Ban Terminator Campaign Breaking News, November 14, 2005 http://www.banterminator.org

The Government of India confirms national ban on Terminator

The Government of India has given final notification confirming the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Act, Act 53 of 2001, which prohibits registration of plant varieties containing Terminator genes.

The Act contains the following language:

"18. (1) Every application for registration under section 14 shall— (c) be accompanied by an-affidavit sworn by the applicant that such variety does not contain any gene or gene sequence involving terminator technology"


Farmers hail PVP & FR Act notification ASHOK B SHARMA, Financial Express, Bombay, India Posted online: Monday, November 14, 2005 at 0000 hours IST New Delhi, Nov 13 Farmers have hailed the government’s decision to notify the Plant Varieties Protection and Farmers’ Rights (PVP&FR) Act, 2001. They said that though the decision is belated, it would solve the farmers’ problems to a great extent.

The legislation was passed by Parliament way back in 2001 and received Presidential assent in the same year, but was withheld from notification, which prevented its implementation over the past few years.

The Act, apart from protecting farm bio-diversity, allows farmers to save and exchange seeds in unbranded form for use in the next crop season. The Act has also banned registration of seeds containing terminator technology vide section 18 (1) (C).

The government has recently constituted Plant Varieties Protection and Farmers’ Rights Board under the chairmanship of Dr S Nagarajan for implementation of the Act.

Speaking to FE, executive chairman of Bharat Krishak Samaj (BKS) Dr Krishan Bir Chaudhary said: “The PVP&FR Act was long withheld from its implementation due to pressure from the interested lobby of seed companies. This law gives some leverage to farmers in matters of use of seeds, though not complete freedom. There had been recent attempts to nullify this meagre freedom given to farmers under this Act by the introduction of amendments to the Seeds Act in the Parliament. The farmers will not tolerate any such move and demand immediate withdrawal of the proposed amendments to the Seeds Act. Rather PVP&FR Act should be further amended to give more freedom to farmers.”

Dr Chaudhary had earlier expressed concern over Delta & Pine Land announcing its new plans to foray into the seed sector, after it got patent rights for its terminator technology in patent offices abroad. He now said that with the notification of PVP&FR Act, the country is better poised to deal with this situation.

Dr Chaudhary was the sole farmers’ representative to the recently held global conference on biotechnology hosted by Asia-Pacific Association of Agriculture Research Institutions (APAARI) and FAO in Bangkok where he demanded that the seed multinationals compensate farmers for failure of Bt cotton.

URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=108540


Below is the press release from the Government of India:

PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

CENTRE ISSUES NOTIFICATION ON PROTECTION OF PLANT VARIETY & FARMERS RIGHTS AUTHORITY

New Delhi, Kartika 20, 1927 November 11, 2005

The Protection of Plant Variety & Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Authority has come into being with the enforcement of the Act, 2001, and the Rules framed thereunder. A notification to this effect was issued today by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation. The Authority would now regulate all matters pertaining to plants and seeds varieties of the country and would act as the national registry for documentation, indexing and cataloguing of all flora of the country, including extant varieties, farmers’ varieties and land races. The Authority will also be registering new varieties thereby protecting the breeders’ rights, inclusive of both farmers and the industry.

The Authority represents the interests of a wide spectrum of stakeholders, which include the scientific community, farmers’ organizations, women, tribal entities and State and Central Government as also the State Agricultural Universities.

The PPV&FR Authority is a major step forward in stimulating investment in the agricultural seed and plant sector and would greatly encourage development of new plant varieties. It will protect the interests and rights of farmers and the farming community and recognize their contribution to the selection and preservation of traditional varieties. The Authority also has the mandate to administer the National Gene Fund which ill help conserve and protect our plant genetic resources/biodiversity.

The PPV&FR Authority is presently functioning out of the premises of National Agricultural Science Centre at Pusa, New Delhi, and is headed by Dr. S Nagarajan, recently appointed as its chairman.

http://fornits.com/renegade/peaars.cgi?fetch=8599&found=8599:8598:8596:8597:8595:8593:8594:8592:8591:8590&table=Renegade


Informant: STRIDER

ISIS Press Release 09/11/05 Zambia Holding Firm to GM Ban Amid Aggressive GM Awareness Campaign

Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

Zambian Minister of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Mrs Judith Kapijimpanga, told the international conference on Genetic Engineering and Sustainable Agriculture in Lusaka, 3-6 October, that her country had taken a bold stance to reject GMO foods and conditions attached to them, “much to the annoyance of some donors.”

The Zambian government is committed to rejecting GM foods and aids to protect humans and animals and the environment. It is taking a precautionary stance on GM and ensuring sustainable agriculture.

She said the problem of food insecurity in Africa was a result of complex issues including droughts, floods, poor rural infrastructure, unreliable input distributions, subsidies, farmers' attitudes and agricultural policies. It required an integrated approach for sustainability.

The public and farmers have no access to reliable information and data, which is why the government is investing K900 million (~US$200 000) to set up a national institute of scientific research on GMO testing, to enable scientists to generate knowledge on biotechnology. She challenged the media to obtain and report accurate information on biotechnology and biosafety.

Hon Abel Chambeshi, Zambia's Minister for Communication, in closing the conference, reiterated that Zambia is committed to ban the release of GMOs and confine them to the laboratory. Safety and sustainable agriculture need to be given more attention at all levels, he said . Informed decisions need to be made in Zambia and within the region. Scientists should confine as much as possible their research in the laboratory, and only allow those approved as safe by regulation .

“Conservation farming and organic farming are proven to work,” Chambeshi said, “let us continue with them to eradicate hunger.”

Zambia shook the world when it took the lead in rejecting GM food aid in 2002 in the midst of projected famine (greatly exaggerated by the press and pro-GM lobby), opting instead to purchase food surpluses from within the country and the African region ( SiS 16 and SiS 17). The country recovered sufficiently to export maize surpluses to Angola in 2004.

Unfortunately, drought hit the sub- Saharan African countries including Zambia during the 2004/05 growing season, leaving many local communities short of food. So, once again, the pro-GM lobby has been taking the opportunity to promote GM crops for feeding the poor and hungry; and Zambia and other countries have been under tremendous pressure to accept GM food aid.

I was among the scientists, government and non-government representatives, and journalists invited to attend the international conference.

Not surprisingly, many participants rejected the idea that GM crops have a role to play in sustainable agriculture, especially for poor farmers; and considered it a waste of time to even discuss the GM option.

Dr Drinah Nyirenda, executive director of Programme Against Malnutrition, said there was need for technologies that optimised food production and utilisation. Any technology that fails will simply perpetuate poverty and hunger. “GM technology does not quality because it does not satisfy the issues raised on food availability, safety, environment and biodiversity sustainability on which the vulnerable small-scale farmer depends.”

Several promising approaches to sustainable agriculture were described at the conference (“Brother Paul's organic cotton & vegetable farm” and “Farmer who values his freedom above all”, this issue).

My message was simple. Once the hype, lies, half-truths and corruption are stripped away, there is no evidence GM crops have delivered any of the benefits promised by proponents, such as improved yields, reduced pesticides, or economic gains for small farmers; quite the opposite is the case. And there are large uncertainties over the safety of GM crops for health and the environment.

Most of all, farmers will lose control of seeds, for GM seeds are protected by patents; and apart from having to purchase seed every year, they must pay additional “technology fees”.

Furthermore, even if farmers choose not to grow GM crops, companies like Monsanto could and would still take them to court for patent infringement, should their fields become contaminated with GM seed or pollen. And organic farmers are not the only people under threat from GM contamination – a myth perpetrated by the pro-GM lobby – but farmers growing conventional crops as well.

Europe, a major food importer, has set GM contamination thresholds for conventional imports, above which they have to be labelled as GM. Countries around the world are due to follow suit.

US journalist Jeffrey Smith, whose book Seeds of Deception exposed the cover-ups and suppression of scientists and scientific evidence over the safety of GM food and feed, applauded Zambia's precautionary stance in rejecting GM food aid.

“We have neither the legal biosafety regulatory framework, nor the capacity to deal with GM imports, while large uncertainties remain over the safety of GM crops for health and the environment,” explained Dr. M. M. Lewanika, head of the Institute of Biotechnology in Zambia.

Two apologists for GM crops stood out, not so much in projecting a rose-tinted view of a biotech future under the now familiar refrain of “keeping all options open” even though “GM crops are not a panacea”, nor in denigrating and questioning organic agriculture at every opportunity; but in using an identical, crudely emotive tactic to try to morally blackmail their audience into accepting GM crops.

Dr Luke Mumba, chair of the Bio-safety Council of Zambia and researcher at the University of Zambia, included in his powerpoint presentation a photograph of an emaciated child crawling on barren ground with a vulture standing nearby, watching. The starving child, Mumba told us, was crawling towards food aid, with the vulture at its back. The child managed to reach the food aid and was saved, but the journalist who took the picture committed suicide.

Remarkably, Dr. Joseph M Wekundah, Mumba's counterpart from Kenya used the same picture in his talk and repeated exactly the same story.

Thanks to Jonathan Matthews of GMWatch ( GM Watch daily, 13 October 2005 http://www.gmwatch.org ), I later learned that the photograph was taken in Sudan in 1994, long before GM food aid became an issue. No one knew if the child was saved. The photographer made no attempt to save the child, and committed suicide because he ran out of money.

Mumba chairs the Biotechnology Outreach Society of Zambia, launched 2003, and dedicated to an “aggressive awareness campaign” to change Zambia's “negative attitude towards GM crops” http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=189. He has been invited to speak in conferences organised by industry-funded groups such as EuropaBio and CropGen in Europe and the UK.

This article can be found on the I-SIS website at
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/

In a message dated 11/3/2005 9:02:55 AM, clg_news@legitgov.org writes:

Most Offspring Died When Mother Rats Ate Genetically Engineered Soy

By Jeffrey M. Smith Oct 2005 "The Russian scientist planned a simple experiment to see if eating genetically modified (GM) soy [Monsanto's Roundup Ready soy] might influence offspring. What she got, however, was an astounding result that may threaten a multi-billion dollar industry... [T]he real shock came when the rats started dying"...

http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/forumpost.shtml?toppid=482253


Informant: JHW369

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Offspring Died When Rats Ate Genetically Engineered Soy
http://www.newswithviews.com/Smith/jeffrey8.htm

Träumereien der Gentechnik: Britische Forscher wollen Hühner immun gegenüber dem Vogelgrippevirus machen.

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/21/21242/1.html

Bird flu

The Times
October 29, 2005

Scientists aim to beat flu with genetically modified chickens

by Mark Henderson,
Science Correspondent

THE long-term threat of an avian flu pandemic could be greatly reduced by a project to produce genetically modified chickens that can resist lethal strains of the virus.

British scientists are genetically engineering chickens to protect them against the H5N1 virus that has devastated poultry farms in the Far East, with a view to replacing stocks with birds that are not susceptible to influenza.

The technique should also offer protection against many other strains of flu with the potential to start a human pandemic, such as the H7 subgroup that was responsible for an outbreak in Dutch poultry in 2003.

If chicken populations were to be replaced with transgenic birds that were resistant to flu, it would remove a reservoir of the virus and make it much harder for it to spread to humans and trigger a pandemic.

The team, led by Laurence Tiley, Professor of Molecular Virology at Cambridge University, and Helen Sang, of the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh, has already shown that chicken cells can be protected against flu by inserting small pieces of genetic material.

The researchers are now ready to begin a similar procedure with eggs and the first experiments are expected within weeks. Any breakthrough, however, will come too late to have an impact on the present outbreak of H5N1.

Even if the technique works, it will be several years before it can be used to stock farms and it also faces important regulatory hurdles and a battle to win over public opinion. If these obstacles are overcome and farmers are willing to adopt GM chickens, the entire world stock could be replaced fairly quickly.

"Once we have regulatory approval, we believe it will only take between four and five years to breed enough chickens to replace the entire world population," Professor Tiley said. "Developing flu-resistant chickens has clear benefits for human health and animal welfare, as we wouldn't have to slaughter chickens around the world. Chickens provide a link between the wild bird population, where avian influenza thrives, and humans, where new pandemic strains can emerge. Removing that bridge will dramatically reduce the risk posed by avian viruses."

The research team is following three parallel approaches. One involves inserting a working copy of a gene that makes an antiviral protein called Mx, which is defective in many chicken breeds, and should improve their ability to fight off H5N1 and other strains.

The second approach is to harness a technique called RNA interference, in which small fragments of the genetic signalling chemical RNA are used to disrupt the workings of the flu virus.

By engineering chicken cells to make small RNA molecules that confuse the flu virus, the scientists hope to confer resistance to a wide variety of strains. The third strategy is similar to the second, but involves using RNA molecules as decoys, which trick the flu virus into copying them rather than itself. All three could potentially be incorporated in the same GM chickens.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25149-1847760,00.html


Informant: beefree

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Now we finally see the bottom line regarding the bird flu and either the greed emerging OR the intended agenda....eliminate all natural chickens, and replace them with genetically engineered chickens. And, if THIS works - then what's to prevent scientists and governments from replacing everything natural with synthetic versions....including humans.

It's a stretch - but not really. How many of you out there ever thought you'd be reading an article of this nature? Remember, Monsanto owns over 60% of the world's seed...and there are other companies that own other percentages. Realistically, there is only about 5% of natural heirloom seed left in the world...and in some countries like Iraq, it's against the law possess natural seed.

Remain aware! Educate others! Post solutions and ideas. We are sitting back and watching this unfold. How can we offset the impact of this? This is about our food source - our basic sustenance. The studies are not conclusive that synthetic/GE/GM foods are healthy for us - and in fact point to them being harmful to us.

Anna


Begin forwarded message:

“Once we have regulatory approval, we believe it will only take between four and five years to breed enough chickens to replace the entire world population,” Professor Tiley said. “Developing flu-resistant chickens has clear benefits for human health and animal welfare, as we wouldn’t have to slaughter chickens around the world. Chickens provide a link between the wild bird population, where avian influenza thrives, and humans, where new pandemic strains can emerge. Removing that bridge will dramatically reduce the risk posed by avian viruses.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25149-1847760,0...

Europäisches Patentamt: Greenpeace warnt vor verfaulendem Saatgut (25.10.05)

Nach Darstellung der Umweltschutzorganisation Greenpeace hat das Europäische Patentamt in München hat einem Patentantrag zur Sterilisierung von Saatgut durch die so genannte "Terminator"-Technologie stattgegeben. Das Patent EP 775212 B vom 5. Oktober 2005 umfasse alle Pflanzen, die gentechnisch so manipuliert worden seien, dass ihre Samen nicht mehr keimen könnten. Offenbar wurde auch ein "Verfahren zur Herstellung eines nicht lebensfähigen Samens" angemeldet. Einmal geerntete und wieder ausgesäte Samen könnten nach diesem Verfahren keine neuen Pflanzen produzieren: "sie verfaulen in der Erde", so Greenpeace. "Wird mit der 'Terminator'-Technologie zum Beispiel Soja, Weizen, Raps oder Baumwolle sterilisiert, sind die Landwirte gezwungen, Saatgut jedes Jahr neu zu kaufen", kritisiert die Organisation. Die Landwirte sollten sich darüber im Klaren sein, dass "weltweit die Firmen in den Startlöchern stehen, um die Kontrolle über ihr Saatgut durch Genmanipulation zu erlangen."

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12127

Ban Terminator Campaign – Breaking News October 25, 2005

New Patents on Terminator Granted in Europe and Canada!

Corporations move closer to bringing Terminator to market. The need for a successful Ban Terminator Campaign is clearer than ever.

Delta & Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture have been granted new patents on the Terminator technology that they jointly own. On October 11 the Canadian Patent Office granted patent CA 2196410 and on October 5 the European Patent Office granted patent EP 775212B. Applications for similar patents have been filed in Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Turkey and South Africa.

Take Action: A sample letter to write to your government is posted under Take Action at www.banterminator.org – More specific actions and contacts are coming soon. Please stay tuned.

Please see below two press releases with the details:

1. International Press Release: Corporates gain control over nature's seeds as the Terminator patent is granted, October 25, 2005

2. Canadian Press Release: Canada Grants New Controversial Terminator Patent To US Company: Patent on “Suicide seeds” allowed, October 25, 2005

1. Corporates gain control over nature's seeds as the Terminator patent is granted

Amsterdam, 25 October 2005 - Greenpeace today exposed details that the patent for the controversial "Terminator technology" was granted in Europe on 5 October 2005. The Terminator patent (1) has been approved for all plants that are genetically engineered so that their seeds will not germinate. Further research by the "Ban Terminator Campaign", a network of farmers' unions and environmental organisations revealed that a patent was also granted in Canada on 11 October 2005.

Plants created using Terminator technology will produce sterile seeds, creating a monopoly and unnatural control of the seeds. Farmers will not be able to use seeds from such plants for the following season's cultivation. The seeds will rot \in the soil without producing new plants. If this technology is introduced in crops such as soya, wheat, canola and cotton it will force farmers to buy new seeds every year from the same company.

"Farmers should be aware that corporations all over the world are ready to take control of their seeds with genetic engineering (GE). These corporations will control the entire food chain with the help of monopoly patents and Terminator technology," said Christoph Then, Greenpeace International GE campaigner. "We need a global ban on this technology and on any patents on seeds. These corporate instruments will disrupt the backbone of global food supply, making it impossible for the farmers to reuse their own harvest for planting."

So far, the market introduction of the Terminator technology-which was already developed about ten years ago-was successfully prevented through worldwide protest of several groups and stakeholders. But many observers believe that the GE industry will drive towards the legalisation of this technology at the meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in March next year. The grant of the patent could push even harder for market introduction.

"These new patents confirm that corporations are once again actively pursuing Terminator technology and an international ban on the technology is urgently needed," said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the new global Ban Terminator Campaign, which involves farmers unions, environmental and Indigenous peoples organisations (2).

Although the GE industry claims that Terminator technology will help contain the spread of GE contamination, Greenpeace believes otherwise. "GE technology can not be controlled by Terminator seeds. On the contrary, it is likely that farmers will find their harvest being contaminated with this Terminator technology, if introduced. This is a real threat for estimated 80% of the farmers all over the world who save their seeds for cultivation."

Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non-violent creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems to force solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.

For further information, contact:

Christoph Then, Greenpeace International GE Campaign, +49 171 8780832

Judit Kalovits, Greenpeace International Communications, +31 621 296914

Lucy Sharratt, Ban Terminator Campaign, +1 613 2412267

Notes to Editors:

(1) The Terminator patent, EP 775212B, was granted to US-based Delta &Pine and the United States of America, represented by the Secretary of Agriculture. According to further data bank research the patent was already granted in similar versions in USA, further applications were filed in Australia, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Turkey and South Africa.

(2) http://www.banterminator.org


2. Canada Grants New Controversial Terminator Patent To US Company

Patent on “Suicide seeds” allowed

Ottawa, October 25, 2005 – Today Greenpeace and the Ban Terminator Campaign revealed that new patents have been granted in both Canada and Europe for a Terminator technology owned jointly by US seed corporation Delta & Pine Land and the United States Department of Agriculture. The patents were granted on October 11 and 5 respectively. The move confirms the greatest fears of farmers’, Indigenous peoples groups and social movements across the world that Terminator technology is once again being pushed towards commercialization.

Terminator seeds are genetically engineered to be sterile after first harvest so farmers cannot use the seed in the next season. It would force farmers to buy seed every year and concentrate even more power in the hands of major biotechnology and seed corporations. Intensive global uproar has kept the technology from being field-tested or commercialized but companies are now pushing for acceptance.

“These new patents confirm that corporations are once again actively pursuing Terminator seeds and an international ban on Terminator is urgently needed,” said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the new global Ban Terminator Campaign.

New fears that governments and corporations are working together to push Terminator were first confirmed in February 2005 when the Canadian government shocked the world by trying to overturn the international de facto moratorium on Terminator that exists at the United Nations under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Uproar from Canadian and international groups kept the moratorium alive. To address this crisis, the National Farmers Union and other Canadian-based groups including ETC Group, Inter Pares and USC Canada initiated a global Ban Terminator Campaign
http://www.banterminator.org .

“The Canadian government must immediately stop promoting corporate Terminator seeds and protect the rights of farmers by banning the technology,” said Terry Boehm, Vice President of the National Farmers Union, “Terminator is a great threat to farmers in developed and developing countries. The Canadian government should be ashamed to be associated with this technology. Terminator is an attempt to achieve biologically what the government has been unable to do legislatively.”

“Corporate control of seeds is the only goal of Terminator. The corporate attempt to greenwash Terminator by saying it can help prevent genetic contamination is false as the technology itself is not 100% reliable and it can nevertheless contaminate the environment and threaten biodiversity’. This is an outrageous strategy to commercialize a dangerous, anti-farmer and non-ecological technology, ” said Eric Darier, Greenpeace Canada campaigner, “Patents on Terminator can and must be denied for the public good.”

The Ban Terminator Campaign is urging governments around the world to establish national bans on Terminator and to ban Terminator at the major meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity March 20-31 2006 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

For more information: Terry Boehm, Vice President, National Farmers Union, Saskatchewan 306 255 2880; Eric Darier, Greenpeace Canada Campaigner, Montreal 514 933 0021 x15 Cell: 514 605 6497; Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Ban Terminator Campaign, Ottawa 613 241 2267 Cell: 613 222 6214

Nachricht von Michael Meyer

michael_meyer@aon.at
Risiko Mobilfunk Österreich Plattform Sozialstaat Österreich - Netzwerk Zivilcourage
A - 5165 Berndorf,
Stadl 4
Tel/Fax 0043 - 6217 - 8576


**Gentech-Soja in Rumänien außer Kontrolle**

Ex-Manager des Agromultis Monsanto packt aus: Ilegaler Anbau erfolgt im ganzen Land

Greenpeace präsentierte am Montag einen Bericht über den Anbau von gentechnisch verändertem Soja in Rumänien: In mindestens zehn der 42 rumänischen Regionen wird, so Greenpeace, illegal und ohne Wissen der zuständigen Behörden die gentechnisch veränderte Roundup-Ready-Sojabohne des US-Agromultis Monsanto angebaut.

Untermauert werden diese Ergebnisse durch umfassende landesweite PCR-Analysen von Soja-Pflanzen aus Feldern in den betroffenen Regionen. Ungewöhnliche Unterstützung erhält Greenpeace vom ehemaligen Manager Monsanto’s in Rumänien, Dragos Dima, der sogar davon spricht, dass bereits neunzig Prozent anstatt der offiziell verlautbarten fünfzig Prozent der in Rumänien angebauten Soja gentechnisch verändert seien.

Der rumänische Gentechnik-Sprecher von Greenpeace, Gabi Paun, dazu: “Wir haben landesweit Sojafelder auf Gentech-Anbau getestet, und die Ergebnisse bestätigen unsere schlimmsten Befürchtungen. In ganz Rumänien wird illegal Gentech-Soja angebaut, die Situation ist komplett außer Kontrolle. Wir fordern die rumänischen Behörden auf, sofort aktiv zu werden, um weiteren Schaden für die rumänische Umwelt und Wirtschaft abzuwenden.“

Im Jahr 2005 wurde in Rumänien Soja auf einer Fläche von etwa 140.000 Hektar angebaut, etwa die Hälfte davon ist als gentechnisch verändert registriert. Den Angaben von Dragos Dima zufolge sollen aber es aber eben bereits neunzig Prozent sein. Zusätzlich kommt es zur Verunreinigung von konventionellen gentechnikfreien sowie biologischen Sojafeldern mit Gentech-Soja, vor allem durch den illegalen Verkauf von Gentech-Saatgut und Auskreuzen.

Dragos Dima, ehemaliger Geschäftsführer von Monsanto in Rumänien, zieht mit seinem früheren Arbeitgeber hart ins Gericht: „Bereits 1998 habe ich gewarnt, dass weder das Land Rumänien noch Monsanto in der Lage wären, den Gentech-Anbau zu beobachten und zu kontrollieren. Leider ohne Erfolg. Ich habe die Firma verlassen, weil ich diese Bedenken auch gegenüber der internationalen Firmenleitung geäußert habe.“ Dragos Dima war bis Ende 1998 für Monsanto in Rumänien tätig. Der Anbau von Gentech-Soja in Rumänien erfolgte erstmals 1999. "Monsanto hat Rumänien wissentlich in eine Technologie gedrängt, die fast zwangsläufig außer Kontrolle geraten musste, weil das Land nicht adäquat darauf vorbereitet war. Die Befürchtungen von Dragos Dima haben sich inzwischen leider voll bestätigt“, sagt Greenpeace-Expertin Susanne Fromwald.

Im Jahr 2007 soll Rumänien der Europäischen Union beitreten. Derzeit fehlt es jedoch an geeigneten Maßnahmen zur Rückverfolgbarkeit und Kennzeichnung von gentechnisch veränderten Organismen. Die Harmonisierung von nationalem Recht mit Gemeinschaftsrecht ist aber zentrales Element der Beitrittsverträge. „Trotz zukünftiger EU-Mitgliedschaft wird der illegale Anbau von Gentech-Soja sowie das Fehlen von Kennzeichnung und Rückverfolgbarkeit gentechnisch veränderter Organismen in Rumänien dazu führen, dass rumänischen landwirtschaftlichen Produkten der Zugang zum EU-Markt verwehrt bleibt. Wenn die Behörden nicht sofort reagieren und die Situation unter Kontrolle bringen, werden die Bauern, die Wirtschaft und die Umwelt des Landes schweren Schaden davontragen“, so Gabi Paun abschließend.

Quelle: http://www.oekonews.at/index.php?mdoc_id=1010601 [holler ] - 12.10.2005

Grüne Gentechnik: Greenpeace präsentiert Studie über Mängel bei Zulassung von Gen-Mais (20.10.05)

Aus einer aktuellen Studie, die Greenpeace am Donnerstag veröffentlicht, geht hervor, dass die Untersuchungen zum gentechnisch veränderten Mais MON863 grobe Mängel aufwiesen und nicht geeignet seien, um die Gesundheitsrisiken dieser Maissorte zu beurteilen. Die Untersuchungen hatte die Firma Monsanto vorgelegt, um die Marktzulassung für die Europäische Union zu erlangen. MON863 ist bereits zur Fütterung von Tieren zugelassen. Über die Zulassung des Gen-Mais' für Lebensmittel soll am nächsten Montag von den EU-Agrarministern entschieden werden. Greenpeace lehnt die Zulassung ab.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=12097