World-News

Monday, March 27 2006 @ 06:02 AM

PST Biotech Crops Will Hurt U.S. Family Farmers and Deepen the Energy Crisis

By: John E. Peck

As concerns about peak oil mount, the latest group to jump on the renewable energy bandwagon has been the biotech industry. In a March 13th 2006 press release building towards their national convention in early April in Chicago, Jim Greenwood, president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), proclaimed that a new wave of genetically engineered technologies “will end our national addiction to oil.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Family farmers and others who have already suffered from the first wave of biotech crops can only shudder at what lurks within this latest Pandora’s Box. Thanks to Monsanto, farmers are now stuck producing vast quantities of low quality Bt corn that has hardly any market. This unwanted biotech corn must then be dumped - at taxpayer expense - into domestic ethanol production, factory livestock farms, or abroad in places like Mexico where it contaminates indigenous varieties, undercuts peasant farmers, and creates desperate people who have no choice but to cross the border. And in the wake of the Starlink disaster, one can only imagine the consumer safety threat posed by fields of high starch low fiber biotech corn, genetically engineered with an ethanol enzyme, growing adjacent to other corn across the Midwest.

The conventional ethanol industry is already under the thumb of Archers Daniel Midland (ADM), and many family farmers have lost their shirts investing in co-op ethanol projects that end up being gobbled up by ADM when times get tough, such as happened to MN Corn Processors. And, in tune with its slogan about being the supermarket to the world, ADM could care less about energy independence at a national level. They have already pledged to import sugarcane ethanol from Brazil under new “free trade” deals and leave U.S. corn producers high and dry if the price is right. Adding biotech ethanol crops into this corporate-driven quasi-monopoly will only tip the scales further against family farmers.

Another lucrative “solution” to the energy crisis being promoted by the biotech industry is to engineer microbes to produce enzymes that can then be added to switchgrass or crop wastes such as corn stover or wheat straw in largescale biorefineries – a process known as cellulosic ethanol production. Of course, the environmental impact of such unprecedented industrial facilities is unknown. And beyond all the hype, one is still left with the same Enron style scheme dependent upon potentially dangerous patented technologies, abusive one-sided supply contracts, and commodity markets manipulated by corporate cartels.

Patented seed varieties and large bioenergy facilities serving corporate profit margins are hardly a recipe for sustainable rural development or national energy independence. In fact, given all the problems created by existing biotech crops, this misguided approach will only make matters worse. For this reason and many others, family farmers, consumer advocates, and other concerned citizens will also be gathering in Chicago over the weekend of April 7th - 10th for Bioethics 2006, an open public event to educate each other and further strategize about how best to defend our food/farm system from contamination and cooptation by private agribusiness interests.

Rather than going to war overseas or trusting in corporate biotech to secure our fuel supply, the United States would do much better by investing in comprehensive energy conservation, decentralized energy production, and genuine renewable alternatives such as wind, solar, and biodiesel that rely on open source science under local democratic control.

John E. Peck is executive director of Family Farm Defenders
tel. 608-260-0900 http://www.familyfarmdefenders.org


Informant: Reclaim the Commons

Published on Friday, March 24, 2006
by Inter Press Service A New Ethics Needed to Save Life on Earth
by Mario Osava

CURITIBA, Brazil - Emotions and sensitivity are "the essence, the core dimension of the human being," said the Brazilian theologian at a panel on "ethics, biodiversity and sustainability". The panel formed part of the Global Civil Society Forum, held parallel to the Mar. 20-31 Eighth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP8).

It is not reason but feeling that is involved in our first contact with reality, and "today's great crisis is not economic, political or religious, but a crisis of affect, of the capacity to feel a connection with others," he said.

It is indispensable to "take care of all living things," and science shows that cooperation is the "supreme law of the universe," he added.

"The world is not made up of objects but of relationships. It was cooperation that made possible the leap from animal to humanity, and without it we are dehumanised, which is what occurs in the case of capitalism," the theologian told around 300 activists, most of them small farmers.

He added that the principle of responsibility underlies the criticism of transgenic products, the need to take precautions in the face of unpredictable and unknown consequences, the possibility that genetic modification of food could break down the balance between the "billions of bacteria" and molecules that make up a human being.

Boff, who left the priesthood after suffering sanctions at the hands of the Vatican for expressing "dangerous ideas" over the past two decades, has outlined his ecological concerns in several books. He has been invited to give talks at several panels at the COP8.

Boff is one of the founders of liberation theology, which is based on a "preferential option for the poor", whose proponents' involvement in the struggles of the poor and marginalised sectors of the population often brought them into conflict with a more conservative Catholic Church hierarchy in the past.

The expression "sustainable development" is "a deception to undermine the demands of environmentalists" by joining together two contradictory concepts, he told the participants in the Global Civil Society Forum.

Development "comes from the capitalist economy," which supposes a constant rise in production, consumption and wealth as part of an illusion of "infinite resources," while sustainability has to do with biology, "the dynamic equilibrium of interrelated beings," he said.

In order for the consumption levels of industrialised countries to become universal, "two additional planet earths" would be needed, he said.

But earlier international conferences have already concluded that by continuing along that road, the earth would no longer be sustainable by 2030 or 2035, and would suffer major catastrophes, said Boff. "We have become the earth's Satan," said Boff. "Either we change or we die."

An equally menacing portrait was painted by Louise Vandelac, director of the Environmental Sciences Institute at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Canada. Vandelac focussed on the area of biotechnology, and warned that more than biodiversity, it is "the world's biological security that is threatened by the cannibalism of the market."

A second generation of transgenic research and technology has now emerged, devoted to producing genetically modified animals, she said.

The research being carried out today is very different from that of the previous 25 years, she noted. Scientific literature from the last few months reveals that more than 200 tests have already been conducted on pigs, rabbits, cows and fish, and soon the first transgenic salmon could be unveiled in Canada, she reported.

This technology has been highly concentrated up until now, with just four countries - the United States, Argentina, Brazil and Canada û accounting for 96 percent of transgenic commercial production. Moreover, 95 percent of this production is made up of only four crops, namely soybeans, cotton, corn and canola. In the meantime, Monsanto Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans occupy a full 75 percent of the total area planted with transgenic crops in the world today.

The biotechnology industry's marked interest in developing pesticide-resistant plant varieties owes to the fact that producing a new pesticide costs ten times more, said Vandelac.

Roundup Ready seeds, which produce crops that are resistant to Monsanto's own glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup, have guaranteed continued sales of the weedicide. The use of Roundup on transgenic crops dropped off during the first few years, but is now growing at a rate of four percent annually.

Studies reveal a 70 percent decline in the toad population in areas where transgenic soybeans are grown. One hypothesis is that Roundup herbicide is altering the animals' hormonal systems and thus interfering with their reproduction, said Vandelac.

Nevertheless, there are "new hopes" emerging as people are becoming more aware of the threats posed by transgenics and pushing for clear regulations that enforce limits on the ambitions of private enterprise, with social movements joining with environmentalists, trade unionists, feminists and other activists in defence of biological security, she concluded.

Argentine lawmaker Marta Maffei called for efforts to combat "cultural domination," the mother of all dominations, in her view.

Maffei maintained that politicians adopt decisions "without knowing anything about environmental issues," and depend on the advice of specialists who work for private companies that have no interest whatsoever in preserving biodiversity.

Social mobilisation is the only way to break this "vicious cycle of environmental domination," she declared.

Copyright © 2006 IPS-Inter Press Service

http://www.ipsnews.net/

Source: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0324-04.htm

Terminator rejected: a victory for the people

Just an hour ago here in Brazil, the Chair of the UN meeting announced that governments have agreed to reject language that would have undermined the moratorium on Terminator.

Groups, communities and individuals across the world have joined together in this fight to ban Terminator and your action has been effective in this important first step.

The Ban Terminator Campaign will continued to monitor the meetings today and next week.

Terminator rejection - a victory for the people

A broad coalition of peasant farmers, indigenous peoples and civil society today celebrate the firm rejection of efforts to undermine the global moratorium on Terminator technologies - genetically engineered sterile seeds - at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Curitiba, Brazil.

"This is a momentous day for the 1,4 billion poor people world wide, who depend on farmer saved seeds," said Francisca Rodriguez of Via Campesina a world wide movement of peasant farmers, "Terminator seeds are a weapon of mass destruction and an assault on our food sovereignty. Terminator directly threatens our life, our culture and our identity as indigenous peoples", said Viviana Figueroa of the Ocumazo indigenous community in Argentina on behalf of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.

"Todays' decision is a huge step forward for the Brazilian Campaign against GMOs," said Maria Rita Reis from the Brazilian Forum of Social movements and NGOs, "This reaffirms Brazils' existing ban on Terminator. It sends a clear message to the national government and congress that the world supports a ban on Terminator." "Common sense has prevailed – lifting the Moratorium on the Terminator seeds would have been suicidal – literally,” said Greenpeace International’s Benedikt Haerlin from the Convention meeting. "This is a genuine victory for civil society around the world - it will go a long way to ensuring that biodiversity, food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers around the world are protected.”

Terminators, or GURTS (Genetic Use Restriction Technologies), are a class of genetic engineering technologies which allow companies to introduce seeds whose sterile offspring cannot reproduce, preventing farmers from re-planting seeds from their harvest. The seeds could also be used to introduce specific traits which would only be triggered by the application of proprietary chemicals by the same companies.

At the CBD Australia, Canada and New Zealand along with the US government (not a party to the CBD) and a number of biotech companies were leading attempts to open the door to field testing of Terminator seeds by insisting on ‘case by case’ assessment of such technologies. This text was unanimously rejected today in the CBD's working group dealing with the issue. It still needs to be formally adopted by the plenary of the CBD.

Despite today's victory, there is no doubt that the multinational biotech industry will continue to push sterile seed technology. ‘Terminator’ will rear its ugly head at the next UN CBD meeting in 2008. The only solution a total ban on the technology once and f or all,” concluded Pat Mooney of the Ban Terminator Campaign. Now all national governments must enact national bans on Terminator as Brazil and India have done.


From Terminator Information

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Greenpeace: Terminator Rejection - A Victory for the People
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0324-04.htm

Mar 21 2006
Steve Dube,
Western Mail

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/farming/farming/tm_objectid=16838071&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=farmers--betrayed--over-terminator-technology-name_page.html

THOUSANDS of farmers are expected to demonstrate today against proposals that will open the way for a form of genetic modification that makes it impossible for them to save their own seeds.

A global moratorium on testing and marketing so-called terminator technology, established under the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity in 2000, could be overturned this week as 188 governments gather in Curitiba, Brazil, for the eighth conference of the convention.

The UK has joined Australia, Canada and New Zealand in urging the convention to abandon its opposition and fall in line with the United States, where the seeds are currently being tested.

Almost 500 organisations, including farmers groups, international organisations, trade unions, charities and churches have now called for a ban in a growing campaign of opposition.

Terminator technology is controversial because it prevents farmers from saving their own seeds to grow new crops, forcing them to buy new seeds each season.

Opponents say it is easy to understand why a handful of wealthy governments want to join the US in developing terminator seeds.

The major seed companies effectively control a world seed market worth about £14bn a year. If farmers could not save their own seeds, and were forced to buy every time, the value could double.

The UK Government's decision to abandon its opposition was only revealed on the Defra web site on February 21 when the House of Commons was in recess.

It was raised by Opposition MPs on March 8, when Defra Minister Ben Bradshaw insisted that the policy was unchanged, although a moratorium on testing would be wrong.

He said the UK's position was to approach every bid to test or market such seeds on a case-by-case basis, as with all GM seeds.

Former Environment Minister Michael Meacher says UK policy now differs significantly from the one he approved six years ago.

"I could see the need for a global agreement on how to prevent the release of terminator," he said.

"It poses a greater threat than any other type of GM seeds because it would undermine farmers' seed saving, threaten food security and agricultural biodiversity.

"Using this technology would force more farmers to buy new seeds each season from corporations whose control over seeds is already substantial."

Dr Meacher said the Government appeared to back the claim by the big biotech corporations that the terminator would prevent GM genes contaminating neighbouring crops or wild plants.

"This is nonsense because terminator cannot provide 100% sterility, nor prevent normal cross-contamination through pollen drift," he said. "In any case, that is not its purpose; it is to make the seeds agronomically unviable in order to ensure seed sales."

Dr Brian John, of the campaign group GM Free Cymru, questioned where the Welsh Assembly Government stood on the issue.

In an open letter to Wales Environment Minister Carwyn Jones, Dr John said, "This is an appalling policy shift which betrays the interests of farmers.

"There is no new evidence which might underpin a shift in the Defra position.

" The implications for the Third World are truly terrifying."

A Welsh Assembly Government spokeswoman said, "If GM crop varieties containing terminator technology were ever approved for use in the EU, it would be up to individual farmers to decide whether or not to use them."

Tests have benefits, says scientists A NEW discussion document endorses the need to make sure new crops and farming practices are not going to damage biodiversity. But the Government's Advisory Committee on Releases (Acre) into the Environment says the current regulatory system is flawed because it doesn't weigh this damage against potential benefits.

Acre chairman Professor Chris Pollock, the director of the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research near Aberystwyth, who chaired the Scientific Steering Committee of the UK Farm Scale Trials on GM crops, believed the trials were a great model for testing environmental impact before new technology is widely introduced.

"But many scientists also feel that by only asking about the dis-benefits of this technology, policy makers cannot make a balanced decision based on a proper risk-benefit analysis."


Informant: Teresa Binstock

Umweltinstitut München e.V. – Newsletter vom 14. März 2006

Inhalt: - Einwendungen gegen Freisetzungsversuche mit gentechnisch veränderten Kartoffeln - Marsch für ein gentechnikfreies Europa in Wien am 5. April - Info-Veranstaltung zu Mobilfunk am 15. März in München um 19 Uhr - Vortrag von Maya Graf, grüne Nationalrätin in der Schweiz, über GEN-freie Landwirtschaft

Die Technische Universität (TU) München und die Universität Rostock planen Freisetzungsversuche mit gentechnisch veränderten Kartoffeln. Die Kartoffeln der TU enthalten einen erhöhten Anteil des Carotinoids Zeaxanthin und sollen angeblich vor Augenleiden schützen, die nach zu geringem Konsum von Gemüse auftreten können. Die Uni Rostock experimentiert an mit Genen aus dem Cholera-Bakterium, mit einem Virus, der die hämorrhagische Kaninchenkrankheit (Chinaseuche) hervorruft, und mit einem bakteriellen Gen, das die Produktion von Plastik ermöglichen soll. Das Umweltinstitut München hat Mustereinwendungen gegen diese Freisetzungsversuche erstellt. Sie können die Einwendungen von unserer Homepage herunterladen und unterzeichnen. Dabei spielt es keine Rolle, wo in Deutschland Sie leben. Bitte schicken Sie die unterschriebenen Einwendungen bis 13.4. bzw. 20.4.06 an uns zurück. Details und Mustereinwendungen zum Herunterladen: http://www.umweltinstitut.org/genkartoffel

Vom 4.-6. April findet in Wien die EU-Konferenz über „gentechnisch veränderte, konventionelle und biologische Feldfrüchte“ statt. Es geht um Rahmenbedingungen für die so genannte Koexistenz – also das Nebeneinander von Gentechnik- und gentechnikfreier Landwirtschaft. Der „Marsch für ein gentechnikfreies Europa“ soll Zeichen des europaweiten Widerstands gegen gentechnisch veränderte Organismen sein. Am Mi, 5. April marschieren GentechnikgegnerInnen daher zu einer Großdemonstration am Konferenzort. Treffpunkt ist 8 Uhr, Wien-Praterstern (Station der Linien U1, S-Bahn). Mehr Informationen gibt es im Internet: http://www.gmofree-europe.org

Im letzten Newsletter haben wir die Uhrzeit vergessen: Die morgige Mobilfunk-Info Veranstaltung in München findet um 19 Uhr statt. Ort: Gaststätte der Bezirkssportanlage, Meyerbeerstr. 115, Bus 160 (Menterstr.)

Ende 2005 entschieden sich die Schweizerinnen und Schweizer in einem Referendum für eine gentechnikfreie Landwirtschaft. Maya Graf, grüne Nationalrätin in der Schweiz, berichtet über ihre Arbeit, die mit zu dem Erfolg dieses Referendums geführt hat.

Veranstalter: Förderkreis für Umweltgesundung, Tel. (089) 340 12 23 Termin: Do, 6. April, 20 Uhr Ort: Schweisfurth-Stftung, Südliches Schlossrondell 1 in München. Tram 17, Haltestelle Schloss Nymphenburg.


Hans Ulrich-Raithel, Dipl.- Ing. (FH) Vorstand
Umweltinstitut München e.V.

http://openpr.de/news/80156
http://at-de.i-newswire.com/pr15831.html
http://www.apotheken-pirmasens.de/News/Region/2006_03.php4?ID=15#Mobilfunksenderstrahlung_und_Agro-Gentechnik

Sehr geehrter Herr Minister Seehofer,

Agro-Gentechnik und Mobilfunksenderstrahlung haben Gemeinsamkeiten. Sie führen beide zu Gesundheitsschäden und bei der Einführung der Agro-Gentechnik verwendet man das schon beim Mobilfunk bewährte Rezept.

Fangen wir doch beim Mobilfunk an. Die Höhe der Grenzwerte wurde von der ICNIRP, einem in München eingetragenen Verein, vorgeschlagen und dann von der Bundesregierung 1997 genehmigt. Bei der Festlegung der millionenfach überhöhten Grenzwerte wurde nur die harmlose Wärmestrahlung und nicht die biologisch (athermischen) Wirkungen der gepulsten Mobilfunksenderstrahlung berücksichtigt! Ingenieure, Nachrichtentechniker, Biologen und Physiker haben - im Gegensatz zu Ärzten - eben nicht die nötige Fachkompetenz, um die Auswirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit zu erkennen und zu beurteilen! Noch dazu sind die Grenzwerte von neuen seriösen Studien völlig unberührt und daher ungeeignet den erforderlichen Schutz der Gesundheit zu garantieren. Viele Krankheiten in der Nähe von Mobilfunksendern sind das traurige Ergebnis. Von Schlaflosigkeit bis Krebs und sogar Leukämie bei Kindern ist alles vertreten.

Die Politiker und die Industrie wollen bei der Agro-Gentechnik die gleiche Taktik wie bei der Einführung des Mobilfunks verfolgen (Gesundheitsgefahren verschweigen, tricksen und die Bevölkerung täuschen).

Gründe gegen die Agro-Gentechnik:

1. Die Einführung von Genmais ist in Deutschland nicht erforderlich, da der Maiszünsler bei uns kein Problem darstellt, wenn die Felder nach der Ernte tief umgeackert werden!

2. Nach der Einführung der Agro-Gentechnik ist keine genfreie Landwirtschaft mehr möglich (einmal Genpflanzen immer Genpflanzen)!

3. 80 Prozent der Verbraucher wollen kein Genjunkfood! Da genügend gentechnikfreie Lebensmittel auf dem Weltmarkt vorhanden sind ist - nach Einführung der Agro-Gentechnik - der biologische Landbau tot und die konventionelle Landwirtschaft schwer geschädigt. Aus den genannten Gründen muss die Bundesregierung das Gentechnikgesetz verschärfen statt zu lockern! Die Haftungsvorschriften dürfen nicht verwässert werden! Terminator-Technologie, d.h. Saatgut, das durch gentechnische Manipulationen nicht mehr in der Lage ist, keimfähige Samen zu bilden, muss verboten werden. Durch dieses Saatgut würde die Existenz von über 1,4 Milliarden Menschen bedroht, die auf selbst erzeugtes Saatgut angewiesen sind.

4. Die Zeitung "Le Monde" meldete im Frühjahr 2004, dass sich bei Fütterungsversuchen mit der Genmaissorte MON 863 bei Ratten Veränderungen im Blutbild und Nierenschäden zeigten! Sollen die schon durch Mobilfunksenderstrahlung erkrankten Menschen auch noch durch Genjunkfood geschädigt werden??

5. Mit der Verbreitung der Agro-Gentechnik würde Deutschland - wie z.Z. der Irak - abhängig von Amerika und dessen Gensaatkonzernen.

Abschließend möchte ich noch ein Zitat von Jean Ziegler (Sonderberichterstatter der Vereinten Nationen für das Recht auf Nahrung) aus seinem Buch: "Das Imperium der Schande", Seite 30, bringen: "Die Kosmokraten verabscheuen insbesondere die Kostenlosigkeit, die die Natur ermöglicht. Sie sehen darin eine unlautere und unerträgliche Konkurrenz. Die Patentierung des Lebendigen, der genetisch veränderten Pflanzen und Tiere, sowie die Privatisierung der Wasserquellen sollen dieser unzulässigen Kostenlosigkeit ein Ende bereiten".

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Bürgerinitiative Icking zum Schutz vor Strahlenbelastung
G. Pischeltsrieder

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Buchbesprechung zu:
Jean Ziegler „Das Imperium der Schande“
unter: http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/1694438/

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Hallo Hr. Pischeltsrieder,

Sie haben Recht, doch mir fällt da noch so einiges Gewichtige ein:

Genveränderte Organismen auszubringen, bedeutet erstmalig einen Umweltverschmutzung -verseuchung, die sich selbstständig vermehrt, und nie mehr rückholbar sein wird.

Die neuste Produkte dieser Firmen sind die "Selbstmordpflanzen", soll heißen, sie haben ein "Terminator" Gen eingebaut bekommen, das die normale Vermehrung verhindert, wie Sie richtig schreiben. Nun, was wird wohl passieren, wenn sich diese Eigenschaft auskreuzt? Dies ist wesentlich drastischer als das nur "finanzielle" Engagement der Konzerne bzgl. Saatgutverkauf.

Wenn nicht mehr nur die Nutzpflanzen, sondern auch die natürliche Vermehrung bei den Wildpflanzen damit beendet wird? Wenn es die Schranken zwischen Pflanze und Tier überschreitet, oder in die für uns existenziellen Mikroorganismen im Verdauungstrakt "einkreuzen", rein hypothetisch.

Über der "Mobilität" der Gene wissen wir inzwischen vieles.

Weiter brauchen wir nur die Probleme in z.B. Indien betrachten, und nachvollziehen, wie es dort den Landwirten erging, Gensaatgut teuer erstanden, dann schlecht bis miserable Ernteergebnisse und somit das Anfang einer Verschuldungsfalle, was bisher zu tausenden von Selbstmorden unter den Landwirten führte.

Und die Firma mit M. macht rigoros so weiter und belügt eine Regierung nach der anderen. Und bei uns stecken sie sowieso dick im Geschäft.

Wir alle (zumindest viele) essen ja diese Produkte seit per EU vieles "harmonisiert" und gelockert wurde, das beginnt bei den Emulgatoren aus Soja (vom Schokoriegel bis ...), Nestle und seine Produkte, und die vielen "Fertigsachen", die ja der große Teil des Volkes regelmäßig verspeisen.


Landesverband Thüringen
Bürger-gegen-Esmog.de
Bernd Schreiner
Westhausen / Thüringen

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Biodiversitätskonvention: Moratorium für "Terminator-Technologie" könnte aufgeweicht werden (20.03.06)

Nach Angaben des globalisierungskritischen Netzwerks Attac wird auf der Vertragsstaatenkonferenz der UN-Biodiversitätskonvention, die am Montag in Brasilien begann, das Moratorium zur so genannten Terminator-Technologie in Frage gestellt. Sinn der Terminator-Technologie sei es, Pflanzen zu produzieren, deren Samen nicht mehr keimfähig seien, "so dass die Bauern gezwungen sind, jedes Jahr aufs Neue bei den Saatgutkonzernen einzukaufen, während heute 80 Prozent des Saatguts von den Bauern selbst erzeugt wird". Die Terminator-Technologie nehme Bauern insofern das Recht zur Selbstversorgung mit Saatgut. Die Regierungen Kanadas, Neuseelands und Australiens fordern laut Attac "eine Aufweichung des bisherigen Moratoriums durch die Einführung einer Einzelfallregelung". Ein Kampagnenbündnis aus Deutschland fordert hingegen eine Aufrechterhaltung des Moratoriums und setzt sich für ein weltweites, dauerhaftes Verbot ein.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet: http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=13204

United Nations talks on the global trade in genetically modified (GM), or biotech foods and crops will highlight the gap between countries demanding the right to regulate imports of GM products and the huge business interests that seek to benefit from weak rules...

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0310-01.htm

Am Samstag, 11. März, bewegen sich in München Verbraucher für sichere und unverfälschte LEBENsmittel ohne Gentechnik. Das Umweltinstitut München e.V. unterstützt die Demonstration und ruft auf, sich zu beteiligen.

13.00 Uhr: Auftaktkundgebung am Geschwister-Scholl-Platz (U3/U6 Universität) mit Hep Monatzeder, Bürgermeister der Landeshauptstadt München, anschließend Demonstrationszug zum Odeonsplatz mit Samba-Rhythmen der „Münchner Ruhestörung“.

14.00 Uhr: Schlusskundgebung am Odeonsplatz mit Tanz- und Musikgruppen, Kabarett von Maria Peschek und Live-Musik der Bands Kafkas Orient Bazaar, Destination Failure, Tricia Leonard & Friends

Sprechen werden auf der Abschlusskundgebung:

- Edith von Welser-Ude, Schirmherrin der n-a-h-r-u-n-g-s-k-e-t-t-e
- Christian Hierneis, 1. Vorsitzender des Bund Naturschutz, Kreisgruppe München
- Harald Nestler, Vorstand Umweltinstitut München e.V.
- Franz Maget, Vorsitzender der SPD-Fraktion im Bayerischen Landtag
- Sepp Dürr, Fraktionsvorsitzender der Grünen im Bayerischen Landtag
- Michael Johann, Koordinator der Plattform „Gentechnikfreie Regionen und Länder“ (Österreich)
- Manfred Hederer, Vorstand Deutscher Berufs & Erwerbs Imker Bund
- Renate Arnold, Vorstand Naturkost Südbayern e.V.
- Dr. Inci Sieber, Sprecherin der n-a-h-r-u-n-g-s-k-e-t-t-e


Aus: Umweltinstitut München e.V. – Newsletter vom 9. März 2006

Friends of the Earth Europe has today (February 28, 2006) published a leaked copy of the secret draft ruling in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute over GM foods.

The US, Canada and Argentina launched a legal challenge against the EU in May 2003. They claimed that EU measures to protect consumers and the environment from the risks posed by GM food and crops were blocking trade in GM products.

Initial analysis of the report shows that despite claims of victory by the US government and the biotechnology industry, the US-led coalition failed to win many of their arguments against Europe. However, the WTO ruled that national GMO bans are illegal and it is likely that countries with bans in place will be put under renewed pressure to lift them.

Friends of the Earth published a preliminary analysis of the WTO report: http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2006/WTO_briefing.pdf

Read the WTO report

The leaked WTO report can be downloaded here:

World Trade Organisation: European Communities - Measures affecting the approval and marketing of biotech products. Interim Reports of the Panel.

* Descriptive (pages 1-248)
(PDF format - 1.6 MB) http://www.foeeurope.org/biteback/download/WTO_report_descriptive.pdf

* Findings (pages 249-1050)
(PDF format - 4.3 MB) http://www.foeeurope.org/biteback/download/WTO_report_findings.pdf