tagged w/ Ban GMOs
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Earlier this year, the administration of the outgoing Peruvian President slipped in a decree that opened the door for GM seeds. But the subsequent outcry forced not only the resignation of the Agriculture Minister who'd introduced the decree, but also a 10-year ban on GMOs. But that ban wasn't signed into law by the outgoing Administration, so in November the new Peruvian Congress overwhelmingly approved the ban once again. Now the new law has been published in the Official Gazette with the support of the new Peruvian President, a known opponent of GMOs.
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Peru Approves Moratorium on GM Crops
THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE
Dear Friends and colleagues,
Below is an unofficial translation of a news article on the topic published in Spanish. For more news on the moratorium, see:
http://www.portafolio.co/internacional/peru-prohibio-las-semillas-transgenicas-su-territorio
http://elcomercio.pe/politica/1345718/noticia-peru-libre-transgenicos-proximos-diez-anos"
With best wishes,
Third World Network
131 Jalan Macalister,
10400 Penang,
Malaysia
Email: twnet@po.jaring.my
Website: www.biosafety-info.net and www.twnside.org.sg
To subscribe to other TWN information lists:www.twnnews.net
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Peru approves law banning GM production for 10 years
Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and Congress have heard the cries of Peruvian farmers and have banned GMOs for ten years.
The effects of GM foods on people who consume them and on their crops have generated enormous controversy. In this light Peru has taken an important step to protect their local food producers, establishing a moratorium on income and production of genetically modified organisms. This law, which was approved on November 4, was published on December 9 in the Official Gazette.
The president of Peru, Ollanta Humala said that it came to this decision after hearing "the cries of agricultural organizations and civil society to take this important step in the defense of our biodiversity."
Living modified organisms (LMOs) for research are excluded from the norm, including those used as pharmaceuticals and veterinary as governed by specific rules.
Also the LMO or its derivatives for food imported for direct human and animal, or for processing, said the rule would fall in this first group of processed foods such as dairy meal, which have been manufactured using GMOs.
Congressman Jaime Delgado, who was the driver of the rule, said in a statement that the law establishes the moratorium in response to the need to avoid irreparable damage to the country's biodiversity and to achieve a prior environmental land.
The National Convention of Peruvian Agriculture (Conveagro) also welcomed the enactment of the law and that Humala has taken the decision "without yielding to pressure from powerful groups." In a statement, Humala said he "heard the cries of agricultural organizations and civil society to take this important step in the defense of our biodiversity."
The president of Conveagro, Lucila Quintana, said: "Now we have to tap the potential of Peru's diverse agriculture, food and tourism, as part of a national biosafety work and ensure agricultural production to achieve food security. "Earlier this year, the administration of the outgoing Peruvian President slipped in a... more
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EXTRACT: CryAb1 toxin [was] detected in [pregnant women], their fetuses and [non-pregnant women]. This is the first study to reveal the presence of circulating [pesticides associated to genetically modified foods] in women with and without pregnancy, paving the way for a new field in reproductive toxicology including nutrition and utero-placental toxicities.
NOTE: Bt corn (maize) was developed by transferring cry1Ab from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) into corn. It is to be found in the most common GM corn - Monsanto's Bt MON810 (marketed with the trade name YieldGard) - a corn genetically engineered to resist corn borers by producing its own insecticide, the Cry1Ab toxin. Global production of Bt corn takes place on many millions of hectares worldwide and many different types of foods contain Bt corn. In the European Union, seven countries - Austria, Hungary, Greece, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Bulgaria have banned Mon810.
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Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada
http://bit.ly/ifIjUg
Aziz Aris (a,b,c) and Samuel Leblanc (c)
(a) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
(b) Clinical Research Centre of Sherbrooke University Hospital Centre, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
(c) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
Received 29 June 2010; revised 26 January 2011; accepted 13 February 2011. Available online 18 February 2011.
Abstract
Pesticides associated to genetically modified foods (PAGMF), are engineered to tolerate herbicides such as glyphosate (GLYP) and gluphosinate (GLUF) or insecticides such as the bacterial toxin bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between maternal and fetal exposure, and to determine exposure levels of GLYP and its metabolite aminomethyl phosphoric acid (AMPA), GLUF and its metabolite 3-methylphosphinicopropionic acid (3-MPPA) and Cry1Ab protein (a Bt toxin) in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.
Blood of thirty pregnant women (PW) and thirty-nine nonpregnant women (NPW) were studied.
Serum GLYP and GLUF were detected in NPW and not detected in PW. Serum 3-MPPA and CryAb1 toxin were detected in PW, their fetuses and NPW. This is the first study to reveal the presence of circulating PAGMF in women with and without pregnancy, paving the way for a new field in reproductive toxicology including nutrition and utero-placental toxicities.
Keywords: Pregnant women; Maternal and fetal blood; Nonpregnant women; Genetically modified foods; Glyphosate; Gluphosinate; Cry1Ab
Article Outline [payment required for full text]
1. Introduction
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Chemicals and reagents
2.2. Study subjects and blood sampling
2.3. Herbicide and metabolite determination
2.3.1. Calibration curve
2.3.2. Extraction procedure
2.3.3. GC–MS analysis
2.4. Cry1Ab protein determination
2.5. Statistical analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Conflict of interest statement
Acknowledgements
References
Corresponding author at: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre, 3001, 12e Avenue Nord, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada J1H 5N4. Tel.: +1 819 820 6868x12538; fax: +1 819 564 5302.EXTRACT: CryAb1 toxin [was] detected in [pregnant women], their fetuses and... more
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Authorities in Mexico have denied an application from seed giant Monsanto Co. to expand to pilot planting projects of genetically modified corn in northern Mexico, arguing that more experimental planting is needed to ensure the GM crops won't affect native corn varieties.
The head of Mexico's inter-agency commission on genetically modified crops says more small, strictly-controlled experimental plots are needed in order to decide on whether the crops can be grown in the birthplace of corn.
Reynaldo Alvarez Morales said Wednesday companies will have to plan at least another cycle of small plots of about 2 acres (1 hectare), before they can move on to "pilot" plots of as much as 50 hectares (124 acres).Authorities in Mexico have denied an application from seed giant Monsanto Co. to... more
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October 16 was World Food Day. In honor of the day I sent a letter to my community paper regarding GMOs and calling for a boycott of them. Whether it has any effect remains to be seen, but hopefully it will make more people aware of just what is being done to our food supply for proft and how the poor in our world are paying the biggest price for it.
Just as with water, I believe food is a human right that should not be denied to anyone. However, we see this right denied more and more in the developing world and much of the hunger we see is perpetuated by the WTO, World Bank, and IMF policies that keep access of food from the poor to create speculation that drives up prices of food. This keeps Western imports coming into countries whose land is now used to grow luxury crops for export to foreign markets rather than having food sovereignty.
So in honor of World Food Day, pledge to make every day World Food Day and write a letter to a newspaper, or blog, or send a note to someone in government, or simply pledge to take it upon yourself to boycott those who use food simply as a profit motive and call for food sovereignty for farmers, seed saving, water, and environmental democracy for all.
Thanks.October 16 was World Food Day. In honor of the day I sent a letter to my community... more
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This is great news from the Emerald Isle! This is a victory for sustainable agriculture and the environment. This is also the policy that should be adopted by the U.S.A! Let's just hope their yes vote on the Lisbon Treaty does not negate this decision.
Thank you Ireland.
'The Irish Government will ban the cultivation of all GM crops and introduce a voluntary GM-free label for food - including meat, poultry, eggs, fish, crustaceans, and dairy produce made without the use of GM animal feed.
The policy was adopted as part of the Renewed Programme for Government agreed between the two coalition partners, the centre-right Fianna Faíl and the Green Party, after the latter voted to support it on Saturday.
The agreement specifies that the Government will "Declare the Republic of Ireland a GM-Free Zone, free from the cultivation of all GM plants". The official text also states "To optimise Ireland's competitive advantage as a GM-Free country, we will introduce a voluntary GM-Free logo for use in all relevant product labelling and advertising, similar to a scheme recently introduced in Germany." [1]
The President of the Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers Association, Malcolm Thompson, said he was delighted by the announcement, adding, "The Government's new GM-free policy is the fulfillment of what we at ICSA have held for the last five years. I very much look forward to its full implementation." [2]
Michael O'Callaghan of GM-free Ireland said the policy signals a new dawn for Irish farmers and food producers:
"The WTO's economic globalisation agenda has forced most Irish farmers to enter an unwinnable race to the bottom for low quality GM-fed meat and dairy produce, in competition with countries like the USA, Argentina and Brazil which can easily out-compete us with their highly subsidised GM crop monocultures, cheap fossil fuel, extensive use of toxic agrochemicals that are not up to EU standards, and underpaid migrant farm labour.
"Meanwhile, hundreds of European food brands, retailers and Regions now offer GM-free beef, pork, lamb, poultry, eggs, fish and dairy produce as part of their Food Safety, Quality Agriculture, Biodiversity, Fair Trade, Sustainable Development and Climate Change strategies. Thousands of brands in the USA are doing likewise. Without a GM-free label to distinguish our produce, Irish food is being excluded from this global market."
"The Irish Government plan to ban GM crops and to provide a voluntary GM-fee label for qualifying animal produce makes obvious business sense for our agri-food and eco-tourism sectors [3]. Everyone knows that US and EU consumers, food brands and retailers want safe GM-free food, and Ireland is ideally positioned to deliver the safest, most credible GM-free food brand in Europe, if not the world."
The international market for GM-free animal produce is growing rapidly.'This is great news from the Emerald Isle! This is a victory for sustainable... more
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