Protest at Bayer's AGM / approval sought for another Monsanto maize (29/4/2004)

SEEDS OF DECEPTION - UK TOUR details at: http://www.mindfully.org/GE/2004/Seeds-Of-Deception-UK27apr04.htm
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Tomorrow anti-GM campaigners will be protesting at the Annual General Meeting of Europe's largest GM company, the German-based Bayer.

"It is about time that Bayer faces reality. GM foods are a failure. They are a risk to human health and the vast majority of consumers in Europe do not want them. Financial sense would dictate that Bayer should quit the GM business."

Meanwhile Syngenta shareholders are being advised to sell despite growth in the first quarter because "These trends are not likely to continue, and DZ Bank expects the company's sales to decline in Q2. There is lack of visibility into the license scenario for genetically engineered plants in Europe, the analyst states."

Lack of "visibility into the license scenario for genetically engineered plants in Europe" roughly translates as no-one wants GM plants so this may not be a good business to invest in.

On top of that, one of the few that had been approved and was atually being grown (in Spain, at least), Syngenta's (GM) Bt176 maize, has just been pulled by the Spanish Government over concerns it could generate resistance to antibiotics. In fact, Bt176 is dead cows maize! Between 2001 and 2002, twelve dairy cows died on a farm in Hesse, Germany, after eating Syngenta's Bt176 GM maize, and others in the herd had to be slaughtered on account of mysterious illnesses. http://www.i-sis.org.uk/CAGMMAD.php

Tomorrow (Friday 30) European Union member states will also vote on the import of a new genetically modified maize belonging to Monsanto.
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EUROPE TO VOTE ON GM MAIZE (AGAIN)
as actions spread to GM shareholders
Press Release
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH EUROPE
Thursday 29 April 2004

European member states will vote tomorrow (Friday 30) on the import of a new genetically modified maize by the US-based multinational Monsanto. Earlier in the week Agriculture Ministers failed to support a different maize application after disagreements emerged over its safety.

At tomorrow’s meeting of the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, member states will vote on the import of a GM maize called NK603 for human food. It has been genetically modified to be resistant to Monsanto's herbicide called RoundUp. In February member states failed to support the same GM crop for use as an animal feed.

Friends of the Earth is critical of the Monsanto application which:

* fails to look at the grain's effects on subsequent generations, cumulative toxic effects and the effects on the health of sensitive consumers as required under EU food law (1)

* fails to explain or fully investigate unexpected discoveries occurring after the genetic modification (2)

* insufficiently investigated the possibility of the modification causing more allergies (3)

Adrian Bebb, GM Campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said: "If this GM food is not good enough to be fed to cows then it certainly should not be fed to humans. The only logical action must be to reject this application and call on the GM industry to start doing proper safety tests."

Also tomorrow, anti-GM campaigners will be protesting at the Annual General Meeting of Europe's largest GM company, the German-based Bayer. They will be protesting about Bayer´s involvement in GM crops and will highlight how Bayers GM plans have gone wrong, ranging from their recent withdraw from the UK market, the recommendation to ban their GM oilseed rape and the objections by EU member states and people in developing countries to their GM rice.

Geert Ritsema, GM Coordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe said: "It is about time that Bayer faces reality. GM foods are a failure. They are a risk to human health and the vast majority of consumers in Europe do not want them. Financial sense would dictate that Bayer should quit the GM business."

Notes to Editors

A BRIEFING ON NK603 CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/pending/index.htm

1. Article 14(4) of Regulation 178/2002

2. Unexpected sequences discovered in the genome after the modification. Research shows that such sequences could shut down neighbouring genes.

3. International guidance on allergy testing that EU scientists produced in 2003 should mean that Monsanto would have to do more thorough testing.

CONTACTS
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth Europe - mobile +49 (0)1609 490 1163
Geert Ritsema (at Bayers AGM in Cologne/Köln) - mobile +31 (0)6 290 05 908
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2.Syngenta "sell"
Tuesday, April 27, 2004 11:55:09 AM ET
DZ BANK
http://www.newratings.com/new2/beta/article_414569.html

LONDON, April 27 (New Ratings) - Analyst Dr Heinz Muller of DZ Bank reiterates his "sell" rating on Syngenta (SVJ.ETR).  In a research note published this morning, the analyst mentions that the company reported higher-than-expected Q1 sales, with 7% y/y sales growth after currency adjustments. The upside was driven by the company's plant protection and seeds divisions, the analyst adds. These trends are not likely to continue, and DZ Bank expects the company's sales to decline in Q2. There is lack of visibility into the license scenario for genetically engineered plants in Europe, the analyst states.


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