WEEKLY WATCH number 245
from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:
Monsanto's GM hormone, Posilac (rBGH), takes another massive body blow with Wal-Mart the latest to reject it (THE TIPPING POINT).
Don't miss some important articles explaining the top 12 hunger myths and giving 10 reasons why organic agriculture can feed the world, and another 10 why GM won't (HUNGER BY NUMBERS).
And there's an important action you can take to support Euro commissioner Dimas in his commendable stance over GMOs (ACTION OF THE WEEK).
Claire This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.gmwatch.org / http://www.lobbywatch.org
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CONTENTS
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THE TIPPING POINT
MONSANTO MOVIE LATEST
EUROPE
AFRICA
HUNGER BY NUMBERS
THE AMERICAS
ASIA
LOBBYWATCH
AUSTRALASIA
MONSANTO MOVIE
ACTION OF THE WEEK
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AGROFUELS
GENETIC CROSSROADS
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THE TIPPING POINT
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+ WAL-MART GOES GM-HORMONE FREE
Canada's Globe and Mail reports that last Thursday was 'the day the ground shifted'. Giant food retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced that its store brand milk in the United States will now come exclusively from cows not treated with Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormones (rBGH). The move, says the Globe and Mail, sends a powerful signal to food manufacturers about what consumers want. 'It's reached the tipping point,' says Ronnie Cummins, director of the Organic Consumers Association in the U.S., 'Even Wal-Mart's customers are demanding milk free from genetically engineered hormones.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8915
+ FILMS ON YOUTUBE
Check out this short film 'You and your milk (MONSANTO)'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67z6s3V8M4g
And the excellent 'Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axU9ngbTxKw&NR=1
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MONSANTO MOVIE LATEST
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+ A DOCUMENTARY AMERICANS WON'T EVER SEE
Siv O'Neall comments on the powerful new film about Monsanto by French journalist and film maker Marie-Monique Robin, entitled 'The World According to Monsanto' (Le Monde selon Monsanto).
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8905
+ HOW TO BUY THE FILM AS AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE DVD
The only way to buy the film Le Monde Salon Monsanto at the moment seems to be to dowload this form, which is in English, as a pdf at:
http://www.arteboutique.com/media/pdf/bon_commande_en.pdf
You'll need to print the form, fill it in and post it to Arte in France, it requires payment by debit/credit card and the reference no. is K8188 (English Edition) at a cost of Euros 14.99 each, plus postage as listed on the form.
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EUROPE
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+ FRENCH COUNCIL UPHOLDS DECISION ON GM CROP BAN
France's highest legal authority has upheld a government decision to ban the commercial use of the only GM crop grown in the country.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8904
+ WALES SET TO BAN GM CROPS
Proposals by the Welsh Assembly government will effectively ban GM crops from Wales. New regulations, if adopted, will set Wales apart from England in applying a strict 'polluter pays' principle that will put an end even to trial plantings.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8896
+ SCOTLAND MUST FOLLOW WALES ON GM
The Scottish Greens are calling on Scottish ministers to follow the approach of the Welsh Assembly government to GM crops, which would bring in full liability for all GM crop producers.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8902
+ SCIENTISTS DRAW UP LIST OF THREATS
Scientists have drawn up a list of 25 technological advances and environmental changes which pose a potential threat to the UK. They include the use of artificially created life, the building of microscopic robots through nanotechnology, the use of biofuels and the arrival of invasive species. Prof Bill Sutherland of Cambridge University, who led the new study, said, 'I was involved in the GM crops issue and although we did some science it struck me that we were doing it too late and that we should have identified it as a possible problem before the products came on the market.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8910
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AFRICA
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+ BENIN RENEWS MORATORIUM ON GMOs
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8897
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HUNGER BY NUMBERS
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+ 10 REASONS WHY ORGANIC CAN FEED THE WORLD
An excellent article in the latest issue of The Ecologist explains why organic farming can feed the world and solve the energy crisis. The article points out that far from being simply 'energy-lite', organic farms have the potential to become self-sufficient in energy - or even to become energy exporters. The 'Dream Farm' model, first proposed by agroscientist George Chan, sees farms feeding manure and waste from livestock and crops into biodigesters, which convert it into a methane-rich gas to be used for creating heat and electricity. The residue from these biodigesters is a crumbly, nutrient-rich fertiliser, which can be spread on soil to increase crop yields or further digested by algae and used as a fish or animal feed. The article also summarizes evidence showing organic food is more nutritious.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8883
LINK TO ACCOMPANYING REFERENCES HERE
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8903
+ 10 REASONS GM WON'T FEED THE WORLD
The arguments against GM include the industry's failure to deliver any useful GM crops.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8883
LINK TO ACCOMPANYING REFERENCES HERE
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8903
+ 12 HUNGER MYTHS
An updated version of Frances Moore Lappe's must-read, 'World Hunger: Twelve Myths'.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8884
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THE AMERICAS
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+ SCHMEISER PLEASED WITH VICTORY OVER MONSANTO
Monsanto has agreed to pay all the clean-up costs of the Roundup Ready canola that contaminated Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser's fields. Schmeiser believes this precedent-setting agreement ensures that farmers will be entitled to reimbursement when their fields become contaminated with unwanted Roundup Ready canola or other GM plants.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8906
SCHMEISER INTERVIEW ON CANADIAN RADIO
-download/open
http://media.libsyn.com/media/deconstructingdinner/DD032008.mp3
-stream
http://cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/audio/DD032008.m3u
http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/032008.htm
+ HEADS MONSANTO WINS, TAILS WE LOSE - THE MONSANTO GAMBLE
GM crops are hurting small farmers and failing to deliver increased food supply - and posing enormous, largely unknown risks to people and the planet, says Robert Weissman in the Huffington Post: 'There have been few experiments as reckless, overhyped and with as little potential upside as the rapid rollout of genetically modified crops.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8900
+ BRAZIL WRESTLES WITH DECISION ON GM CORN
Though Brazil has approved two GM varieties of corn for commercialisation, sale of the corn in the country may be delayed. The delay is due to a row between the biosafety council, which approved the corn, and the health ministry, which has announced that food containing GM corn will only be sold after it has decided that the corn offers no risk to health. Overall, Brazil seems unenthusiastic about the prospect of marketing GM corn. 'Brazilian agriculture does not need GM seeds,' said agronomist Gabriel Fernandes. He cited the case of soybeans as an example. 'We did not have an increase in productivity, as the GM soybean does not contribute to the reduction of cost, nor to a reduction in the use of defensive chemicals. The only thing that changed was the growth of difficulties for those who do not want to plant GM soybeans. The provision of seeds fell.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8894
+ MEXICO TO ALLOW GM PLANTING
Mexico has taken the last step toward finalizing rules that will allow GM crops to be planted in the country. That has many farmers in the birthplace of corn worried that GM varieties could contaminate their fields. Under the rules, GM corn wouldn't technically be allowed in certain areas of Mexico considered 'centers of origin' for unique corn plants, but critics nevertheless remain concerned for crop biodiversity. Miguel Colunga, leader of the Democratic Campesino Front of Chihuahua, a state in northern Mexico, says, 'Transgenic crops are not safe, and we will lose our sovereignty, because the GM seeds belong to just a few transnational corporations. It's a myth that transgenic crops are more productive... We can modernise our farming with our own maize. It's safe, it doesn't harm the environment, and it doesn't make us dependent on Monsanto or other companies.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8913
+ U.S. ATTEMPT AT HEGEMONY - DOOMSDAY SEED VAULT
Developing countries should not deposit their seed collections in the seed bank Global Seed Vault, says Devinder Sharma in an article in the Deccan Herald.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8905
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ASIA
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+ STALE MANTRA ON FARM SUICIDES
Indian farmers' suicides, reports an article by Ashok Sharma, are in areas where agriculture is technologically developed and capital-intensive. Sharma says rising input costs of a capital-intensive, technology-driven agriculture and low returns to farmers are the real culprits, and government policy continues to support these farmer-hostile trends. Farmer have already had a bitter experience of the country's first GM crop, Bt cotton. The input costs increased, and crop failure was reported.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8898
+ CAMPAIGN AGAINST BT COTTON
Independent study by two prominent agricultural scientists shows, 'The cost of pest management of Bt cotton was 690 per cent higher than in non-pesticidal management (NPM) farming systems'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8908
+ BRINJALS COMMIT SUICIDE
Thousands of brinjals (eggplants) were found hanging from electricity poles, street lamp posts and trees across Mumbai with suicide notes attached. The stunt was a part of Greenpeace's protest against GM vegetables that could soon find their way into India's vegetable markets. Greenpeace's Rajesh Krishnan says, 'We selected brinjal because it will be the first genetically modified vegetable to be introduced in the Indian market in early 2009.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8898
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LOBBYWATCH
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+ GM FOOD WINS BACKING OF COUNTRY LIFE
Country Life, the UK countryside and property magazine, has called for the widespread introduction of GM crops to help feed the world's starving. In an editorial, the magazine argues that for the government to ignore GM crops is 'immoral' and 'criminal'. Climate change, the huge rise in the cost of food and a worldwide population explosion are causing problems that embracing GM food could help alleviate, it adds. Clare Oxborrow, a food campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: 'We have heard a lot of claims from the industry how GM food will help climate change or poverty but the simple fact is it has failed to deliver. There is no evidence to support Country Life's claims.' Jonathan Matthews of GM Watch said: 'We have heard the promises of drought-resistant crops for years but they are nowhere to be seen. Current issues like the grain price increases enable the industry to peddle this scaremongering.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8901
TIME TO LOVE FRANKENSTEIN - COUNTRY LIFE
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8907
MORE COMMENT ON THE EDITORIAL
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8912
SEND YOUR COMMENTS
Contact Arabella Youens This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+ 'WORMY' CORN SCIENTIST FROZEN OUT OF GUELPH
Doug Powell was the lead researcher on the notorious 'wormy corn' paper (that claimed to show consumers prefer GM to non-GM corn), as well as Shane Morris's boss at the time of the research. When he moved from the University of Guelph to Kansas State University in May 2006, he presented it as an expansion of the Food Safety Network (FSN) that he'd established at Guelph with himself as overall director. This was something Shane Morris reiterated on his blog: 'I see Dr Doug Powell has signed up with Kansas State University to expand the work of his group from the University of Guelph... Looks like a GM Watch focus can be good for your career!!' But according to Powell's blog, the University of Guelph has subsequently sought to cut all ties with Powell - eliminating all access to FSN staff and funding and even freezing Powell's Guelph e-mail account. We wonder why.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8895
+ RE-EDUCATING THE PUBLIC
Robert Vint tells us about an interesting 'debate' on BBC Radio Four recently. The matter under discussion was whether new scientific developments should wait until the government and scientists had re-educated the public to accept the need for them or whether the government should have the 'courage' to proceed with what they deem necessary and then try to re-educate the public afterwards. Robert says, 'What I found remarkable about the debate was that there was no recognition from either side that they were talking about technologies and technological products, not about scientific facts and theories. The question about whether Einstein's theory of Relativity is right or wrong is a question of scientific fact that is best debated by expert scientists. The question of whether atomic bombs are right or wrong is an ethical question about how we should or should not use Einstein's theory of Relativity in the real world. It is a question that scientists are no better qualified to answer than the general public.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8909
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AUSTRALASIA
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+ VICTORIA: ACTIVISTS SHOW GM CANOLA KNOWS NO BORDERS
Greenpeace activists trained in procedures for dealing with genetically hazardous materials entered a GM canola field trial near the border of South Australia. The activists unfurled a giant banner in the field, reading 'GE CANOLA KNOWS NO BORDERS'. The action comes two days after the New South Wales (NSW) government announced that it would join Victoria in commercially growing GM canola. The action sends a message to state governments that GM canola crops can cross state borders and contaminate conventional crops. It highlights that the NSW and Victorian Governments have no adequate measures in place to deal with GM contamination.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8893
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8899
+ LIABILITY FOR CONTAMINATION UNCLEAR SAYS OPPOSITION
The New South Wales opposition has warned the state government's decision to lift the moratorium on GM canola crops will open a pandora's box of problems. Contract harvesters have said they will not be stripping GM crops because it is impossible to guarantee seeds will have been fully removed from a header before entering a non-GM property. The government has failed to identify who will be responsible for contamination.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8899
+ GM GRAIN TEST STOPPED
Western Australia's first large trial of GM canola has been abandoned. This is not the first case of GM testing having to be abandoned because of the unwillingness of biotech firms to put up their seed for trial.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8899
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ACTION OF THE WEEK
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+ SUPPORT ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER DIMAS - TAKE ACTION
Urgent request for people to send postcards in support of EU Environment Commissioner Dimas. Last year more than 130,000 people joined a cyberaction supporting Dimas' proposal not to authorise the cultivation of 2 new GMOs in Europe. However, the agri-chemical industry and their lackeys in Brussels are fighting back, trying to isolate Dimas and force him to authorise their GM products. If Dimas receives picture postcards from all over Europe - and from supporters around the world - he'll know he's not alone. If you can send a postcard, please let Greenpeace know and click here:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/genetic-engineering/solidarity-send-commissioner?utm_source=gpi-cyberactivist-list&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=valentine
Please send your picture postcard to EU Commissioner Mr Stavros Dimas at the following address:
Mr Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the Environment, European Commission, Rue de la Loi 200, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8904
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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Dr Vandana Shiva:
Economic globalization has become a war against nature and the poor. Recently I was visiting Bhatinda in Punjab because of an epidemic of farmers' suicides. Punjab used to be the most prosperous agricultural region in India. Today every farmer is in debt and despair. Vast stretches of land have become waterlogged desert. And, as an old farmer pointed out, even the trees have stopped bearing fruit because heavy use of pesticides has killed the pollinators - the bees and butterflies.
And Punjab is not alone in experiencing this ecological and social disaster. Last year I was in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, where farmers have also been committing suicide. Farmers who traditionally grew pulses and millets and paddy have been lured by seed companies to buy hybrid cotton seeds referred to as 'white gold', which were supposed to make them millionaires. Instead they became paupers.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8905
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AGROFUELS
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+ ACTIVISTS PROTEST AT WORLD BIOFUELS MARKET
On 14 March, activist group Agrofools closed down the World Biofuels Market meeting in Brussels by sealing four sets of double doors with padlocks and chains and barring access with their bodies just before the official opening. A battle ensued between protesters and security at the fifth set of doors. Outside the conference centre the gates were also locked by a chain and blocked by activist group Rhythms of Resistance, who kept up a samba beat at their action for nearly two hours before being given an ultimatum by police. Banners read 'Agrofuels are a Scam' and 'No Solution to Oil Addiction.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8893
+ AGROFUELS: THE FAKE CLIMATE SOLUTION
EU and US demand for agrofuels is pushing up world food prices and increasing climate emissions. We should feed people, not cars - so join the call for global standards to clean up the agrofuels industry. Click here now: http://www.avaaz.org/en/biofuel_standards_now/9.php?cl=60258285
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8884
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GENETIC CROSSROADS
News & Views from the Center for Genetics and Society
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+ CHILD ABUSE: UK POLICE WANT GENES OF 5-YEAR-OLD 'FUTURE CRIMINALS'
by Marcy Darnovsky, Biopolitical Times
A top UK police official wants to collect DNA samples from children as young as five.
http://biopoliticaltimes.org/article.php?id=3980
+ AN EMBRYONIC DISASTER
The government's new fertility bill is under fire on religious, moral and even scientific grounds The Sunday Times The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is designed to regulate just how far scientists can go when experimenting on embryos or embryo parts. It will also lay down new boundaries for fertility clinics, setting out the circumstances in which controversial techniques for screening embryos for defects, or gender, are allowed.
http://geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=3979
Indo-Asian News Service
The advent of Internet has emerged as a new threat as overseas agencies are posting advertisements for sex determination services and equipment that can be used at home.
http://geneticsandsociety.org/article.php?id=3978