Helena Paul - co-author of Hungry Corporations - has forwarded us the following bulletin of the movement for a GM-free Brazil, with the comment, "They go on about corrupt governments in the G8 discourse, never mentioning corrupt corporations."

We're reproducing the bulletin even though it's in Portuguese, as it contains important information about what's happening in Brazil and how this may fit into a wider pattern.

The bulletin points out that between 1997 and 2002 Monsanto corrupted around 140 government officials with the help of about 700,000 USD. The main aim of the company's bribery is believed to have been to suppress the legal requirment for environmental impact assessments on GM crops. Monsanto has been fined 1.5 million USD for its corrupt behaviour. The trouble is, says the bulletin, that the damage is done and the fine means nothing.

That's what happened in Indonesia but the 2nd paragraph of the bulletin says worrying facts indicate that what happened there may also be happening in Brazil. Here are the main facts:

Last April, just after the approval of the biosecurity law, representatives of biotechnology companies, probably at a meeting of the Centre for Information and Technology, CIT, an NGO financed by Monsanto, Syngenta and others, wrote a project for a decree to regulate the law.

It's said that the legal consultant of the Ministry of Agriculture, Marcio Mazaro, helped write the document. The project got to the Ministry of science and technology where the services of Reginaldo Minare and Darcisio Peronti were contracted.

The former is a strong pro-GM advocate and lobbyist as well as an advisor to major biotech companies and similar organisations. The latter is also a strong pro-GM lobbyist. He was the final draftsman of the Biosecurity law in the House of Deputies (the lower house).

According to informants, these lobbyists took the project to key agricultural organisations and people in Brazil, such as Embrapa and other non-identified people to make sure the project is approved in the House.

This law, if approved, will make the liberation of transgenics very easy and it tries to reintroduce into the law points not approved by the House and others vetoed by Lula.

The project is now in an interministerial workgroup. The coordinator is the lawyer Caio Leonardo Bessa Rodrigues, from the "Home affairs" (Casa Civil) Ministry. He was in charge of government relations at a Law firm, Pinheiro Neto Advogados, where he worked. One of its major clients was Monsanto itself.

The project gives exceptional powers to the Minister of science and technology, who in turn is involved in irregularities in the import of transgenic corn. The import was in the interest of his electoral base, poultry farmers in his State of Pernambuco.

There is no proof of corruption in all these transactions, but in light of what happened in Indonesia, and taking into account the enormity of the profits Monsanto could make in Brazil, many are raising eyebrows. They believe that if Lula wants to show transparency in this case, he should call a halt to the proceedings and at least remove Caio Leonardo Bessa Rodrigues.

Many thanks to Irene Schardijn for explaining this part of the bulletin to us.

For more on the Monsanto corruption scandal in Indonesia: http://www.lobbywatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=58&page=1

For more on 'Hungry Corporations: Transnational Biotech Companies Colonize the Food Chain'

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1842773011/qid=1121030432/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2_2/202-2979527-6779832

------ Forwarded Message
From: Campanha Livre de Transgenicos [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 08 Jul 2005 16:34:05 -0300
To: [email protected]
Subject: [BoletimTransgenicos] BOLETIM 260 - POR UM BRASIL LIVRE DE TRANSGÊNICOS

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POR UM BRASIL LIVRE DE TRANSGÊNICOS
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Número 260 - 08 de julho de 2005

Car@s Amig@s,

A multinacional de biotecnologia e agro-química Monsanto foi pega com a boca na botija subornando cerca de 140 funcionários do governo ao longo dos anos 1997 a 2002, gastando perto de 700 mil dólares. Parte deste suborno foi pago para conseguir a alteração ou supressão de um decreto que exigia que estudos de impacto ambiental fossem realizados pelas empresas, demonstrando a segurança das plantas transgênicas antes de serem liberadas comercialmente. A multinacional admitiu a culpa e pagou 1,5 milhão de dólares de multa para o Departamento de Justiça dos Estados Unidos.

Alguma semelhança com o "mensalão"? Calma pessoal! O dinheiro é pouco e o fato acima ocorreu antes do Zé Dirceu começar a andar em "más companhias", e, mais importante, ocorreu na Indonésia. Outros fatos preocupantes, entretanto, indicam que algo do mesmo gênero pode estar em curso no Brasil.

É preciso lembrar dos imensos interesses das grandes multinacionais de biotecnologia como a Monsanto. Apenas o mercado brasileiro de sementes de soja transgênica pode render, potencialmente, mais de 1 bilhão de reais por ano em taxas de uso da tecnologia, sem falar das vendas casadas de Roundup, o herbicida da Monsanto que "vai junto" com a soja a ele resistente. A Monsanto sabe muito bem o tamanho de seus interesses no Brasil e gastou, apenas em pouco mais de um mês de campanha publicitária multimídia, no início de 2004, algo perto de 35 milhões de reais. Quanto mais e de que forma terá gastado esta empresa (e outras) no Brasil para atrair um governo que se elegeu com um programa que em três pontos renega o uso desta tecnologia? Perto destes valores os recursos sacados pelo agente do mensalão, Marcos Valério, chegam a ser irrisórios.

Especulações à parte, há fatos suspeitos que mostram uma condenável mistura dos interesses públicos e privados nas discussões para regulamentar a recém aprovada Lei de Biossegurança. Em Abril passado, logo após a aprovação da Lei, representantes das empresas, quem sabe reunidos no Centro de Informa