THE WEEKLY WATCH number 64 (18/3/2004)

from Claire Robinson, WEEKLY WATCH editor
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Dear all,

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard in lobbying the Scottish Parliament to block the Executive’s approval of the UK’s first GM crop. We lost by just one vote. That one vote was only lacking because the usual Speaker (parliamentary chair) was absent and his place was taken by one of the Members opposing GM, who as a consequence couldn’t vote.

Anthony Jackson of the Munlochy Vigil, who helped organize the lobbying, told GM WATCH, "Everyone will know now that if the Scottish Executive acquiesces in the necessary national seed listing for the UK, it will only be because by some odd chance the Speaker was away and an opposition member in his place. They know that they have absolutely no mandate. They also know the overwhelming majority of the Scottish people are completely opposed to the growing of GM crops".

It’s all down to Wales now to hold firm to its precautionary principles; it could still prevent or delay commercialization for the whole UK.

Meanwhile, Monsanto-trained scientist Florence Wambugu has re-surfaced with the astonishing claim that the failed GM sweet potato project in Kenya was really a resounding success . Her latest story is that the GM sweet potato, touted as the food that would save Africans from famine, was merely an early-stage research artefact that was never meant for commercialisation.

Yeah, absolutely, Flo, and Elvis is right here with me and sends his love. See LIE OF THE WEEK for a good laugh.

Claire    [email protected]
www.ngin.org.uk / www.gmwatch.org

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CONTENTS
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK - UK
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK - GLOBAL
LIE OF THE WEEK
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
DONATIONS
HEADLINES OF THE WEEK
SUBSCRIPTIONS

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK - UK
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+ ONLY PARLIAMENTARY PECULIARITY PREVENTS SCOTLAND BLOCKING GM FOR ENTIRE UK
On 18 March the Scottish Parliament came within a vote of blocking GM crop cultivation across the whole UK. Indeed, Blair and the Executive only avoided disaster because of the peculiarity of Scottish parliamentary arrangements.

The vote for the opposition Scottish National Party's motion calling for GM crop approval to be blocked was 59. 60 voted against and there was 1 abstention. But crucially, an opposition member, rather than the Speaker, was in the Chair. This debarred the opposition member from voting for the motion to block GM crops. If the other Deputy Speaker had been in the Chair, the motion would have been carried and the Executive defeated.

Anthony Jackson of the Munlochy Vigil told GM WATCH, "It is totally bizarre that only the Speaker's absence from Parliament could stop the blocking of GM crops from being grown anywhere in the UK. Everyone will know now that if the Scottish Executive acquiesces in the necessary national seed listing for the UK, it will only be because by some odd chance the Speaker was away and an opposition member in his place. They know that they have absolutely no mandate. They also know the overwhelming majority of the Scottish people are completely opposed to the growing of GM crops".

Anthony thanked all those who wrote to Scottish Members of Parliament to tell them of their concerns over GM crops. "E-mails and letters have been flooding in," he said. "MSPs have never seen anything like it. But they may have to get used to it because this is just the start of our campaign to make sure that GM crops are never ever grown commercially in Scotland or anywhere else in the UK."

+ GREENS CLAIMS BACKING GM IS ILLEGAL
The Scottish Executive’s decision to support Westminster's approval for GM maize could be either illegal or based on a flawed interpretation of the law, according to the Scottish Green Party.

Green MSPs have demanded the release of the legal advice held by the Executive on the extent of its powers to block GM maize.

+ WALES MAY STILL HOLD GM MAIZE VETO
Plans to allow farmers to grow a form of GM maize in Britain could still be foiled in Wales. UK environment secretary Margaret Beckett will need the signature of her Welsh counterpart, Carwyn Jones, before the Chardon LL maize, also known as T25, is added to the National Seeds List.

In a deal struck behind the scenes and announced last week, Mr Jones has agreed to listing in principle and Mrs Beckett agreed that Westminster will not stand in the way of co-existence measures, which should keep the crop out of Wales.

But Mr Jones insisted that he would not place Chardon LL on the National Seeds List until other measures are in place. These include a variation in the conditions attached to the current consent, co-existence measures to protect conventional and organic farming from GM contamination, voluntary GM-free zones and a liability and compensation scheme for anyone damaged by GM contamination.

GM Free Cymru says the measures might take years to put in place, and might never actually be agreed. http://www.lobbywatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=2906

+ PROF PERRY AND "SOUND SCIENCE"
The British government says its decision on GM maize commercialisation was based on “sound science”. Pre-eminent amongst those scientists offering their version of “sound science” is Prof Joe Perry, chief statistician of the Farm Scale Evaluation trials and lead signatory of the letter published in suc


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