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WEEKLY WATCH number 243 (9/3/2008)

WEEKLY WATCH number 243
from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:

It seems GMOs can't succeed on their own merits; governments are subsidizing farmers to grow them in the US and the Philippines (see THE AMERICAS, ASIA).

And contrary to the recent biased survey of a handful of pro-GM farmers in the UK that (surprise!) claimed to show that farmers wanted GMOs, a massive survey of French farmers shows the exact opposite (EUROPE).

And don't forget about that explosive new documentary on Monsanto hitting TV screens next week, and then available on DVD in English, French and Spanish. From what we're hearing, it's not just a must-watch film but one to spread far and wide (MONSANTO MOVIES).

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

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CONTENTS
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MONSANTO MOVIES
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
LOBBYWATCH
THE AMERICAS
EUROPE
AFRICA
ASIA
AUSTRALASIA
INTERNATIONAL RESISTANCE TO GMOs
RESEARCH
CLONING
GENETIC CROSSROADS

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MONSANTO MOVIES
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+ MONSANTO MOVIE - BROADCAST, BOOK AND DVD
A new movie deals yet another powerful blow to the credibility of Monsanto. 'The world according to Monsanto' reveals the grim truth about the company's long track record of devastating environmental crimes and human and animal health scandals. It will be broadcast in French and German on the TV channel ARTE - available also via satellite - on 11 March at 2100 hrs, Central European Time (CET). Following the broadcast, the dvd will be available in English, French and Spanish. The book of the film has just been published in French. We're hearing great reports about both. More details at
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/monsanto_movie080307
http://www.arte-boutique.fr/detailProduct.action?fromMenu=true&aToZ=M&product.id=245754
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8811

+ EXCELLENT YOUTUBE FILM ON THE FOX NEWS WHISTLEBLOWERS
Short film about what happened when two investigative journalists tried to broadcast a programme about the real impact of Monsanto's GM hormone rBGH.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWcqxrQgcc&feature=related

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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'As far as genetic engineering for food, that is the great experiment that has failed. They literally have the entire world market against them. All those dreams... the blind will see, the lame will walk... has turned out to be science fiction. They are basically chemical companies selling more chemicals. They've been able to spread these herbicide-promoting plants around because it is more convenient for farmers who can just mass-spray their crops. But they've given absolutely nothing to the consumer while causing more chemical pollution and contamination.' - Lawyer, Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety (USA)
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8854

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LOBBYWATCH
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+ HENRY MILLER'S LIES
On the (UK) Guardian's website, free-market lobbyist Henry Miller has published a bunch of barefaced lies and spin in favour of GM. The subtitle of Miller's piece says it all: 'When sloppy research and unsubstantiated claims go unchallenged by fellow scientists, the gold standard of accuracy is tarnished.' But Miller's own standards of accuracy are non-existent. He claims, for instance, that the editor of the Lancet published Pusztai's GM potato paper despite admitting its 'poor methodology' and in the teeth of the 'strenuous objections of the papers referees'. But, in reality, five out of the paper's six referees SUPPORTED its publication and, far from criticising its methodology, the editor stated unequivocally that the paper was published on grounds of 'scientific merit'! Miller's account of other research raising concerns over GM is equally misleading and false.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8849

For more on Miller
http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=84

+ AFRICA'S 'ORGANIC' FARMS
To mark the publication of his new book on GM in Africa, Robert Paarlberg has written an article berating people for wanting organic, free range, and family farm-produced food. Paarlberg calls this an 'idealized' farm system. He equates 'organic' farms with the 'poor and non-productive' farms of Africa. From there he argues that what's needed for greater productivity in Africa is the exact opposite, i.e. industrial ag with GMOs! In fact, research shows that projects using modern organic and low-input approaches with poor farmers in Africa and elsewhere can be phenomenally successful. Paarlberg is a member of the Biotechnology Advisory Council to the CEO of Monsanto, and a consultant to the National Intelligence Council ('the centre for midterm and long-term strategic thinking within the United States Intelligence Community'), USAID, IFPRI, and the World Bank.
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/experts/934/robert_paarlberg.html
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=8830

+ SHANE AND APEL
Andrew Apel - the 'Guest Editor' of AgBioView - has editorialised in defence of Shane Morris of 'wormy corn' fame: 'Shane has drawn the hatred of those who call themselves 'environmentalists' for only one reason. He refused to cower behind the barricades, w

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