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Mothers for Natural LawInternational News on Genetic Engineering in AgricultureBiweekly News 99/12/15[Delayed by editor's flu] Thanks to Dennis Dey, Richard Wolfson, and NLP Wessex for these items.
Articles have been aggressively shortened. ------------------ http://www.the-news.net/ THE NEWS FRONT PAGE STORY - 11/12/1999 Ministry Confirms 15 Varieties of GM Maize Growing in Portugal Without Any Safety Measures The Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture has admitted exclusively to THE NEWS that it has allowed two varieties of GM corn to be grown extensively throughout the Alentejo, Ribatejo and the north of Portugal without any safety measures, writes Siobhan Mitchell. The government this week revealed that there are no fewer than 15 different experimental varieties of GM maize being grown in a cluster of sites centred around Coimbra and Santarem. In answer to detailed questioning from THE NEWS in a joint investigation with the Sunday Times, Agriculture Ministry spokesman Augusto Vilela admitted for the first time that no steps whatsoever have been taken to prevent the contamination of non-GM crops or to prevent the spread of pollen from transgenic corn fields. In declarations that will shock consumers, he said there were no 'safety distances' between fields growing GM corn and those growing ordinary crops because "there is no need to set down any conditions or specific criteria when it comes to the use of genetically-modified organisms." Vilela added there was therefore no system of safety checks or penalties in operation, and that local authorities are also kept in the dark. He denied that the government had been leant on by multinational GM giants Monsanto and Novartis to keep the locations of crop sites secret, but admitted that it was government policy not to disclose the information to the public. "We are not aware of any request (from Monsanto or Novartis). It is not the Ministry of Agriculture's policy to give out information about the activities of farmers." When asked about where the GM maize was likely to end up, Vilela answered that the government had no idea. "The Ministry of Agriculture does not keep tabs on the commercial transactions of these products," he admitted, adding that there were no legal impediments to stop it from entering the food chain. He also said that some GM maize would be used in animal feed for meat products that could end up on local supermarket shelves. ------------------ 04:57 p.m Dec 07, 1999 Eastern Brazil State Pays Farmers to Rip Out GM Soybeans By Phil Stewart SAO PAULO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's southernmost state will launch what may be the world's first-ever crop substitution programme aimed at weeding out genetically modified (GM) crops, a top state official said Tuesday. Treating GM soybeans like drug plants, the state will offer farmers a total of 10 million reais (US$5.37 million) in special low-interest loans if they rip out the lab-enhanced soy -- illegal throughout Brazil -- and replant normal varieties. "What we are telling them it is better to lose seedlings than lose their entire crop," said Rio Grande do Sul state's agriculture secretary, Jose Hermeto Hoffmann. Brazil, the world's second-largest soybean producer, is the last major competitor to top grower United States who has not followed the North American country down the transgenic trail... Hoffmann's promise to burn down GM crops has met with fierce resistance in many municipalities, where illegal planting was so widespread that they passed now-stricken laws authorising GM planting. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Agence France Presse
US Corn Growers Urged to Test Non Genetically Modified Seeds The American Corn Growers Association (ACGA) on Tuesday called on US farmers who plant non genetically modified crops to test their seeds following the discovery of evidence of contamination by genetically modified seeds. Genetic ID, a pioneer in testing of genetically modified organisms (GMO), said its laboratory detected the presence of transgenic seeds in 45 percent of the 20 traditional seed corn varieties it tested, largely due to contamination of fields, ACGA and Genetic ID said in a joint statement. "Farmers who are seeking to sell to the non-GMO markets must protect themselves by getting their seeds tested," said Gary Goldberg, ACGA chief executive officer. "If we are to maintain our export markets and possibly gain non-GMO premiums, we have to take steps to guarantee the purity of our crops," he added. In October, 16 Japanese consumer groups had sent a letter to US agribusiness groups urging them to export products that contain less than 0.1 percent of transgenic seeds. Copyright 1999 Agence France Presse ------------------ 03:28 a.m. Dec 14, 1999 Eastern Japan to Tighten GMO Approval Procedures By Aya Takada TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Japan's health ministry said on Tuesday it would not approve any more genetically modified foods pending the introduction of tighter regulations next April. Under the new procedures it will be mandatory for suppliers of GM foods to pass the ministry's safety checks and the import of foods containing unapproved genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will be banned. The rules are being tightened in response to criticism by consumers who say the current system, whereby suppliers seek approval under the ministry's food safety guidelines on a voluntary basis, is too lax... Nishimoto [director general of the ministry's environmental health bureau] also said GM foods that are confirmed as safe under the new procedures will have to be clearly labelled as such, possibly from April 2001... Japan started importing bio-engineered crops in 1996. So far it has approved 29 GM varieties of seven crops -- corn, soybeans, rapeseed, potatoes, cotton, tomatoes and sugar beet -- for import and sale under its food safety guidelines. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ 01:09 a.m. Dec 09, 1999 Eastern EPA Mulls Stricter Testing for Transgenic Crops By Julie Vorman WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seed companies developing genetically modified crops may be required to conduct an array of new tests to detect any harmful effects for mallard ducks, rainbow trout, honeybees, and other wildlife, scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday. An EPA scientific advisory panel is drafting new requirements to ensure that biotech crops are safe for the environment at the same time several international groups, foreign governments and other U.S. agencies are taking a closer look at the controversial plants. The EPA panel met on Wednesday to consider requiring more test data from seed companies to ensure that genetically altered canola, squash, soybeans, corn and other crops are safe for wildlife, the soil, and water sources. "The eyes of the world are on this meeting," said Dr. Steven Galson, director of EPA's pesticide science policy... EPA scientists believe "that the unique and novel aspects of plant-pesticides indicate that there should be testing guidelines and data requirements specific for these products," he added... ...The advisory panel is also scheduled to make recommendations to the EPA in February about what kinds of human health data companies should provide. Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ The Gazette (Montreal)
Novartis to Spin Off Chemicals:
by Dane Hamilton ...The chairmen of Ciba-Geigy AG and Sandoz AG were among the first to commit their companies to genetic research and other "life sciences," and quit the boom-and-bust business of making plastics, dyes and detergents from oil. In 1996, they agreed to a $36-billion merger that created Novartis AG. Yesterday, Novartis abandoned that vision. The Swiss company said it will spin off its farm-chemicals business, the world's biggest, and merge it with a similar unit to be spun off by the British life-sciences company AstraZeneca PLC. The new firm, Syngenta, will have 24 per cent of the $32.6-billion farm-chemicals market. Copyright 1999 Southam Inc. ------------------ Biotech Crop Allegations Against Monsanto Detailed WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Six corn and soybean farmers from Indiana, Iowa and France filed a class action lawsuit on Tuesday against Monsanto Co , accusing the company of trying to monopolize genetically modified crops and failing to thoroughly test the products for safety. Monsanto denied the charges and said it would fight the lawsuit. Also named in the court case as co-conspirators were Novartis AG, DuPont Co, Dow Chemical Co, and AstraZeneca Plc. Lawyers for the farmers said the companies were not formally charged as defendants in the case, but could be added to the lawsuit in the future. Monsanto was named as the defendant because it is the "hub of the genetically modified industry and the other companies are the spokes," attorney Michael Hausfeld said... Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ Genetically Engineered DNA Found in Honey All Canadian honey is now suspect, as traces of oilseed rape DNA have already been detected in several brands. FAVOUR ORGANIC HONEY as attempts are made to preserve wide margins between hives and GM or agrochemical-sprayed crops. Source: GM Foods and How to Avoid Them - wkweb4.cableinet.co.uk/pbrown/index.htm. ------------------ http://www.nature.com/server-java/Propub/nature/402480A0.pdf
Transgenic Plants: Insecticidal toxin in root exudates from Bt corn Bt corn is corn (Zea mays) that has been genetically modified to express insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis to kill lepidopteran pests feeding on these plants. Here we show that Bt toxin is released into the rhizosphere soil in root exudates from Bt corn... Larvae placed on medium containing exudates from Bt corn stopped feeding and began to die after 2 to 3 days and had a mortality of 90 to 95% after 5 days (dose lethal to 50% of larvae, LC50, was 5.2 mu.g protein). There was no immunological reaction or larval mortality obtained with the exudates from non-Bt corn... About 15 million acres of Bt corn were planted in the United States in 1998, which was just under 20% of the total acreage of corn. The Bt toxin that is released into soil from roots during the growth of a Bt corn crop would add to the amount of toxin introduced into soil from pollen during tasselling and as a result of the incorporation of plant residues after harvesting the crop. We have no indication of how soil communities might be affected by Bt toxin in root exudates in the field. Bt toxin in the rhizosphere might improve the control of insect pests, or it might promote the selection of toxin-resistant target insects. Receptors for the toxin are present in non-target as well as target insects, so there may be a risk that non-target insects and organisms in higher trophic levels could be affected by the toxin. Further investigations will be necessary to shed light on what might happen underground. Nature Copyright Macmillan Publishers Ltd 1999 Registered No. 785998 England. ------------------ 12:59 p.m. Dec 13, 1999 Eastern EU Takes Tough Stand on GMO Trade Negotiations BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) - European Union environment ministers called on Monday for the rapid conclusion of a tough and binding global pact to regulate trade in genetically modified commodities. Ministers approved the EU's negotiating position for talks in Montreal, Canada next month on a long-delayed international Biosafety Protocol under the auspices of the United Nations. The agreement promises the EU will take a tough line in what is supposed to be the last round of talks, according to a copy of the final text. "We got very strong backing for a tough negotiating position," said Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen, spokeswoman for EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom. "Ministers stressed the need for an agreement to be struck now and said this protocol must not be subordinated to World Trade Organisation rules.".. The EU will also call for the Protocol to have equal legal status with international trade agreements, including any future WTO accord... Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. ------------------ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is compiled for educational use only. |
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