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GM WEEKLY WATCH number 95 (21/10/2004)

from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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The US government continues its piratical rampage around the world, making the saving of seeds illegal in occupied Iraq. Other nations must wake up now to the fact that this is not a 'one-off'. The US is pursuing the same agenda through bilateral trade deals and doubtless will soon argue, via the World Trade Organisation, that the lack of such a law in any country serves as an illegal trade barrier to US companies' patented seeds, and 'harmonisation' will be demanded. (see LOBBYWATCH SPECIAL: WORLD FOOD DAY)

Meanwhile, Argentina continues to provide a vision of what the GM future holds in store for those countries opting for such a path. In the country where GM soya is king, but which can't even feed itself amidst the destroyed lives and environmental devastation - Monsanto is now helping to draft Argentina's GM seed legislation!! (see THE AMERICAS)

The reality of GM is also all too apparent in India where outraged farmers have gone on the rampage, demanding compensation for the failure of Bt cotton and staging a sit-in and damaging shops, amidst much suffering and even reports of a suicide. (see FOCUS ON ASIA)

From Africa there's encouraging news of African ministers of agriculture stepping up their opposition to GMOs, while Zambia, which rejected GM maize as food aid, is now enjoying big surpluses of uncontaminated maize. A Wired News article notes that 'organizations like GM Watch accuse biotech companies and industry-sponsored groups of trying to browbeat African governments into accepting weak safety regulations, while aggressively mounting slick PR campaigns to force their products on an unsuspecting population'. (see AFRICA and CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK)

Finally, I hope UK subscribers haven't missed the first instalment on BBC TV of Adam Curtis's superb analysis of how our political masters create an illusion of terror to keep us under their control (The Power of Nightmares: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/3755686.stm). Its relevance to matters GM is clear: governments and their corporate financiers conspire to frighten nations with nightmare visions of famine and pestilence - and seduce them with promises of wonder crops - that justify their seizure of the world's food supply.

Claire [email protected]
www.lobbywatch.org / www.gmwatch.org

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CONTENTS
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LOBBYWATCH
FOCUS ON ASIA
AFRICA
THE AMERICAS
AUSTRALASIA
FUNGUS 'N' MANURE
LOBBYWATCH SPECIAL: WORLD FOOD DAY
EUROPE
CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
DONATIONS

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LOBBYWATCH
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+ "BIOTECH CROPS GET A RAVE REVIEW" FROM PRO-GM INDUSTRY BODY
"Biotech crops get a rave review" is the headline in the St Louis Post-Dispatch - Monsanto's hometown business paper. Like other American papers, it's reporting a study showing that US farmers who plant GM crops are "saving more money, reducing environmental damage and producing more per acre". For the farmer, the study says, this all adds up "to a 27 percent improvement in net farm income".

This is not from the first time that the study's authors, the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP), have produced such eye-popping statistics based on US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data.

In the same month that a previous NCFAP report was published, the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its own extensive analysis of the economic performance of GM crops in America, revealing a completely different picture. The USDA report went so far as to conclude, "Perhaps the biggest issue raised by these results is how to explain the rapid adoption of GE crops when farm financial impacts appear to be mixed or even negative."
http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/usdagmeconomics.htm

For more on the dubious background and antics of the pro-GM National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy (NCFAP) and its biotech industry backers: http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=94

For the Organic Trade Association's response to the study
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4556

ON THE LOBBYWATCH FRONT SEE ALSO FUNGUS 'N' MANURE, AND OUR LOBBYWATCH SPECIAL.

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FOCUS ON ASIA
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+ INDIA: FARMERS GO ON RAMPAGE AFTER BT COTTON FAILS YET AGAIN
In Warangal in Andhra Pradesh, hundreds of outraged farmers went on the rampage and demanded compensation for the failure of Bt cotton. The farmers staged a sit-in and damaged shops.

The District Collector has asked the company to visit the fields to estimate the losses and make arrangements to pay compensation. The Minister for Agriculture for Andhra Pradesh has convened fifty study teams to look into the failure.

To make an independent assessment, scientists from the Centre from Sustainable Agriculture visited villages in Geesukonda Mandal of Warangal district on 19 October, 2004. The following are their findings.

In Rattiram Tanda, a small hamlet of Kommala village, various Bt cotton hybrids are being grown in more than 100 acres. The villagers purchased the Bt cotton hybrids from Warangal market hoping to tackle the dreaded Bollworm. But shattering their hopes, the Bt hybrids failed.

Mr Veeraswamy has grown Bt MECH-12. The plants are small, with few bolls. Insects are eating away the bolls, despite the so-called new technology. More than 30% of the plants in the field have dried up. When split open, wilt symptoms are clearly seen.

The story is repeated with Ms Vankloth Vijaya who grew Bt RCH-2 of Raasi seeds, or Vankloth Balaraju who grew Bt MECH-184.

Till now farmers have spent around 8 thousand rupees on pesticides like Avaunt and Tracer besides Rs 1600 on seeds. When the suffering farmers contacted the dealers, they were told that the dealers were not responsible. The company never visited or advised the farmers.

In Elukurthi Haveli, Mr Yadava Reddy has grown Bt RCH-2. The crop has not performed as expected. The plants suffered wilt. The bolls are infested with bollworms. In Konayamakula Mr. Narasinga Rao has grown Bt MECH-12 with similar results.

The wilt symptoms in Bt cotton started appearing in the initial year. The company and the government had turned a deaf ear to the apprehensions raised by several investigating teams closely following Bt cotton’s performance.

It has been claimed that weather fluctuations caused the damage. It is surprising, then, to see that all other cotton hybrids in the neighboring fields are performing better, given the same weather conditions! What is more striking is that wherever gap filling was done with non-Bt cotton hybrids, the plants are healthy!

...On the other hand, in several villages where farmers adopted non-GM non-pesticidal management of insect pests, the crop is in very good condition and such successful experiences are already appearing in the media.

Punukula in Khammam district is one such village where farmers are growing cotton (including popular hybrids) without resorting to GM cotton or pesticides. This is being done on more than 600 acres.

In Warangal district as well, farmers in Jatok tanda, Gudi tanda, KK tanda etc. in Parvathagiri mandal as well as Nelapogula and Neermala villages in Jangaon, with the help of organisations like MARI and CROPS, are successfully using non-pesticidal options in their cotton cultivation. The cotton crop is in very good condit

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