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Digest No #79, 5th June 2009

  1. Nannup votes to go GM free
  2. “Fundamentally GM is crap” says scientist
  3. Monsanto, Oxfam America, Gates, Rockefeller and more team up to foist GM onto Africa – MADGE follows the money trail
  4. South America – WWF greenwash on GM soy
  5. Green glowing monkeys and cats dying from irradiated food
  6. GFC – similarities between Global Food and Global Financial Crises
  7. Events: food swap, GM free meeting in Gippsland, speaking tour by Health Canada whistleblower and much more.....

1. Nannup votes to go GM free

The WA shire of Nannup voted to go GM free last week. It is in the WA Agriculture Minister Terry Redman’s seat. “The motion that Nannup be declared a GM free cropping zone was carried 4 to 3. ....About 35 people turned up ...The president, who voted against the motion, tried to cut my speech short 3 times, but each time the crowd rumbled "Let her speak ". ...Two councillors spoke for it and said that they could see there was great community support for this and even though they didn't want to get involved in the science, they felt they had to do as the community wanted. So thanks to the people who turned out and signed the petition (we ended up with 300, another dozen were gathered at the meeting) we won!” Congratulations to Bee Winfield and everyone who helped. Read the transcript of the inspirational speech Bee gave here.

The Organic Growers of WA will be staging a protest of the GM canola trials on the steps of Parliament ,Wednesday June 10th from 10.00am – 2.00pm. If you would like to show your support, please aim to get there in the morning for the media. This is another opportunity to express your opposition to these trials. More details jan60gro@yahoo.com

2. “Fundamentally GM is crap” says scientist

This statement was made by respected molecular biologist Arpad Pusztai. He was initially supportive of GM until his animal feeding tests with GM potatoes showed serious health effects. He went public with his findings and was sacked. When asked “Do you believe that scientific research will conclusively show that GM foods pose significant health risks?” he replied simply “Yes”.

US scientist Don Lotter has systematically demolished the science of GM in this paper. He details that:

  • The 2003 Human genome programme showed this idea of one gene one protein, on which all current GM is based, was wrong
  • In 2007, ENCODE, the 4 year investigation by 300 scientists into the genome, showed that genes are not independent items but are complex networks, full of overlaps, that are not fully understood
  • Latham et al in 2006 showed that both methods used to create GM plants (infection by bacteria or shot in on a tiny bullet) cause massive disruption to the genome which are a biosafety risk.
  • The toxicology studies done on GM are totally inadequate

In his second paper, he details:

  • Over 25 years university science programmes have changed from the “public good” to “academic capitalism” dependent on private industry funding
  • “deficient scientific protocols, bias and possible fraud in industry-sponsored and industry-conducted research”
  • Political and commercial manipulation of science
  • Suppression of dissenting scientists – he includes details of what happened to Arpad Pusztai
  • Media bias – “Biotechnology industry reports which are widely circulated in the agricultural media often contain no citations, while well-cited reports from anti-transgenics groups are routinely rejected”
  • Underfunding of alternatives to GM

If reading is too hard try watching this three part video:

“The Genetic Conspiracy”. Assistant Professor Masaharu Kawata of Nagoya University explains how GM soy tests were distorted to hide potentially allergenic properties. “Monsanto’s conclusion that GM soy is safe was wrong, probably even criminal” (part 1).

The connections between the US government and Monsanto are explored. (Part 2) “The FDA (US food safety authority) has not done its job to protect the US people but we can see it is incapable of doing so because of Monsanto’s deep ties to the administration.” “This is nothing less than a corporate coup d’etat, this is a corporate takeover of our government agencies by Monsanto”.

A German ex-politician calls the whole GM food business a “scandal” (Part 3). The saddest part shows the experiences of South America and GM soy. Grey and dead soils, an increase in pesticide use, farmers trapped by the technology, people and animals poisoned. (Part 3)

If you would like to know more about how food safety regulators work hear Canadian scientist whistleblower Shiv Chopra talk this month, see item 7 for details.

If you would like to comment on GM foods why not contact the current Food Investigators programme – SBS at 7.30pm on Wednesdays.

There are fantastic alternatives to GM. Watch this inspirational Australian Story programme on Maarten Stapper. He is a scientist helping farmers by teaching them how to enrich and work with the organisms in their soils. One very happy farmer says he saved $20,000 a year in inputs. The whole landscape: crops, worms, insects, birds, etc; comes alive and the pride and satisfaction of all concerned is lovely to see. You can see a repeat of this programme on ABC Saturday 6th June at 12.30pm.

3. Have Monsanto, Oxfam America, Gates, Rockefeller and more teamed up to foist GM onto Africa? – MADGE follows the money trail

Congress may pass the Global Food Security Act – Senate Bill 384. This would “boost(ing) spending on foreign agricultural development and nutrition programs from $750 million in 2010 to $2.5 billion by 2014. ...the money can go to "biotechnological advances appropriate to local ecological conditions," including genetically modified seeds.””

The major producer of GM seeds worldwide is Monsanto. Monsanto have also spent $2 million lobbying to have this bill passed.

Various groups appear to be promoting improved seed and sustainable agricultural for Africa. They also seem to be supporting the Global Food Security Bill from behind the scenes. These groups are the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Together they have established the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Could these groups’ real agenda be to force GM seeds on Africa? MADGE has followed a trail of grants and links that are worrying. The US Senate Foreign Relations committee had a hearing on world hunger to debate this bill. There appear to be links between supporters of the bill and the Gates Foundation:

What is happening on the ground in Africa? Pedro Sanchez from Columbia University's Earth Institute together with Jeffrey Sachs is helping to establish “Millennium Villages”. “Sanchez and Sachs are spending $300,000 a year on each small village.......Villagers get hybrid seeds and fertilizers for free – as long as they donate three bags of corn... to a school feeding programme.” They also get improved health, water and transport provisions. (National Geographic June 2009 p49). The Millennium Villages are claimed to be a big success.

Interestingly Colombia University received a grant of $15 million from the Melinda and Bill Gates foundation in 2006. “The grant supports The Earth Institute at Columbia University, which is currently working in 10 African countries to battle the complex challenges of poverty with proven scientific interventions and policy recommendations at the local and national levels.”

The Millennium villages have been criticised as being too expensive to be sustainable. (National Geographic June 2009 p49). There are also reports the “Malawi Miracle” may be unstable. The village leaders want to dissolve the project and share the profits “We were told that government will take over all these and considering that we had paid through the nose and worked our lungs out to achieve all this we thought of sharing it before government take over,” said one of the traditional leaders who chose to remain anonymous.”

Meanwhile for 9 years a low tech version of the millennium village has been happening in Malawi. This project found that growing legumes were the most useful in improving soil fertility. It also found they could improve child feeding by delaying the introduction of porridge by targeting the mothers-in-law. This programme runs at a fraction of the cost of the Millennium Villages. (National Geographic June 2009 p 57).

The largest research project into how to feed the world the UN’s IAASTD, concluded that locally based sustainable farming systems were required and that they were unlikely to include GM seeds or expensive, high cost, high input systems.

Via Campesina is trying to raise understanding of the threat to world seed diversity. The meeting of the FAO Seed Treaty (ITPGRFA) is critical to allow the international community to respond to the food and climate crises. The importance of farmers in developing and sustaining seed varieties in the field needs to be recognised. Via Campesina is asking for:

  • a suspension of all intellectual property rights and other regulations that prevent farmers from saving and exchanging non-GMO seed.
  • a major financial commitment to save seed in the field, for the conservation of genetic diversity in the field, and to prevent and monitor biopiracy.
  • an end to the monopoly practices of multinational seed companies who are controlling seeds, the first link in the food chain.
  • Governments cannot act alone, they must involve farmers in decision making every step of the way, and governments must implement the treaty’s decision on Farmers’ Rights.

Read the Via Campesina declaration on the seed treaty for further details.

Without diverse and viable seed we will all eventually starve.

4. South America – WWF greenwash on GM soy

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been part of the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS). This is a greenwash group with members such as Monsanto, ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Syngenta, BP and Shell.

A group of German NGO’s have written an open letter to WWF asking them to no longer be part of this (this letter is in German, please see translation of this letter posted on MADGE wesbsite here). They cite illnesses caused by GM soy: “The Grupo Reflexion Rural (GRR) in Argentina recently reported the annual use of 200 million litre glyphosate on soy fields causes a health disaster: cancers, deformities, autoimmune diseases, respiratory and skin diseases are on the rise.”

They also show that the “winners would primarily be the multinational corporations, who sit at the table: the traders of agricultural bulk commodities such as Bunge, ADM and Cargill, oil companies in search for alternatives to fossil fuels, such as Shell and BP, and the GM companies, such as Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer.”

The negative effects of Monsanto’s Roundup (glyphosate) on human health are becoming so well known that the Argentinean government is being pressured to ban it.

5. Green glowing monkeys and cats dying from irradiated food

"Japanese researchers have genetically engineered monkeys whose hair roots, skin and blood glow green under a special light. The genetically modified monkeys have also passed on their traits to their offspring, the first time this has been achieved in a primate.” Of course this is all being done to further the cause of medical research into awful human diseases. Is this really the way research should proceed?

Recently 30 cats died as a result of their imported pet food being irradiated. An alert vet spotted that they had all eaten the same food. The effects of the irradiation were dramatic and so were picked up relatively fast. Australia allows some herbs and tropical fruit to be irradiated for human consumption . How can we know if there are any human health effects from this?

6. GFC – similarities between Global Food and Global Financial Crises

The Global Food Crisis is being compared to the Global Financial Crisis. Like the financial system the food system has:

  • Dramatically globalised in the past generation
  • Has become increasingly concentrated
  • Sent ripples across the world – the increasing use of food for biofuels in Europe and the US pushed hundreds of millions of people into hunger

The global food system is also:

People are beginning to be aware of what is going on. In the US there are projects like:

  • Growing power “Inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time.”
  • People’s Grocery “We believe everyone should have access to healthy food, regardless of income. We call this "food justice" - the belief that healthy food is a human right.”

Wonderful things are happening in Australia too:

  • Food Connect in Brisbane “Food Connect sources its predominantly organic produce from local and regional family farms.”
  • Sydney Food Fairness Alliance “Working towards food security and sustainable food systems”
  • Food swaps – Yarra (this Saturday – see events) and Coburg - contact aliciahooper@hotmail.com
  • Farmers markets
  • New Map of GM free Farms, Businesses and Local Councils launched by Gene Ethics
  • Wed 24th June, Melbourne and Thurs 25th June Stawell, Workshops on “Going Local: supporting sustainable businesses and communities” (see events for details)

7. Events: food swap, GM free meeting in Gippsland, speaking tour by Health Canada whistleblower and much more.....

Saturday 6th June 10am till 1pm Yarra Neighbourhood Orchard monthly swap at the playground/bbq area, Alexandra Pde, Fitzroy (parkland next to Fitzroy Pool). Bring along your excess homegrown edibles, seeds, seedlings, recipes etc and remember to bring along bags or a box to take stuff home in!

Saturday 13th June Climate Rally 1pm State Library. Speakers include “Bob Brown, Peter Marshall (secretary of the Firefighters union) David Spratt and more.”

Sunday 14th June - Cardinia/Baw Baw GM free Organising Meeting. Do you live in either of these shires? Are you interested in working on a GM free campaign? For more information please contact Gloria O’Connor 0414270564 glorocon@yahoo.com.au or Jessica Harrison 0407307231 wildjessica@dodo.com.au

DR SHIV CHOPRA: BLOWS THE WHISTLE ON FOOD SAFETY National tour and Book launch: 15-24th June (ACT, NSW, VIC, WA). He is called a hero by David Suzuki and Vandana Shiva and speaks out against seed and chemical giant Monsanto. His evidence to Canadian Parliament exposed dangerous foods, including GM bovine growth hormone. Here to launch his new book, Corrupt to the Core, Dr Chopra reveals all on the issues of genetically manipulated foods, pesticides and herbicides, hormones and antibiotics in animal production systems, and rendered dead animal wastes. He will speak on taking back control of our food supply.

  • Canberra: Monday 16th June, 1PM - Committee Room 1S6, Commonwealth Parliament House, Canberra
  • Sydney: Thursday 18th June, 6:30PM - Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts; 280 Pitt St,Sydney.
  • Perth: Saturday 20th June, 2:00PM - City West Lotteries House; 2 Delhi St, West Perth.
  • Melbourne: Tues 23rd June, 6:30PM - Green Building, 60 Leicester St, Carlton.

Contact Nicola Paris at Gene Ethics for more detail: geneethicsevents@gmail.com or 1300 133 868.

Wed 24th June, Melbourne and Thurs 25th June Stawell, Workshops on “Going Local: supporting sustainable businesses and communities” with Michael Shuman. “It’s about starting something – vibrant local economies that will make our cities and towns the places we very much want them to be”.

Innovation grants for food projects in rural Victoria – applications close Friday 19th June.

The Australian Federal Government has agreed to banana imports from the Philippines. There are fears of disease risks and job losses in Queensland. IGA supermarkets have said they will not stock these bananas. The Australian Banana Growing Council have organised this petition against the imports. www.saveaussiebananas.com

Happy eating Love MADGE