WEEKLY WATCH number 202 (1/12/2006) | |
Dear all: In a shamefully cynical act, the US has deregulated Bayer's contaminant GM rice, thus letting the company off the legal hook. Not surprisingly, the act has made no difference to the worldwide non-acceptance of US rice imports (GM RICE CONTAMINATION). A tragic new wave of farmer suicides in Maharashtra is being directly attributed to the huge losses made by farmers lured into growing GM cotton by promises of a bumper harvest. (ASIA) And don't miss the RESEARCH section for two exciting non-GM plant breeding breakthroughs. Interestingly, articles about both have been posted onto the pro-GM AgBioView list as if they were GM successes! Claire ------------------------------------------------------------ GM RICE CONTAMINATION ------------------------------------------------------------ + USDA "DEREGULATES" DISPUTED GM RICE A USDA spokesman said the rice could now be grown without oversight from the department. "With this decision, USDA is telling agricultural biotechnology companies that it doesn't matter if ... you contaminate the food supply with untested genetically engineered crops, we'll bail you out," said Joseph Mendelson, legal director of the Center for Food Safety. "In effect, USDA is sanctioning an 'approval-by-contamination' policy that can only increase the likelihood of untested genetically engineered crops entering the food supply in the future, and further erode trust in the wholesomeness of US food overseas. + USDA APPROVES BUT TRADE STILL FETTERED "This is just a question of reputation," said Steve Suppan, a senior policy analyst for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. If exporters can't guarantee the crops they sell to other countries are GMO-free, "what is that going to do to the overall ability of US rice exporters?" "We have zero tolerance in the EU for this. It shouldn't be on the shelf," said Canice Nolan, who heads food safety for the European Commission's delegation to the United States. + CONTAMINATED RICE DUMPED IN AFRICA + CONTAMINATED RICE TURNS UP IN PHILIPPINES ------------------------------------------------------------ + NEW BT COTTON DISASTER IN MAHARASHTRA According to the the farmers' campaign group Claims of bumper harvests from Bt cotton have been put about not just by GM lobbyists but by ministers in the Maharashtra government. The article is by the rural affairs editor of The Hindu, P Sainath - winner of the Prem Bhatia Award for journalistic excellence. EXCERPT: The idea was aired by the government of Maharashtra itself. The state's minister of marketing, Harshvardhan Patil, told the press more than once that he expected a huge rise in cotton production this year. Some reports had him predict a "bumper crop" of 350 lakh quintals. Others had him peg it at a more modest 300 quintals. Either way, this would mean a huge increase of 30-40 per cent over the official estimate for last year. On the ground, in any of the six "crisis" districts of Vidharbha, this "bumper crop" is hard to spot. Farmers report huge losses. Official reports tend to confirm their claims. + GM FIELD TRIALS FACE THE IRE OF CHATTISGARH STATE GOVERNMENT State agriculture minister Nankiram Kawar visited the Bt rice trial plot and ordered the immediate destruction of the remaining crop in the field by burning. As the protest against GM rice rages through Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Tamil Nadu, Greenpeace India is pushing for an organically grown rice combining traditional farming with cutting-edge technology. |