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Kenya: Government wants to impose GMOS 'by force'
The grand scheme to introduce genetically modified foods into Kenya seemed to shift into top gear after the Ministry of Agriculture launched a campaign last month to make the country appreciate them.
First, Minister for Agriculture, William Ruto, who has on several occasions publicly expressed his support for the introduction of GM foods into the country, launched the National Biotechnology Awareness Strategy last month.
According to a statement Ruto sent to the press, the strategy was aimed at offering Kenyans "accurate and reliable information and knowledge" about such branches of biotechnology as tissue culture, molecular breeding and genetic modification.
"This will enable Kenyans to make informed decisions and be involved in determining the pace of adoption of biotechnology in the country," he said.
However, Ruto went ahead to state that Kenya will embrace GMOs, making it appear the government had launched the awareness campaign merely to state its pro-GMO stance.
This has led to fresh fears that the government has irrevocably decided on introduction, cultivation and commercialisation of GMOs in the country.
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The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology has also been preparing to take back to parliament a Bill that was heavily criticised last year for failing to address the concerns of farmers and consumers and for merely seeking to create the necessary legal framework for the introduction of GMOs in Kenya.
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"They want to do it by force, the so-called national awareness strategy is a mere gimmick," said Josphat Ngonyo of the Africa Network for Animal Welfare. Mr Ngonyo said KBioC, of which he is a member, has attempted to get the agriculture minister to listen to its side of the GMO story to no avail. KBioC is anumbrella body representing over 50 farmers' groups, religious organisations, consumer organisations and NGOs.
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But one of the leading proponents of genetic engineering in Kenya, Dr Florence Wambugu, told The EastAfrican that those opposed to the introduction and proliferation of GMOs in Africa are profiteers and fearmongers.
"There are those who get business from fearmongering," she said. She also accused Greenpeace International of offering false information by claiming that some of the maize seeds grown in Kenya are contaminated by GM-materials.
This drew the ire of a Greenpeace official who accused Dr Wambugu of employing "scare tactics" in campaigning for GMOs in Africa.
"The genetic engineering industry, and their spokesperson for Africa, Florence Wambugu, must be really desperate if they are now resorting to lies, and ridiculous ones... Greenpeace never ever endangered the environment, the life of farmers and the health of consumers by putting a single genetically engineered seed into any soil anywhere in the world, and whoever suggests the opposite is completely out of touch with reality," said Jan Van Aken of Greenpeace's Sustainable Agriculture.
What is interesting is that even though she denied that Monsanto ever funded her in her pro-GMO campaign, Dr Wambugu nevertheless admitted that she gets money from such bodies as the United States Development Agency (USAid), Rockefeller Foundation, Dupont and CropLife International.
The latter is an organisation represented in 91 countries whose members include the global who's-who of the genetic engineering industry -- BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow Agrosciences, Dupont, FMC, Monsanto, Sumitomo and Syngenta. Dr Wambugu is the founder of Africa Harvest, which campaigns for GMOs in Africa.
_________________ The grand scheme to introduce genetically modified foods into Kenya seemed to shift into top gear after the Ministry of Agriculture la... more -
Occam's Grazer: All Things Being Equal, A Holistic Approach is Best
There is a small but growing group of farmers, ranchers and land managers who are challenging both environmentalists and traditional ranchers to change the debate on overgrazing and land degradation. This trailer highlights four individuals that have embarked on a new, more holistic strategy to save their farms, heal the land and improve their overall quality of life. They make a compelling case that cattle and other grazers can and do have a positive impact on the environment and provide a sustainable income for farmers and their communities.
The completed video (coming February 2009) will be a practical guide specifically for the rancher but will also provide food for thought for policy makers, environmentalists, scientists or anyone who is interested in the environmental health of grazing lands and the communities and livelihood that it supports. There is a small but growing group of farmers, ranchers and land managers who are challenging both environmentalists and traditional r... more -
Prince of Wales resumes GM crops debate
The Prince of Wales has resumed his battle against GM crops, claiming that the technology has partly contributed to the number of small farmers in India committing suicide.
In a speech to the Indian environmental pressure group Navdanya, the Prince pushed for a return to more traditional methods of farming.
It is less than two months since he provoked a heated debate about GM with an interview with The Daily Telegraph in which he said GM crops risked causing the world's worst environmental disaster.
He was criticised for being a "Luddite", talking "biased baloney" and abusing his position.
But in his latest speech, delivered by video-link, he said he intended to continue speaking out about the controversial subject.
"The reason I keep sticking my 60-year-old head above an increasingly dangerous parapet is not because it is good for my health," he said.
"But precisely because I believe fundamentally that unless we work with nature in a myriad of ways such as this we will fail to restore the equilibrium we need in order to survive on this planet."
He highlighted the sensitive issue of small farmers who have killed themselves in India after getting into debt.
Although the suicides took place before the introduction of GM crops, some anti-GM campaigners believe farmers were pushed into buying the more expensive modified crop, which then failed to produce a significant yield.
This is contested by the agricultural biotech companies and the link is still unclear.
But the Prince referred to "the truly appalling and tragic rate of small farmer suicides in India stemming in part from the failure of many GM crop varieties".
He went on: "The debate really is very simple. Do you think we can solve (the food crisis) by using traditional agricultural practices enhanced by research to increase yields, but within a truly sustainable framework?
"Or do you think that is impossible and that instead it is worth taking all the risks that I would argue are associated with GM technology? To me, the answer is pretty straightforward.
"I want to see trust being put back in individual farmers, with their knowledge of the land and their skills honed over generations."
Pete Riley, from GM Freeze, an anti-GM campaign group, supported the Prince and said: "I think the Prince is right to raise concerns. This is a significant issue in the southern part of the world." The Prince of Wales has resumed his battle against GM crops, claiming that the technology has partly contributed to the number of smal... more -
Chinese cities wake up to a new superfood: yak milk
A pioneering Chinese company is to market pasteurised Tibetan yak milk in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, in the hope that it will become a new superfood in the world's most populous country.
At 24 yuan (£2) for a small 250ml carton, Feifan - meaning 'uncommonly good' - costs several times as much as cow's milk. 'It's very natural, green, pure and high-quality. That's our big selling point - we aim at the high-end market,' said Ding Pengcheng of the Treasure of the Plateau Yak Milk Company. Over the next three years, the firm is to spend millions to crack the domestic and international markets, with the help of state investment. Yaks produce fewer than 300 litres of milk a year, while cows yield 35 times as much. The firm pays Tibetan farmers 16 yuan or more per litre; eight times the price of standard milk.
The China Nutrition Society, a Ministry of Health-backed research institute, claims the amino acids, calcium, and vitamin A in yak milk are considerably higher than in cow's milk. Its appeal depends as much on the mystique of its origins as its nutritional qualities. Feifan is undergoing extra safety checks because of China's recent milk contamination scandal. Yet in the long run such concerns could boost the desire for products that combine modern hygiene with unsullied, back-to-the-land imagery. A pioneering Chinese company is to market pasteurised Tibetan yak milk in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, in the hope that it will be... more -
50,000+ WTO Protestors
Director Stuart Townsend ("Battle In Seattle") explains why 50,000+ protestors organized themselves to shut down the 1999 WTO talks in Seattle.
"Battle In Seattle" is in theaters now. Director Stuart Townsend ("Battle In Seattle") explains why 50,000+ protestors organized themselves to shut down the 1999 WT... more -
Violent protests lead to Tata relocating their ‘people’s car’ plant
India’s Tata Motors on Friday said it was withdrawing its low-cost Nano car project from the state of West Bengal after more than a month of violent protests by local farmers brought construction to a halt.
The decision by Ratan Tata – one of India’s most respected industrialists – to relocate the $350m factory for its “people’s car” comes as the factory was nearing completion. The company had set a late October deadline for rolling out what is intended to be the world’s cheapest car.
The pull-out – which followed weeks of negotiations between Tata, West Bengal’s government and its opposition leader Mamata Banerjee – highlights the severe difficulties companies face in acquiring land for industrial development in densely populated India.
Farmers had claimed that they were forced to give up their land for the car factory without sufficient compensation, and their protests were stoked and encouraged by Ms Banerjee, seeking to build her political base for her challenge to the state’s elected Communist authorities. India’s Tata Motors on Friday said it was withdrawing its low-cost Nano car project from the state of West Bengal after more than a mo... more -
Farmers bet 'green' eatery will catch on
WASHINGTON (AP) -- North Dakota farmers have spent $6 million to open a pair of Washington restaurants, one just blocks from the White House, to showcase food from family farms. The newer eatery aims to be "Washington's greenest restaurant."
"We believe we are doing the right thing, doing it the right way, and the profit will come," says Ralph DeRose, general manager of Founding Farmers, a modern space with an environmentally friendly design.
The North Dakota Farmers Union, which has 42,000 members, has made the investment despite the economic downturn, high food prices and risks inherent in running a restaurant. With Founding Farmers, which opened this month, the group is betting on the success of a growing trend in the business: food straight from the farm, in a place with a green focus.
The first restaurant, Agraria, was built in a massive, darker space in the city's Georgetown neighborhood. While popular with tourists, it has struggled to catch on with people in the city since opening in 2006.
DeRose says the management team is trying to get it right this second time. Unlike Agraria, Founding Farmers was built to comply with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a third-party certification for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. WASHINGTON (AP) -- North Dakota farmers have spent $6 million to open a pair of Washington restaurants, one just blocks from the White... more -
Sea eagles blamed for lamb slaughter
Scottish farmers in the north-west Highlands claim that sea eagles, which have been reintroduced to the area, have killed more than 200 of their lambs.
Fifteen white tailed sea eagles were released back into the wild at a secret location by the RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage in August. Now farmers claim the two conservation groups are not taking their concerns seriously enough. Although sea eagles have taken several lambs in the past, the farmers say this year's death toll is much worse and they believe the birds are directly to blame for the rise. One crofter even lost 50% of her animals.
A spokesperson said that one female crofter even lost 50% of her animals. He explained: "She actually saw a sea eagle lifting a lamb from her field and flying off with it. We've had lambs that have had their necks sliced, they then can't lift them and are found going round in circles". Another crofter described going close to a sea eagle's nest and finding what he described as a sheep's graveyard. Scottish farmers in the north-west Highlands claim that sea eagles, which have been reintroduced to the area, have killed more than 20... more -
When it comes to water, Pickens is far from green
"While touting his plan to wean us off foreign oil, Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens says little of his intention to market fossil water. Thanks to help he obtained from the Texas Legislature, he has stacked the board of a tiny water district and by the power of eminent domain also granted him by the Legislature, he can force landowners to sell him rights to a 320-mile strip of land by which he will pipe the water down the same corridor to Dallas that he plans to use transmitting his wind power. But Pickens is just one of thousands of capitalists who sell precious Ogallala water for private gain. Like him, they are aided by government.
Pickens shouldn't be allowed to sell 65 billion gallons a year as he proposes, but neither should Plains farmers be allowed to pump 6.2 trillion gallons annually, over half of which is poured onto corn. With populations increasing and global warming likely to cause widespread drought, we should redirect the billions we spend on corn subsidies and take control from local water districts. Under federal or state control, we could end Texas's 'right of capture' policy, which parcels water to the landowner with the biggest pump."
Julene Bair is a writer and author of One Degree West: Reflections of a Plainsdaughter. She will soon complete Where Rivers Run Sand, a personal account of the crisis facing the Ogallala Aquifer.
From article byJulene Bair.
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How outrageous is this? That one man could use his wealth and political favors to secure ownership of what is a human right in order to sell it for his own profit. This is a blatant example of using the current water crisis we face for personal gain. People like T. Boone Pickens have no soul as far as I am concerned, and we now know the real story behind his so called green wind initiative.
Water for this plan would come from the panhandle section of the Ogallala Aquifer. As one of the largest underground aquifers in the world, the Ogallala runs from Texas to South Dakota and a century ago was said to hold more water than Lake Huron. Since then, cheap electric pumps gave farmers the power to bring water up hundreds of feet, and the depletion began. This aquifer waters a little over one-fifth of the nation's irrigated land, and is steadily being depleted due to population growth, overuse, ineffective agricultural methods that waste trillions of gallons a year, and now global warming/climate change in the form of drought. See my previous entry on this: Devastating Drought Settles On The High Plains. It is a ripe area for exploitation, and that is exactly what T. Boone Pickens is doing. He is hoping to sell this scarcer water at a high price to make a profit from it. A green venture? Hardly.
And the Ogallala isn't the same as rivers or lakes. There is no source of replenishment. It holds "fossil water" which has been sealed underground for hundreds of thousands of years. Once it's gone it's gone forever... again, forever. However, as the Ogallala Aquifer's water level continues to decline, Pickens is looking to expand its usage and more than likely that includes making even more profit agriculturally from ethanol production.
So the wind mills... a diversionary ruse on the part of an oil man posing as a green convert who supported George W. Bush to the hilt and is now being repaid for it at the expense of a precious resource now more precious than oil? A resource of the Ogallala that should not belong to him exclusively, or any one farmer over another. This is why Texas' 'right of capture' policy must be stopped in order to preserve the declining water level of the Ogallala Aquifer and to protect it from vulture capitalists who seek to steal it.
These states need to stand up for their water! "While touting his plan to wean us off foreign oil, Texas billionaire T. Boone Pickens says little of his intention to market fos... more -
Peasants in Heilongjiang Province Suppressed
Recently in Heilongjiang, a province in northeast China, a scandal involving local officials helping a private company to accelerate illegal sales of agriculture equipment erupted. About 300 victimized farmers gathered in front of the Committee of Heilongjiang Province to protest.
The authority mobilized about 500 armed police to expel the appellants. Several appellants and bystanders who tried to videotape the incident were arrested.
The Kedong County government in Heilongjiang carried out a policy to assist farmers buying agriculture machinery. The government proposed to pay for 30 percent of the cost, while the farmers were only required to pay 70 percent. Close to a thousand farmers paid the company for its products. The estimated amount of money involved added up to over 50 million yuan (US$7 million). However, the farmers never received the machinery they paid for.
The farmers constantly complained to Kedong County and the Qiqihar City officials, but were kicked around without answer. At noon on September 11, about 300 farmers gathered in front of the Committee of Heilongjiang Province in Qiqihar City and protested.
A middle age woman told the Epoch Times, “Because the Dongxing Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing Company did not deliver the machines. (The sales department) said the money had gone to the chairman of the company.”
Chairman and Magistrate Are ‘Close’
Lin, a local resident, said he did not hear anything about the government helping to pay 30 percent of the cost. “But I heard the sale was initiated by the county magistrate. The magistrate is very close to the chairman of the company. I think they used to be classmates,” said Lin.
That day the farmers came to the office of the Committee and the security did not allow them to enter the office. Later police cars and military vehicles came with about 500 special policemen in black suits. The police surrounded the appellants and started to expel and beat them. The police took away several protestors and a bystander who was videotaping the process.
The Epoch Times called the Kedong County government but the staff refused to talk about the incident. Nobody at the Dongxing Company answered the phone.
Province May Have Taken the Case
A retired teacher who lived in Kedong County said, “We have been talking about this incident a lot these days. The county magistrate, also a party secretary, Wang, is definitely involved. It’s a fraud! It is said the company chairman has been detained. It’s not an isolated incident. The same thing happened in several other provinces including Inner Mongolia. I heard the provincial government has taken over the case.”
This widely known case hasn’t been reported by the local news media according to about a dozen people interviewed. Recently in Heilongjiang, a province in northeast China, a scandal involving local officials helping a private company to accelerate i... more -
Almond growers sue USDA to halt mandatory fumigation of raw almonds
After having their organic almond businesses devastated by the USDA's bizarre decision requiring mandatory chemical fumigation of almonds, the almond industry is fighting back. Fifteen American almond growers have filed a lawsuit against the USDA in an attempt to repeal the requirements that all almonds grown in California be fumigated or pasteurized. (Virtually all almonds sold in the United States are grown in California.)
Since the USDA's ruling in 2007, organic almond growers in California have been economically devastated by the mandatory fumigation of almonds. Because USDA rules don't apply to almonds being imported from other countries, however, the industry has seen a huge shift away from U.S. growers and towards almond growers in Spain and other countries. Some American almond farmers have even called the USDA's decision "a plan to destroy the U.S. almond industry and put small organic farmers out of business."
The USDA's plot to deceive consumers over "raw"
The mandatory almond fumigation requirement is seen by health-conscious consumers as not merely bizarre, but downright fraudulent. That's because the USDA's regulations allow fumigated and pasteurized almonds to be labeled "raw," thereby intentionally deceiving the consuming public and instantly destroying consumer trust in the labeling of all almonds.
By any honest measure, the people making these decisions at the USDA can only be described as either idiotic or criminal. To enforce regulations requiring the intentional mislabeling of raw food seems more like the actions of a criminal racket than a government agency. While online pharmacies selling mislabeled pharmaceuticals are routinely raided and shut down by U.S. authorities, when the government itself engages in similar deceptions, it declares itself above the law and immune to prosecution.
This lawsuit by U.S. almonds growers aims to overturn the USDA's deception. These fraudulent actions on the part of the USDA have generated an enormous amount of criticism from the raw food community, whose members depend on almonds to make raw almond milk, raw almond "burgers" and other raw foods preparations. As leaders of the raw foods movement rightly insist, fumigating or pasteurizing nuts destroys as much as 90 percent of their original nutritional value, altering proteins and destroying disease-fighting phytonutrients. The USDA, however, remains remarkably illiterate on this topic, have never made a single statement acknowledging any qualitative difference between cooked foods and raw foods.
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However, the USDA doesn't require this of almonds imported from other countries, only the almonds grown here, mostly from California. Why does the USDA seem to hate the American farmer so much? GM foods, irradiation, and now this. If I didn't know any better, I would say they were out to destroy the livelihoods of American farmers. And again, we have the deceptive description regarding pasteurized nuts as raw with a lack of scientific backup. Is there no end to it? After having their organic almond businesses devastated by the USDA's bizarre decision requiring mandatory chemical fumigation of... more -
Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.-ERS/USDA Data
It's getting harder to avoid GM foods. Certified organic, locally grown food....the only way to go.
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Nebraska farmer regarding Monsanto: it used to be mine
(That was) then
When I was a boy growing up here outside of Langdon, everything on the farm belonged to my family.
At about the age of ten, Dad taught me how to raise hogs. The sows we grew from Hampshire gilts were ours. So was the alfalfa field where we grew hay and hog pasture. Planted to Vernal seed (a public variety), it was where piglets played and slept in the warm summer sun. The wheat field we harvested later that summer was planted to Gage seed, another public variety. We harvested that wheat in July, then sold some for seed and some for grain. Dad saved seed for next years crop, and Mother cooked a little into breakfast cereal and even ground some flour.
After the wheat harvest, we mowed the stubble and baled the straw. The same pigs that grazed the alfalfa were farrowed and later bedded in our wheat straw as the days grew cooler, and Dad fed the shoats our own corn.
When we fed the hogs Dad told me about how he used to go to the corncrib and select ears of open pollinated seed corn from the thousands he had there. He told me how he'd sort through them and choose only the very best of what he'd grown.
And then he told me about how single cross seed corn had replaced open pollinated varieties that he had planted since he was a boy on his father's farm, where everything they grew belonged to them.
The open pollinated ears of corn from Dad 's crib were never worth more than about a penny apiece.
The cloth sacks that held the first single cross seeds he planted still rest in the attic of my home. Most of the seed company imprints on the sacks would be unrecognizable to young farmers today, but they tell a story that is very up-to-date. It is a story of progress, a story of consolidation, and a story of control.
Even as privatized seed came into being, competition made it difficult for one seed company to dominate another. Seed sales depended simply on appearance, the hybrid's ability to withstand stress, its harvestability, marketing, and most of all yield.
Those were the basic parameters of operating a successful hybrid seed company. Farmers might spend a little more for the very best hybrid, but the bottom line was always about profit on the farm. For a hybrid to be good, it had to be profitable because, after all, the profits belonged to the farmers who grew the crops.
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(Then came) Monsanto
The seed company where I bought my first private soybean variety seed was purchased lock, stock, and barrel, by Monsanto.
Monsanto was the first commercial company to patent seed, and first to aggressively enforce its rights as a patent holder of living things.
Monsanto has actively sued many farmers for seed patent infringement. Given the power of a billion dollars in earnings, Monsanto never loses a case. Right or wrong, the company can afford to maintain lawsuits in the courts for years. Eventually, farmers who may or may not have done what they were accused of are forced to capitulate or spend the farm to defend themselves.
Thanks to higher land costs and higher prices for petroleum, machinery, chemicals, fertilizer and seed, the cost to grow an acre of soybeans now approaches $500 per acre.
The 2008 national average soybean yield is predicted to be 40.5 bushels per acre -- or about the same yield I got from the public varieties I planted nearly 40 years ago.
At today's price of about $12 per bushel, an average acre of soybeans is worth $486 [barely a break-even price before federal subsidies.]
As a commercial grower who produces soybeans for the price of $12 per bushel, I haven't simply lost the right to plant my own seed.
I may also have lost the right to earn a profit.
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What Monsanto is doing to farming and the livelihoods of farmers is nothing less than a crime. And for those who wanted proof of that, there it is straight out of the farmer's pen. (That was) then When I was a boy growing up here outside of Langdon, everything on the farm belonged to my family. ... more -
Genetically modified seeds pose more problems than natural varieties
The processes of hybridization involving repeated combinations of genetic material were limited for a long time by the fact that natural reproduction only takes place between plants of the same species. But Genetic Engineering took off with the unravelling of the full structure of the DNA 20 years ago. It became possible to insert a gene of one species into the DNA of another, thus offering immense agricultural possibilities.
Some examples include the modification of plants that fix the nitrogen of the air without belonging to the Leguminous family, plants resistant to certain diseases or to dry environments; the possibility of producing drugs and vaccines by genetically modifying bacteria, and many others.
Farmers were thus promised higher incomes; traders were promised lower costs of production and better quality of produce; and the companies producing such foods saw huge profits appearing on the horizon through monopolies and patents of such modified foods. Naturally, their research showed that there was no difference between the natural and engineered foods, that these were safe, and that they would solve the problem of famine in the world.
But if GM foods were all that their producers claimed them to be, why was the process conducted by stealth and sprung on the public without notice? This policy of the fait accompli began with the US government, which neither informed nor consulted its citizens about GM crops nor, worse still, did it require GM foods to be labelled, so as to give the public the democratic choice of whether to buy or not. After this GM foods were imposed on one country after another, in the same utterly undemocratic atmosphere of secrecy.
For a full understanding of the import of GM foods, two sets of results need to be considered: social results on the countries that have adopted them and biological results of the genetically modified foods. Further, GM foods must be analysed as part and parcel of the much touted globalization,to which we now turn.
Dr Vandana Shiva is an India physicist, founder and president of the Research Foundation for Science Technology and Ecology, and one of India's leading activists. She describes in one of her papers how the transformation of peasant agriculture in India to a globally industrialized model, which has GM foods as a supporting pillar, has reduced food security, threatened local businesses and biodiversity, driven farmers off their lands, and opened the door for global corporations to take over the nation's food processing.
The common claim by globalization enthusiasts is that it is natural, inevitable, and evolutionary. Dr Shiva sees it otherwise. Globalization is not a natural process of inclusion. It is a planned project of exclusion that has siphoned the resources and knowledge of the poor of India onto the global marketplace, stripping people of their life-support systems, livelihoods, and lifestyles.
Global trade rules, as enshrined in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) and in the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) agreement, are primarily camouflaged rules of robbery.
The WTO's overall goal: promoting market competition serves two purposes. First, it transforms culture, biodiversity, food, water, livelihoods, needs, and rights into commodities for sale to be conveyed to markets. Second, it justifies the destruction of nature, culture, and livelihoods in terms of rules of competition.
Its officials attack ethical and ecological rules that sustain and promote life, dubbing them as protectionist barriers to trade.
Globalized food and agriculture in effect, means the corporate takeover of the food chain, the erosion of food rights, the destruction of the cultural diversity of food and the biological diversity of crops, and the displacement of millions from land-based, rural livelihoods. The processes of hybridization involving repeated combinations of genetic material were limited for a long time by the fact that natur... more -
Federal court upholds ban on Monsanto's genetically engineered alfalfa
We know you're just dying to taste that delectable genetically modified alfalfa, but you'll have to wait: an appeals court today ruled that the feds must review the potential environmental effects of the biotech seeds before farmers can plant them.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals forces the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue an environmental impact statement on Roundup Ready alfalfa seeds, which are made by ag giant Monsanto and would be planted exclusively by Forage Genetics International.
"It’s a historic moment of a court requiring an environmental review, and until it's done Monsanto can't plant or sell its seed," said Kevin Golden, a staff attorney for the Center for Food Safety (CFS), which along with eight other parties sued the government green-lighting the seeds. "It puts on notice the government and creators of this technology -- Monsanto in particular -- that if it wants to bring GE (genetically engineered) crops into the American agricultural system, it must do its work to show that farmers and consumers will be protected and non-GE crops won't be affected."
The decision upholds an injunction issued by a district court judge last year. CFS and other critics worry that tiny genetically modified alfalfa seeds will contaminate organic and conventional crops through cross-pollination.
"The concern is there will one day not be organic alfalfa, which is the primary food for cattle in this country," Golden said. "If you lose organic alfalfa, you lose organic cheese."
Representatives from USDA, Monsanto and Forage Genetics International didn't immediately respond for comment.
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Wow, first the passing of the bill in California protecting farmers from Monsanto's frivolous greed driven lawsuits regarding transgenic pollination, and now this. Is the tide turning? I sure hope so. And as this article mentions, since alfalfa is a main source of food for cows, their round about attempt to poison our cheese and milk as well by hoping this fake alfalfa cross pollinates in the wind to ruin organic crops cows eat needs to be banned. This is truly an evil company. I have no doubt they want their seeds to cross pollinate in order to ruin organic crops to mutate them to control the market even of those farmers who do not plant their seeds! And then they sue the farmers! Good to see them being held accountable. It is more than the USDA and FDA have done in the past. These people are relentless! How much is enough? We know you're just dying to taste that delectable genetically modified alfalfa, but you'll have to wait: an appeals court t... more -
California legislature passes bill protecting farmers against Monsanto lawsuits
NOTE: More good news from the US. This is a major step forward. California's is the 8th largest economy in the world.
EXTRACT: Currently, farmers with crops that become contaminated by patented seeds or pollen have been the target of harassing lawsuits brought by biotech patent holders, particularly Monsanto. --- --- California Legislature Passes Bill Protecting Farmers Against Monsanto Lawsuits
First State Bill Regarding Genetically Engineered Crops Awaits Governor's Signature
PRESS RELEASE, The Genetic Engineering Policy Project
August 31 2008 - A landmark piece of legislation protecting California's farmers from crippling lawsuits was passed through both legislative houses this week in an end-of-session flurry. The Senate voted 23 - 14 to support it, and the Assembly was unanimous in their support. The bill, AB 541 (Huffman, D-Marin/Sonoma), is now headed to the Governor's desk for his signature. Sponsored by diverse organizations, some of whom are traditionally opposed on farm issues, AB 541 is the first bill passed by the California legislature that brings much-needed regulation to genetically engineered (GE) crops.
"I am very pleased that my office, working with the stakeholders on both sides of this historically divisive issue, was able to find common ground and pass California's first legislation on genetic engineered crops," stated Assemblymember Huffman. "While there is still work to be done on other aspects of genetic engineering, AB 541 is an important step in establishing basic protections for California's farmers."
AB 541 enacts protections against lawsuits brought against California farmers who have not been able to prevent the inevitable - the drift of GE pollen or seed onto their land and the subsequent contamination of their non-GE crops. Currently, farmers with crops that become contaminated by patented seeds or pollen have been the target of harassing lawsuits brought by biotech patent holders, particularly Monsanto. The bill also establishes a mandatory crop sampling protocol to prevent biotech companies that are investigating alleged violations from sampling crops without the explicit permission of farmers.
AB 541 has the support of organizations traditionally on opposite sides of the GE issue, and its sponsors are confident that the Governor will sign it. The bill was sponsored by a thirteen-member coalition including Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Earthbound Farm, California Certified Organic Farmers, United Natural Foods Inc., as well as California Farmers Union and the California Farm Bureau, and several others.
"AB 541 is a move in the right direction," stated Renata Brillinger, director of the Genetic Engineering Policy Project, the coalition of organic and conventional farmers, food industry, environmental, and faith organizations sponsoring AB 541. "It provides much needed protection for farmers who typically lack the resources to fight lawsuits brought by biotech conglomerates."
A copy of the bill can be downloaded at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov
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This is GOOD news! I hope other states use California as a model and work on bills that also give protection to farmers sued by Monsanto out of greed. Transgenic pollution and pollination is not the fault of the farmer, and Monsanto should not be allowed to indiscriminately sue farmers trying to make a living simply because they don't plant their frankenfood. NOTE: More good news from the US. This is a major step forward. California's is the 8th largest economy in the world. ... more -
Monsanto sues farmer over seed patent... court to rule
Monsanto is the owner of the patented herbicide Roundup and the also-patented Roundup Ready herbicide-resistant seed.
At issue in this case is David's right to plant Roundup Ready soybean seeds that he produced from plants grown from Roundup Ready seeds he purchased from Monsanto.
David lost the case, both at trial and at the federal circuit, and was fined $786,989. Last week, David appealed to the Supreme Court.
Presently, farmers must buy Monsanto seed annually to grow a Roundup Ready crop.
Some experts believed that a recent Supreme Court ruling on patent exhaustion indicated that the Supreme Court would grant David's appeal (if patent exhaustion was the issue presented on appeal).
Patent exhaustion means that the first sale of the patent seed exhausts the patent owner's rights.
Under this doctrine, Monsanto could not prevent use of its seed after the first sale.
David did not request the Supreme Court to consider the exhaustion doctrine because he did not believe the earlier ruling to be applicable because Monsanto's license agreement restricts use of the seed distinguishing his client's case from the case at hand.
Some patent experts believe the Supreme Court will therefore deny the appeal. David's lawyer strenuously disagrees.
The result? Monsanto's right to prevent farmers from planting herbicide resistant seeds they grow from Monsanto-patented seeds will remain in place until another suitable case makes its way through the court system. This could take decades.
David's lawyer informs me that $7.25 of the $21 cost of one “unit of Roundup Ready seed is attributable to the Monsanto technology fee.
Monsanto did not respond to my calls for current price structure.
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I find it hard to believe that the Supreme Court in this case will rule in favor of the farmer regarding the patent. But then, it is possible though unlikely now that the patent exhaustion doctrine was not brought up in the appeal, which to me makes no sense. I wonder if they got to him? If they grant the appeal and he wins it will set a precedent for farmers everywhere who have purchased Monsanto's Roundup Ready seeds to not be obligated to purchase them every year, thus being able to save seeds as has been the practice of agriculture for centuries.
I truly find it despicable that Monsanto thinks it has the right to patent life itself and control the planting of seeds, and to then sue farmers who wish to use seeds taken from their own crops. Of course Monsanto has the clout and $$$$$$$$$$ to come down hard in influencing the decision on this appeal, as a ruling for the farmer could mean great loss of income to Monsanto. I will keep my fingers crossed for that. Kudos to this farmer for standing up to them and for farming as it should be. Monsanto is the owner of the patented herbicide Roundup and the also-patented Roundup Ready herbicide-resistant seed. ... more -
Drug giant Eli Lilly acquiring Monsanto's controversial bovine growth hormone
This is corporate PR. rBGH is one of the most hated products in the world. That's why Monsanto is dumping it. Why would Eli Lilly want to pick up rBGH? Because they are partners in crime with Monsanto and the biotech industry--pushing largely untested and unlabeled genetically engineered products on an unwilling, but often gullible public.
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
(317) 277-7464 ­ Joan Todd (Elanco)
(317) 276-5795 - Mark Taylor (Lilly)
Elanco Announces Acquisition of Posilac® Dairy Business
Deal Provides Strategic Fit with Lilly's Animal Health Division
Greenfield, IN - Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY), today announced that Lilly has signed an agreement to acquire the worldwide rights to the dairy cow supplement, Posilac® (sometribove), as well as the product's supporting operations, from Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON).
"Global dairy demand is increasing, outstripping supply, and consumers are seeing rapidly rising prices," said Jeff Simmons, president, Elanco. "With the purchase of Posilac, Elanco can enhance its overall product portfolio and work together with the industry to provide dairy farmers more options and give consumers affordable choices. Critically, we remain focused on the health and care of the cow in working with farmers to increase global milk supply.
"With our rich history and experience in the dairy industry, Elanco is the ideal steward of this vital technology," Simmons said. "Elanco remains committed to using science to address the growing need for safe, affordable food; and to choices for consumers, retailers and producers."
Elanco has exclusively sold sometribove outside of the United States for a decade. Posilac has been safely used for more than 14 years.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly will acquire all rights to the Posilac brand, as well as the product's U.S. sales force and its manufacturing facility in Augusta, Georgia. In return, Monsanto will receive a $300 million upfront payment, as well as contingent consideration. The Posilac dairy business manufacturing and sales teams will be integrated into the Elanco business. The transaction is expected to close near the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2008, contingent upon clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Anti-Trust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. Lilly confirmed that the acquisition will not result in a change to the company's full-year 2008 financial guidance, as detailed in its second quarter 2008 financial results press release issued July 24, 2008.
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Same poison, different drug dealer. The fight is not over. This is corporate PR. rBGH is one of the most hated products in the world. That's why Monsanto is dumping it. Why would Eli Lilly... more -
Farm and food: Monsanto's prices to rise on RoundUp and seeds
In late March, Monsanto Co. sent a Dear Valued Customer letter to most U.S. corn and soybean farmers. The reason, wrote Jim Zimmer, Monsanto's vice president of U.S. branded business, was to discuss some current marketplace dynamics that will directly affect you in terms of increased prices for Monsanto's line of Roundup herbicides for 2008.
Demand for glyphosate, Roundup's generic counterpart, is at an all time high, explained Zimmer. As such, we have seen the demand for Roundup brand herbicide increase more than our current ability to supply.
That's a problem, he continued, because We have a reliable supplier commitment to farmers who choose to purchase Roundup Ready technology and who choose to purchase Roundup brand herbicide that we will have supply available.
The solution?
Our competitive challenges have put our commitment at risk, forcing us to increase our price for Roundup herbicide.
Golly, a farmer who telephoned me about the letter asked, How much is their promise to me going to cost me?
Globally, about $411 million, the amount Roundup net sales increased from March through May over the same three months in 2007, according to Monsanto's third quarter, Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission June 27.
That's a 54 percent increase.
Additionally, the 10-Q reports, Net sales of Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides increased 63 percent, or $1,222 million $1.222 billion in the nine-month comparison with fiscal 2007's first three quarters.
Remarkably, however, that $1.2 billion increase in Roundup sales, notes the 10-Q, was posted despite a seven percent sales volume drop in Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides in third quarter 2008 and only an 8 percent increase in global Roundup sales for the nine-month period ending in May.
Clearly, Roundup mostly because Monsanto boosted its price hit a home run. Gross profit increased $927 million because of higher sales of Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides in the first nine months of 2008, the company said.
What Monsanto did for Roundup herbicide this spring, it promises to do for Roundup seed corn next year, according to a July interview of company officials by DTN and Progressive Farmer editors.
Indeed, wrote Marcia Taylor for DTN after the gathering, Even the list price on seed corn will topple the $300 per bag barrier starting this fall, up about $95 to $100 per bag, or 35 percent on average, according to Monsanto officials.
snip
Again, according to Monsanto's most recent 10-Q: In the first quarter 2008, Monsanto entered into an agreement on corn herbicide tolerance and insect control technologies with Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc (whereby Monsanto will receive) cumulative cash receipts of $725 million over an eight-year period.
In third quarter 2008, Monsanto and Syngenta entered into a Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybean License Agreement (under which) the minimum obligation from Syngenta over this (nine-) year period is $81 million, reports the 10-Q.
Is Monsanto everywhere? Almost; according to its June SEC filing, it recently bought a vegetable seed company in Europe, a seed corn company in Guatemala, another in Brazil. In late March, Monsanto Co. sent a Dear Valued Customer letter to most U.S. corn and soybean farmers. The reason, wrote Jim Zimmer, Mo... more -
A farmer's fight against GMO contamination
A Northern California farmer and dairyman is on a mission to make food safer for all of us. He is Albert Straus and he runs his family creamery, the first organic creamery west of the Mississippi.
The Straus Family Dairy Farm was established up in Tomales Bay in 1941 with just 23 cows! Now there are more than 300. While the family always followed sustainable land practices, Albert began his quest to become certified organic in 1993. It takes a dairy heard one year to become fully certified to produce organic milk and in 1994, the farm became the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi River. Also that same year, Straus opened Straus Family Creamery to produce organic milk, yogurt, butter and ice cream under the family name.
Another thing happened on the way to becoming certified organic. Straus came across animal feed that was contaminated with genetically modified organisms, or GMO's.
"GMO contamination of organic feeds could threaten consumers' safety, as well as my dairy's organic certification," said Straus. "Close to 70% of our food supply has it."
Last year, Straus began testing his purchased certified-organic feeds. He found that one out of every three batches of certified organic corn had some contamination from GMOs, ranging from trace levels up to 6 percent contamination.
Straus decided to act, starting a non-GMO program , that requires all feed and ingredient suppliers to submit the results of a strip test analysis prior to shipment of the feed or ingredient.
"I started this program in order to safeguard my livelihood as an organic farmer," said Straus. "Our requirements are causing other companies to sit up and take notice."
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Are companies sending out bands of thugs to deliberately contaminate organic crops? The pervasiveness of it seems to be too coincidental to just be the wind blowing. Good to see farmers standing up to this. A Northern California farmer and dairyman is on a mission to make food safer for all of us. He is Albert Straus and he runs his family... more
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