GM WATCH MONTHLY REVIEW No. 52
FROM REVIEW EDITOR, CLAIRE ROBINSON
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Here's the last Monthly Review for 2007. Please pass it on and tell all your non-English speaking friends about our past Monthly Reviews in German, Dutch and Portuguese.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=93&page=1

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

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MONTHLY REVIEW CONTENTS
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GM FAILURES
CORPORATE TAKEOVER
ENVIRONMENT
SCIENTIFIC MISREPRESENTATION
LABELLING
RESISTANCE/BANS/RESTRICTIONS ON GM
GM EXPANSION/APPROVALS
2 AUSTRALIAN STATES LIFT GM BANS
VIRUS-RESISTANT GM PLANTS
CONTAMINATION
LOBBYWATCH
FOOD SAFETY
COMPANY NEWS
NEW BOOKS
CLONING
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
GENETIC CROSSROADS

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GM FAILURES
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+ INDIA: GOVT ADVISES AGAINST GROWING BT COTTON
The government of the Indian state of Maharashtra has recommended that farmers in its cotton belt of Vidarbha stop growing Bt cotton and switch to an alternative crop. This is because Bt cotton cultivation has proven unviable due to its high costs and unsatisfactory output. The take up of Bt cotton has been greater in Maharashtra than in any other part of India, and the state government previously played a big role in hyping it to poor farmers. As a result, farmer suicides have gone through the roof.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8633

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CORPORATE TAKEOVER
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+ JUST 10 CORPORATIONS CONTROL NEARLY HALF THE WORLD SEED MARKET
Monsanto recently became the world's biggest seed company, trailed closely by DuPont. In the mid 1970's there were around 7,000 seed companies and not one of them had even 0.5% of the world market. Nowadays just 10 corporations control 49% of the world seed market.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8595

+ ONTARIO GROWER ORDERED TO PAY MONSANTO $160 PER ACRE
Monsanto continues to aggressively pursue farmers for infringing its patents. The latest victim is Paul Beneteau of Ontario in Canada. The Court ordered Beneteau to pay damages of $160 per acre.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8604

+ SUBSIDIES FOR MONSANTO'S CORN IN THE U.S. ...
The US Department of Agriculture has struck an unusual arrangement with Monsanto that gives farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota a break on federal crop insurance premiums if they plant Monsanto-brand seed corn this spring.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8636

+ ... AND IN THE PHILIPPINES
Organic farmers in Mindanao, Philippines have protested the department of agriculture's policy of providing financial support to those who will plant varieties of GM corn.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8636

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ENVIRONMENT
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+ GM SOY IN BRAZIL: KILLING THE AMAZON AND BOOSTING GLOBAL WARMING
Large-scale soy monocultures in Brazil have caused deforestation, soil degradation, and contamination, says an important article in Brazzil magazine.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8595

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SCIENTIFIC MISREPRESENTATION
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+ RESPONSES TO NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY AFTER ATTACK ON SCIENTIST
The online version of the December 2007 edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology contains correspondence highly critical of the journal and its editor, Andrew Marshall. At issue is the 'Feature' published in its September edition that effectively gave a free hand to four notorious biotech apologists to make a premeditated attack on a Russian researcher whose study showed the damaging effects of GM soy on rats. For links to all the correspondence:
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8589

+ 'EDITOR ADMITS TO SERIOUS ERRORS OF JUDGEMENT'
Commentary from GM Free Cymru, which played a leading role in exposing the Nature Biotechnology Scandal.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8589

+ WHAT IS NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY GOOD FOR?
A superb commentary from the Bioscience Resource Project points out that the criticisms aimed at Dr Ermakova's paper apply equally to the papers that are trumpeted by the critics as showing no ill effects from GM soy. The commentators conclude, 'Nature Publishing Group no doubt finds that publishing a magazine [Nature Biotechnology] that does double duty as a science journal and as a trade journal is a highly profitable combination, but equally it is never going to be one that encourages disinterested science.'
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8588

+ SCIENTIFIC MISREPRESENTATION - TAKE ACTION
If you're in the UK, please urge your Member of Parliament to sign an Early Day Motion against scientific misrepresentation concerning GM crops, as in the Nature Biotechnology and Shane Morris affairs.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8584
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8583<

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