WEEKLY WATCH number 194 (29/9/2006)

from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all:

This week there's lots more evidence of how the biotech industry has poisoned the well for US farmers. And if you've been wondering how pro-GM lobbyist C S Prakash is coping with the recent GM disasters (GM rice contamination, Bt cotton farmer suicides, and India's Supreme Court ordering a ban on new GM approvals), then don't miss this week's LOBBYWATCH.

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

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CONTENTS
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GM RICE CONTAMINATION SCANDAL
ASIA
AFRICA
THE AMERICAS
EUROPE
AUSTRALASIA
LOBBYWATCH
RESEARCH

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GM RICE CONTAMINATION SCANDAL
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+ WORLD'S BIGGEST RICE PROCESSOR SUSPENDS ALL US IMPORTS
Spain's Ebro Puleva said on Friday (29th) it suspended rice imports from the United States in August over fears that shipments contained genetically-modified grain. "We are importing from other countries, except for China, which also uses transgenic seeds," an Ebro spokeswoman said..
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7085

+ JAPAN WIDENS TESTING FOR LLRICE601
Japan's ministry of agriculture, fisheries, and forestry (MAFF) will start testing all US short- and medium-grain rice imports and existing rice stocks for the presence of Bayer's illegal GM rice, LLRICE601. Japan has already banned the import of US long-grain rice.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7073
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7074

+ CALIFORNIA RICE COULD BE CONTAMINATED
The short- and medium-grain rice comes from California and Dr Brian John of GM Free Cymru has warned, "Since most of the development work on LL601 appears to have been done in California ... it is highly likely that Californian medium-grain rice is now contaminated with LL601 and with various other abandoned GM lines."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7073

+ JAPAN REFUSES TO ACCEPT US CERTIFICATION
The increased testing in Japan for the unauthorised presence of the illegal GM rice line LL601 involves the taking of samples from cargoes before they are allowed to leave the US, flying those samples to Japan, and testing the samples in Japanese laboratories. Only then, once they have confirmed a cargo to be GM-free, will they allow a ship to cross the Pacific. Dr Brian John comments, "The Japanese authorities have clearly decided that the American certificates declaring rice cargoes to be 'GM free' are not worth the paper they are written on."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7083

+ "GM-FREE" RICE NOT GM-FREE - EU BOOSTS CHECKS
The European Union said it would reinforce controls on US long grain rice imports, after Dutch officials found an unauthorized GM variety in shipments certified as non-GM. Yet spot checks by Dutch officials found traces of Bayer's GM Liberty Link Rice 601.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7052
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7056

+ CALL TO BLOCK ALL U.S. LONG-GRAIN RICE
Commenting on the revelation of unauthorised GM rice in shipments declared GM-free, Greenpeace called on the European Commission not only to ask all EU member states to block long-grain rice imports from the US with or without GM-free certification, but also to let the US authorities know that no more imports of US rice will be allowed into Europe until the US authorities have established a trustworthy certification scheme and ensured that the contamination in the US has been contained.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7071

+ ILLEGAL RICE FOUND IN IRISH SUPERMARKETS
Fury erupted after illegal GM rice slipped through both EU and national food safety checks and onto Irish supermarket shelves.
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7052

+ WHY IS ILLEGAL RICE STILL ON SALE IN IRELAND?
The GM-free Ireland Network has written to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) demanding to know why American GM long-grain rice is still on sale in Ireland and drawing attention to the fact that FSAI's CEO Dr John O'Brien is a former director of the International Life Sciences Institute biotech industry lobby group. GM-free Ireland coordinator Michael O'Callaghan said, "Dr John O'Brien's ties to the biotech industry present a clear conflict of interest. Having a former director of a biotech industry lobby group in charge of Ireland's food safety is not acceptable."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7060

+ DAILY MAIL (IRELAND) COMMENT ON ILLEGAL RICE
"For the short term gain of a few, we run the risk of creating monopolies in food production, damaging small farmers, making a mockery of consumer choice, and abusing nature. And tragically, the ecological consequences of this reckless folly may be with us forever."
http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?ar


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