WEEKLY WATCH number 197 (29/10/2006) | |
from Jonathan Matthews, guest editor Dear all: Claire Robinson has just moved house and has had unexpected problems getting a broadband connection, so in Claire's absence here's a stopgap Weekly Watch. Our normal service will be resumed shortly. Jonathan [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------ GM RICE CONTAMINATION SCANDAL ------------------------------------------------------------ + EU TO TEST ALL US RICE IMPORTS All consignments of U.S. long-grain rice will be sampled and tested at EU entry ports before they can be distributed and sold, the European Commission said. The EU action is aimed at detecting a banned GM rice strain named Liberty Link Rice 601. The tests will ALSO check for another unauthorized genetically modified rice, LL Rice 62, recently found in French imports of U.S. rice. The Commission said it has to start mandatory tests because the EU and the U.S. failed to agree on how to check for genetically modified rice not legally allowed on sale in Europe. Talks broke down after the sides could not agree on a way of testing the rice to "a high level of consistency and accuracy". Previously, a shipment of rice certified GM free by the Americans was found to be contaminated when tested in Europe. The costs of testing will be borne by exporters. The EU is a major market for US rice. + US SAYS RICE TRADE CAN'T CONTINUE + THAIS REAP WINDFALL FROM GM RICE BAN "We've got more orders from Europe to replace those which would otherwise have gone to the US," said Wanlop Pitchyapongsa of Capital Rice, a major exporter. He also said that this shows that Thailand's strength lies in non-GM rice, which should be maintained as the chief selling point. Thanakorn Jitratangbunya of Chia Meng Group, another big player, said the risk of experimenting with GM rice was high and it should not be allowed in Thailand. + WEBSITE DOCUMENTS ALL GM RICE CONTAMINATION INCIDENTS + TOUGHER MEASURES NEEDED AGAINST GM CONTAMINATION + GM RICE LEGAL CHALLENGE ISSUED AGAINST FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY Friends of the Earth has filed a legal challenge against the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) over its failure to take necessary action to prevent consumers being exposed to illegal GM rice in their food. http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=7147 + HOW REGULATORS TRIED TO SIDESTEP THE LAW ------------------------------------------------------------ + FARMERS UNION DESTROYS GM RICE TRIAL Among the protesters who destroyed the trial plot was Paramjit Singh, t |