Genetically Modified Seeds and Crop Contamination

In the past few years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has begun to invest heavily in innovations that can increase agricultural productivity for the world’s poor. More than 1 billion people suffer from chronic hunger, and most of them are small farmers. We need to raise their productivity so that they have extra output. We will also need to feed the additional 3 billion people that will populate the earth in the next 50 years. People involved in agriculture care about both improving farm productivity and making sure farming is done in a sustainable way. Although these needs are often seen as mutually exclusive, they are actually quite complementary. They both depend on innovation, including new seeds, better training for farmers, and better access to inputs and markets. To make better seeds, scientists find two seeds, each with attractive characteristics—like being adapted to a local environment or having better productivity or disease resistance—and make one seed that combines the good traits. Breeding to get better seeds has been going on for thousands of years. Modern techniques have been applied most aggressively to the big cash crops in rich countries. Just like in health, there isn’t a lot of market incentive to use the latest science for the needs of the poor. Most of our grants involve marker-assisted breeding, but a few involve transgenics. Improvements in agriculture and health have relied heavily on the generosity of rich countries. - 2010 Annual Letter from Bill Gates

WikiLeaks: U.S. Targets EU Over GM Crops

US embassy cable recommends drawing up list of countries for 'retaliation' over opposition to genetic modification

January 3, 2011

Guardian - The US embassy in Paris advised Washington to start a military-style trade war against any European Union country which opposed genetically modified (GM) crops, newly released WikiLeaks cables show.

In response to moves by France to ban a Monsanto GM corn variety in late 2007, the ambassador, Craig Stapleton, a friend and business partner of former US president George Bush, asked Washington to penalise the EU and particularly countries which did not support the use of GM crops.

"Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits.

"The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices," said Stapleton, who with Bush co-owned the St Louis-based Texas Rangers baseball team in the 1990s.

In other newly released cables, US diplomats around the world are found to have pushed GM crops as a strategic government and commercial imperative.

Because many Catholic bishops in developing countries have been vehemently opposed to the controversial crops, the US applied particular pressure to the pope's advisers.

Cables from the US embassy in the Vatican show that the US believes the pope is broadly supportive of the crops after sustained lobbying of senior Holy See advisers, but regrets that he has not yet stated his support. The US state department special adviser on biotechnology, as well as government biotech advisers based in Kenya, lobbied Vatican insiders to persuade the pope to declare his backing.

"… met with [US monsignor] Fr Michael Osborn of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, offering a chance to push the Vatican on biotech issues, and an opportunity for post to analyse the current state of play on biotech in the Vatican generally," says one cable in 2008.

"Opportunities exist to press the issue with the Vatican, and in turn to influence a wide segment of the population in Europe and the developing world," says another.

But in a setback, the US embassy found that its closest ally on GM, Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the powerful Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the man who mostly represents the pope at the United Nations, had withdrawn his support for the US.

"A Martino deputy told us recently that the cardinal had co-operated with embassy Vatican on biotech over the past two years in part to compensate for his vocal disapproval of the Iraq war and its aftermath -- to keep relations with the USG [US government] smooth. According to our source, Martino no longer feels the need to take this approach," says the cable.

In addition, the cables show US diplomats working directly for GM companies such as Monsanto.

"In response to recent urgent requests by [Spanish rural affairs ministry] state secretary Josep Puxeu and Monsanto, post requests renewed US government support of Spain's science-based agricultural biotechnology position through high-level US government intervention."

It also emerges that Spain and the US have worked closely together to persuade the EU not to strengthen biotechnology laws. In one cable, the embassy in Madrid writes:

"If Spain falls, the rest of Europe will follow."

The cables show that not only did the Spanish government ask the US to keep pressure on Brussels but that the US knew in advance how Spain would vote, even before the Spanish biotech commission had reported.

Europe, Japan to Cancel Grain Contracts with Australia Due to GMO Contamination

January 3, 2011

Natural News - Australia is playing with fire by relaxing its standards on genetically-modified organisms (GMO).

According to a recent report in The Australian, both Europe and Japan may cancel their non-GMO grain contracts with Australian growers because of GM contamination, including the recent case of Steve Marsh who lost his organic certification due to GM canola invading his fields [see next story].

GMOs are not very prevalent in Australia, and in some Australian states they are still outlawed. But in other regions, political pressure has given way to increased GMO plantings, which threatens Australia’s unique position as an exporter of non-GMOs, particularly canola. And if things keep going in the current direction, Australia could lose its position in the non-GM trade market.

The cease trade warnings from at least four European importers and two Japanese importers were prompted after it was determined that a GM canola field in Western Australia (WA) had contaminated more than 540 acres of a nearby organic wheat farm (http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/co…). And current West Australia Minister for Agriculture and Food, Terry Redman, is allegedly pushing to lower Australian organic standards in response, which only adds fuel to the fire.

“European consumers remain resolutely opposed to genetically modified crops, and as European importers we must remain responsive to the needs of our customers,” explained a letter from the European importers obtained by The Australian.

In other words, if Australian leaders fail to crack down on the GMO takeover, the integrity of the entire non-GM industry is at stake.

However, non-GM and organic growers like Marsh are beginning to take control and fight back against the agri-giants that are destroying their livelihood. Several groups, including the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the Network of Concerned Farmers (NCF), have indicated that if non-GM growers successfully win legal cases against the likes of Monsanto, a whole new precedent will be set.

“The GM farmer should be worried because they are ultimately liable and this is an avenue where the non-GM farmer can say right we’ll follow this example and we’ll do the same and it could be a class action if you’re not sure who causes it,” explained Julie Newman from NCF to Australian reporters, in reference to contamination lawsuits against GM growers.

GM Canola Contaminates Organic Farm

December 10, 2010

AFN - A West Australian organic farmer has found genetically manipulated (GM) canola seeds contaminating nearly two thirds of his arable land. Australian organic standards mandate zero tolerance for any GM so he will consider suing for financial loss, the first case of its kind in Australia.

Steve Marsh says he used test strips to identify the seeds of GM canola which have blown more than 1.5 km inside his boundary and contaminated about 220 hectares. He believes the seed may have blown in after a neighbouring GM canola farmer swathed the crop to prepare for harvest and the severed dry stalks and seeds became airborne.

Mr Marsh’s organic certifiers, the National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA) is conducting an official investigation.

“Our livelihood is at stake as we are a certified organic farm and rely on the premium that comes with selling guaranteed GM-free organic food, in Australia and in overseas markets,” Mr Marsh says.

Governments that allow GM canola to be grown must ensure whatever a farmer does within their boundary does not impact on neighbouring farms. But clearly, the technology can’t be contained.

Gene Ethics Cropwatch technician Jessica Harrison says governments have favoured only the GM industry and their growers.

“In a letter to Mr Marsh, WA Agriculture Minister Terry Redman recently wrote:

‘… zero per cent thresholds are unrealistic in biological systems’.

“Yet on March 11 this year, when announcing an end to the GM canola ban, Redman had said:

‘The trials proved GM and non-GM canola can be segregated and marketed separately’.

“The government mislead us and now our farmers and consumers are paying the price. Laws need to be enacted to protect the majority of farmers want to stay GM-free. Farmers must be compensated for any loss of premiums and certification that result from GM contamination.

“A majority of people will not buy GM contaminated food products and are flocking to organics but this incident puts that trust under a cloud.

“Canola has been found to sprout for up to sixteen years, according to the Office of Gene Technology Regulator which licensed the crop,” Ms Harrison concludes.

Read More...