multiple items in brief - click links for full stories - and watch out for details of audio recordings of Biodev 7 at end.
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BELLAMY SAYS LIFTING GE MORATORIUM WOULD BE 'FOOLHARDY IN EXTREME'
The Government would be "foolhardy in the extreme" if it allowed genetically engineered crops to be grown in New Zealand from October, says leading British ecologist David Bellamy. Professor Bellamy called on the Government to extend the moratorium on GE field trials, due to be lifted in October, for five years. Delegates at the Local Government New Zealand conference in Queenstown applauded yesterday as Prof Bellamy told them he "begged" the Government to give scientists time to find out if GE organisms were safe. Not enough was known about the effects of GE crops on both humans and the environment, he said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2582936a7693,00.html
ENVIRONMENTALISTS FEAR FIRST GM FISH RELEASE
TAIPEI, Taiwan (Reuters)
Environmentalists fear that the release of the world's first genetically engineered fish, the glowing "Night Pearl," into nature could wreak havoc on the ecosystem. When the fresh water rice fish, which now glow green in the dark, hit the market two months ago, its Taiwan developer hoped for a sea of profits. But instead, Taikong Corp dived into a barrage of criticism from environmentalists who say the 5 cm (2 inch) fluorescent green fish poses a threat to the earth's ecosystem. Environmentalists have been protesting against the genetically engineered fish -- injected with a jellyfish gene -- for months, and the Singapore government last week seized hundreds of them being imported, said Fisher Lin, research manager for Taikong, a Taipei-based pet fish breeder turned biotech firm. 28-year-old Su Wen-ling, a graduate student who saw the fish at a biotech fair on Sunday said, "I don't think it's necessary to apply genetic engineering on fish for people's viewing pleasure. There are plenty of tropical fish that are beautiful."
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/07/28/taiwan.fish.reut/
ONLY 26% OF EUROPEANS COMFORTABLE WITH GM FOODS
Most Europeans remain doubtful about genetically-modified food, the poll suggests, with only 26 percent saying they would be comfortable buying GM products. The poll was carried out July 18-20 with 1,000 people questioned in the UK, Germany and France. It also showed 51 percent thought Blair had deliberately misled voters over Iraqi weapons.
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/07/28/blair.poll/
GM FOOD FIGHT TO HEAT UP IN CHINA, Shanghai Daily news
The controversy over genetically modified foods is set to heat up in China due to a lawsuit filed in Shanghai against Nestle and a local supermarket. A local court has agreed to hear the suit filed against Shanghai Nestle Co and Shanghai Lianjia Supermarket Co for producing and selling genetically modified food without informing customers. Zhu yanling is asking the court to order Nestle to label its Nesquik brand instant chocolate drink as a GM food and is also seeking 13.6 yuan (US$1.64) in compensation - twice the amount she spent on the drink. Last december, China's Ministry of Agriculture published a list of products that must be labelled as genetically modified, but it didn't include Nesquik.
http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/978/class000100022/hwz151113.h
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WTO FREE ZONE, CANADA/Montréal, Mon 28 July 2003
Greenpeace cordoned off the UN building in Montreal, to protect it from the US attack on consumers, farmers and the environment. Activists at the Greenpeace checkpoint were on the lookout for representatives of the US administration and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, who are trying to undermine countries' rights to reject or ban genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
http://www.greenpeace.org/news/details?item_id=297503
BURKINO FASO TO LEAD REGION IN GM COTTON PRODUCTION
Burkina Faso Fibre and Textile Company (SOFITEX), has announced intentions to embark on the production of transgenic cotton, saying that plans are already at an advanced stage. The announcement was made at the end of a three-day international workshop on GMOs and Cotton, attended by delegates from US multinational, Monsanto, and Switzerland's Syngenta, the leading companies in GMO research.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200307280801.html
CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION WITHDRAWS FROM NATIONAL LABELLING COMMITTEE FOR GM FOODS CITING NEED FOR MANDATORY LABELING
OTTAWA, July 28 /CNW/ - The Consumers' Association of Canada has withdrawn from the Canadian General Standards Board's committee which is working on setting a "Standard for Voluntary Labelling..." of genetically engineered foods, citing concerns over the development of a weak voluntary standard that does not adequately represent consumer concerns. "Canadian consumers deserve to know whether or not their food contains genetically modified foods and they deserve a strong mandatory standard that holds industry accountable," said Mel Fruitman, President of the Consumers' Association of Canada. Recent public opinion polls indicate 95 percent of Canadian consumers demand labelling. "Even if the labels were to be made mandatory the standard has holes big enough to drive a truck through," said Fruitman.
http://www.newswire.ca/releases/July2003/28/c5715.html
BIODEV & AUDIO NOW AVAILABLE, Audio CDs
From the Seventh International Gathering on Biodevastation
Saint Louis, Missouri USA; May 16-18, 2003.
Cost: $5.00 per panel or $20.00 for all five panels.
Please make checks payable to the "Gateway Green Alliance" and mail to:
PO Box 8094; St. Louis MO 63156. Indicate which panels you would like to have on the check. Internet ordering will be available soon.
Contact Michael Allen at 314-353-8176 or [email protected] if questions
Panel A: The International Threat to Farms and Farmers, 65 minutes
S'ra DeSantis, George Naylor, Lawrence Tsimese, Percy Schmeiser
Panel B: Globalization, Food Imperialism & War, 78 minutes
Brian Tokar, Vandana Shiva, Mwananyanda Mbikusita Lewanika, John Kinsman
Panel C: Backyard Bioweapons: labs, defense, Biotech & Billions, 65 mins
Edward Hammon, Inga Olson, Steve Erickson, Peter Shorett, Colin King
Panel D: Environmental Racism, 79 minutes
Jamala Rogers, Mark Mitchell, Carlos Marentes, Felder Freeman, Mae-Wan Ho, Michael Hansen
Panel E: Crop Contamination and Future of Indigenous Agriculture, 58
mins Mae-Wan Ho, Ingnacio Chapela, Ana Ruiz Diaz, Michael Dorsey
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