetic Engineering in AgricultureBiweekly News 99/06/04Thanks to Cliff Kinzel and Richard Wolfson for these items.
Articles have been aggressively shortened. ------------------ Christian Aid Demands a Five-Year Freeze on Technology And Calls for Block on 'Suicide Seeds' By JOHN VIDAL GUARDIAN (London) Monday May 10, 1999 The introduction of genetically modified crops to the world's poorest countries could lead to famine instead of feeding more than 800m hungry people worldwide, says Christian Aid. In a major report today the charity argues that GM crops are 'irrelevant' to ending world hunger, will concentrate power in too few hands and will strip small farmers of their independence. It also condemns 'suicide seeds' that contain a terminator gene which makes the next generation of seeds sterile, forcing farmers to buy new seed every year. Currently, 80% of crops in the developing world are from saved seed. Christian Aid says the consequences of such massive influence on the world food supply could be one of the most serious developments in history. It says: 'GM crops are ... creating classic preconditions for hunger and famine. A food supply based on too few varieties of patented crops are the worst option for food security. More dependence and marginalisation loom for the poorest.' The report, which used research in Brazil, India and Ethiopia, is a major challenge to the life sciences industry, led by a handful of giant chemical and agri-business firms... Christian Aid says that large farmers are the only ones to benefit from GM technology. Indian research showed that land reform and simple irrigation can boost crops by 50%, against 10% increases from GM crops. Christian Aid called for a five-year freeze on GM crops and for new resources to be put into sustainable and organic farming. ------------------ UK Medical Group Urges Moratorium on GM Crops LONDON, May 17 (Reuters) - The British Medical Association (BMA) called on Monday for a moratorium on the planting of genetically modified crops until there is a scientific consensus on their long-term impact on the environment. "Once the GM genie is out of the bottle, the impact on the environment is likely to be irreversible," said Sir William Asscher, the chairman of the BMA's Board of Science and Education. "If you get it wrong, it's really wrong." Asscher said the professional group recommended a precautionary approach in a report on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) because any adverse effect could be permanent and pose serious risks to the environment and human health. The report entitled "The Impact of Genetic Modification on Agriculture, Food and Health" said more scientific evidence is needed about the risks or benefits of GMOs. It recommended that GMOs should not be released into the environment until scientists are sure they are safe. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Most Food Groups 'Give Way on GM Ingredients' By Vanessa Houlder May 26, 1999, Wednesday LONDON EDITION 1 Nearly all of the UK's leading food manufacturers have removed, or are removing, genetically modified ingredients from their food products, according to a survey published today. The survey, by Friends of the Earth, the environmental campaign group, found that 24 of the 30 largest food producers are either GM-free already or are going GM-free... Seven European supermarket chains have formed a consortium to eliminate genetically modified crops and derivatives from their own-label food products. Members include J. Sainsbury; Carrefour, France's largest retailer; Migros, Switzerland's largest food chain; Delhaize of Belgium; Marks and Spencer; Ireland's Superquinn and Effelunga of Italy. Copyright 1999 The Financial Times Limited Financial Times (London) ------------------ Nestle Spain Unit Bans GM Foods 10:48 a.m. May 26, 1999 Eastern By David Brough LISBON, Spain (Reuters) - The Spanish subsidiary of leading food group Nestle SA has banned use of genetically modified (GM) ingredients due to consumer concerns over possible health risks, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. "Nestle's Spanish subsidiary does not authorize the use of genetically modified ingredients in its products," spokeswoman Mercedes Mata said in a telephone interview from the group's offices in Barcelona. "If we could not guarantee that a product did not include GM ingredients, we would withdraw the product," she added. She said Nestle Espana had told its suppliers in recent months that they must certify that ingredients were not genetically modified. The Spanish subsidiary of the Swiss-based group, which adopted its position on GM foods independently of other Nestle units, had its own laboratories to verify that its suppliers were providing GM-free ingredients, Mata said. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Large Canada Corn Miller Turns Down GM Corn 02:26 p.m May 21, 1999 Eastern By Irene Marushko WINNIPEG, May 21 (Reuters) - CASCO Inc., a major Canadian corn miller and a division of U.S.-based Corn Products International Inc. (CPO.N), said on Friday it would refuse to buy genetically modified (GM) corn from farmers, for fear of losing European customers. "For us to continue our relations with the European Community, we cannot have any GM corn not approved by Europe," CASCO spokeswoman Shelley Wybo said. The Ontario Corn Producers' Association (OCPA) said this week it would segregate country elevators that accept all corn from those that take only non-GM corn, in accordance with requests by CASCO and another corn buyer, NACAN. Several U.S. companies including Cargill Inc., the world's largest grain merchant, said last month they would avoid buying corn varieties for processing that have not yet been approved in Europe... Decatur, Illinois-based processors Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM.N) and A.E. Staley and Co., a unit of British food conglomerate Tate and Lyle Plc (TATE.L), previously said they would avoid seven GM corn varieties awaiting approval in the EU. Wybo said CASCO had a list of about 20 varieties of GM corn that it would not accept. The corn producers' Cowan said, "CASCO is such a large user of Ontario corn, we will service whatever our customers require." The statement said the small amount of GM corn grown in Ontario would help to ensure that non-GM corn would not be mixed with GM corn through pollination. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited ------------------ Pollen from GM Corn Harms Butterfly Larvae - Study 03:11 p.m May 19, 1999 Eastern By Patricia Reaney LONDON (Reuters) - In what could be a damaging indictment against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), U.S. scientists said pollen from corn engineered to reduce pests killed monarch caterpillars in laboratory tests. The hybrid crop, known as Bt-corn, is safe for human consumption and it does not seem to harm honey bees or ladybirds but it produces a pollen, dispersed by the wind, that can be harmful to monarch larvae. "It's certainly a serious potential problem," John Losey, of Cornell University, said in a telephone interview. "If it's really having an impact on a large proportion of the population (of monarch butterflies) I think it is a very serious problem." Bt-corn has genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis spliced into the plant genes, making it resistant to a hard-to-control pest called the European corn borer. Last year more than 7 million acres of the crop were planted by U.S. farmers. The genetically modified (GM) plants produce a pollen containing crystalline exdotoxin from the bacterium genes. The pollen can be blown more than 60 yards onto plants outside the corn fields, including the milkweed that monarchs feed on. Losey and his team fed monarchs milkweed dusted with the pollen from Bt-corn. Their research, published in the science journal Nature, showed the butterflies ate less than those fed on normal milkweed and nearly half of the larvae died. Although the research is limited to laboratory tests and there is no evidence of what effect the transformed pollen has on monarch butterflies in the field, the study highlights some of the worst fears about the effects of GMOs on the environment. "Monarchs are considered to be a flagship species for conservation. This is a warning bell," said Linda Rayor, a co-author of the study. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Biotech Industry Urges Caution on Butterfly Study 02:15 a.m. May 21, 1999 Eastern CHICAGO (Reuters) - ...The Biotechnology Industry Organization, a Washington, D.C.-based group representing more than 850 biotechnology companies, universities and research centers, said that the Cornell study needed further evaluation and context. "Even if the reported results are validated, there are strong reasons to believe they are not relevant to monarch caterpillars in the wild," the group said. "Ongoing monitoring of Bt corn fields by companies since their introduction further shows that very little pollen lands on adjacent milkweed leaves. It is thus highly likely that in the natural setting, outside the laboratory, most monarch larvae would never encounter significant amounts of corn pollen. This means the real potential for any negative impact is negligible," the industry group said... Monsanto stressed that the use of GM crops in recent years has sharply reduced the amounts of chemicals used in fields. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Brazil Clears Sales of Monsanto Roundup Ready Soy SAO PAULO, May 17 (Reuters) - Brazil officially ended its ban on the commercial planting of genetically-modified crops on Monday by approving the sale of Roundup Ready soybean seeds produced by the local arm of U.S. life sciences giant Monsanto Co. , a spokesman at the Agriculture Ministry said. The long-awaited announcement closes months of legal footwork by Monsanto officials, who have been cutting through red-tape to clear sales of the transgenic crop since it won safety approval from the government last September. "Starting today (Monday) they can produce and sell five varieties of Roundup Ready seeds," said spokesman Tito Matos de Souza. "I do not have any other technical information right now," he added. Officials at Monsanto did not immediately return phone calls. In previous interviews, however, company executives estimated within three years Roundup Ready soybeans will cover half of Brazil's 13 million hectare soybean crop, the world's second-largest. Roundup Ready still faces opposition from a loose association of farmers in Brazil's top three producing states, who fear they will lose business to transgenic weary European consumers. Such genetically-modified crops have been dubbed "Frankenstein foods" in Europe. Brazil's third-largest producing state of Rio Grande do Sul is attempting to illegalize in-state planting, in defiance of the federal decision. Top producing Parana and Mato Grosso states are working on ways to certify some farming cooperatives as "transgenic-free." Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ German GM Crops Seen in 2000-2002 at Earliest GOETTINGEN, Germany, May 27 (Reuters) - Cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Germany may start some time between 2000 and 2002, a paper by Bernward Maerlaender of the Institute for Sugar Beet Research in Goettingen said. Some 26 GM crops were being assessed by the national licensing authority Bundessortenamt (BSA), but approval by European Union (EU) authorities was also needed, he said. The paper was prepared for delivery on Thursday at an arable crops seminar organised by German agribusiness organisation DLG. The products first in line for approval in Germany were pest resistant maize (Bt-maize), herbicide-tolerant rapeseed, maize and sugar beet, and rapeseed with modified fatty acid content, Maerlaender said. Beet, rapeseed and maize able to tolerate the herbicides Roundup Ultra and Liberty were especially promising as they offered improved weed management and soil stability as well as possible cost savings. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Roundup Ready Soy Yields http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/wisconsinRRsoyatrials98.htm Recent work carried out by the University of Wisconsin revealed lower yields from "Roundup Ready" GM soya compared with non-GM varieties at 17 out of 21 trial locations across 9 states in Northern US, harvest 1998. ------------------ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is compiled for educational use only. |
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