EXCERPTS: The producers... argued that last year the CNTBio authorized the presence of 1% of transgenic traits in the cotton varieties and that it has become very difficult to find cotton seed free of transgenic traits.

...most of the illegal seeds are the property of Monsanto. The multinational, which had reached an agreement with cotton producers a month ago, seems to be following the same strategy by closing its eyes to this illegal trade which serves its objectives, protected by an unclear legislation which authorized a conventional cotton to contain up to 1% of transgenic trait.
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Destruction of the illegal transgenic cotton fields divides the sector
Etienne Vernet Monsanto Watch, June 30 2006 http://www.monsantowatch.org/moduleinterface.php?module=News&id=cntnt01&cntnt01action=detail&cntnt01articleid=73&cntnt01returnid=7

Following last week CNTbio's recommendation to destroy the illegal transgenic cotton fields, an open war has started between the producers and the seed companies.

On one side the Abrasem and the Braspov are claiming they have the Law on their side and that outlaw cotton producers should be punished and their harvests destroyed. On the other side the Abrapa wants to guarantee the sale of the actual production which is due to be harvested in the plantations.

Since the beginning of May the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture have controlled one hundred [and] fifteen thousand hectares (13.2% of the total planted area) in 66 exploitations of 16 municipalities in Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Bahia. They have found illegal transgenic seeds in 14% of them. The situation is particularly alarming in Bahia where 99% of the fields examined were planted with prohibited trangenic varieties.

The annual financial harm has been evaluated at 225 millions of US$ by the seeds companies, which are going to enter with a legal recourse to the National Council Against Piracy of the Ministry of Justice.

The producers on their side deny to have done something wrong. They claim that the actual crisis forced them to get round the law and argued that last year the CNTBio authorized the presence of 1% of transgenic traits in the cotton varieties and that it has become very difficult to find cotton seed free of transgenic traits.

Once again, as [was] the case at the end of the 90's, when the Brazilian legislation prohibited the commercial planting of transgenic soy, most of the illegal seeds are the property of Monsanto. The multinational, which had reached an agreement with cotton producers a month ago, seems to be following the same strategy by closing its eyes to this illegal trade which serves its objectives, protected by an unclear legislation which authorized a conventional cotton to contain up to 1% of transgenic trait.

In the majority of the plantations, the Agriculture's officials found Monsanto's Bollgard variety. Even [though] this transgenic variety has been authorized by he CNTBio in March 2005, it still needs to be registered on the National Seed Catalogue and undergo an assesment period of a minimum of two years which has started in 2005.

In addition they have found the Monsanto RR variety and in some cases the latest "flex" variety which resists to the insect and to the Roundup Ready herbicide, both prohibited in Brazil.

More information : Etienne Vernet. [email protected]

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