from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:

All those of you who've ever wondered exactly what benefits expensive technological fixes have actually brought to farming, food production and human well-being, should read a wonderful article by Devinder Sharma exposing the myths of techno-utopianism through some well-chosen facts. We've excerpted it here but it's well worth reading in full (ASIA).

Also useful as an antidote to some of the less questioning pieces appearing in our media about GM crops solving world hunger etc. is an article by a leading researcher, originally published in Trends in Plant Science, which points out that contrary to all the claims about GM plants increasing yields, very few are ever likely to do so! (GM AND YIELDS).

Finally, some particularly good news. The pipeline of GM crops under research is drying up (THE AMERICAS).

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

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CONTENTS
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THE AMERICAS
ASIA
EUROPE
LOBBYWATCH
RESEARCH
GM AND YIELDS
DUD SCIENCE
CORPORATE CRIMES
CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

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THE AMERICAS
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+ THE FARM BUREAU: WORKING FOR MONSANTO
EXCERPT from intelligent letter in the Lake County Record-Bee (California paper) about the Farm Bureau's opposition to regulation of GM Roundup Ready alfalfa:

Got a good chuckle out of the Farm Bureau response to the proposed regulation of Roundup ready Alfalfa in Lake County. It was truly classic! Instead of attempting to refute the multitude of reasons put forth to justify the proposed ordinance, the main tactic employed was to change the subject to the much broader issue of all biotechnology.

They can't say this new alfalfa won't mean more poison being used here, because it will. They can't say that contamination of other growers' crops isn't a real problem because Monsanto's own studies show it is. They can't say that the increase in herbicide use won't lead to poison-resistant weeds sooner because they know it will. They can't say that the main active ingredient in Roundup is safe because there are piles of evidence to the contrary.

... The Farm Bureau is also quoted in the Record-Bee as saying, "This is just a technological way to increase production using less pesticides," an absurd statement that turns reality on its head. Of course our local Farm Bureau is against regulation of a genetically modified crop, since their positions are handed down from the state Farm Bureau where support of the biotech companies is automatic due to their financial interdependence.

More on the sorry history of the Farm Bureau's support for agribiz and right-wing causes: http://www.lobbywatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=267
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5631

+ NEW STUDY REVEALS THOUSANDS OF FIELD TESTS OF GM CROPS...
More than 47,000 field tests of GM crops were authorized by the US Dept of Agriculture between 1987 and 2004 despite serious environmental threats and inadequate regulations to monitor impacts, according to a new report.

Both the National Academy of Sciences and the General Accounting Office have criticized the USDA for inadequate oversight and expertise in authorizing the release of genetically engineered crops. Nevertheless, this new study reveals substantial increases in 2003 and 2004 of testing of crops engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals, as well as of many new crops never before released.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5624

+ ... BUT GM CROPS PIPELINE DRYING UP
Worldwide data shows that the pipeline of GM crops research is drying up even in the US, the global leader in GM crop research. And statistics available from other nations show that the decline in field trials of GM crops began in 2003.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5626

+ MONSANTO-SPONSORED ' DOCUMENTARY' STIRS ANGER
A new television series set for distribution this fall to public TV stations across US is drawing fire because its funders exploit a model of factory farming that has profoundly undermined the same rural lifestyle the program is meant to showcase.

The telecast, 'America's Heartland', consists of twenty half-hour episodes produced by PBS affiliate KVIE in Sacramento. The bulk of the new national program's underwriting will be provided by the farming trade group the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Monsanto.

In a letter sent to public television managers about America's Heartland, 70 groups suggest stations should either forego showing the series or schedule complementary programming to expose Heartland as a "piece of propaganda."

The coalition wrote:

"The destruction of America's rural communities and the disappearance of its small farmers is an important story that needs to be told. This story, one of rural depopulation, dwindling economic opportunities, industrial levels of pollution and their attendant health and social concerns, is the ugly reality of the excesses that come from the unregulated large-scale industrialized agricultural system promoted by corporate America."

The signatories say they are concerned that Heartland is "being produced to put a friendly face on the very forces that are causing these problems."

While the program's underwriters may not control editorial content, Sheldon Rampton, research director at the Center for Media and Democracy, a media watchdog group, said he is "sure that Monsanto and company have a pretty good idea about what shows are going to be broadcast." He added, "I think they can feel confident the program they're sponsoring is not going to sponsor investigative journalism about genetic engineering or pesticide use."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5636
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arc