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More on genetically altered soybeans (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 31 Oct 96 17:18:50 EST
From: Patricia Dines <73652.1202@compuserve.com>
To: BlindCopyReceiver: ;
Subject: More on genetically altered soybeans
Hi -
Didn't know if you'd seen this - important stuff going on here - key juncture in
this genetic engineering implementation (as well as a corporate strategy for
owning all the parts of ag, ensuring control of even the seeds, and ensuring
that we all use plenty of pesticides....)
For your info - and possible action!!
P. Dines
--- Foward ---
Date: Sun, 20 Oct 1996 02:27:16 GMT
Reply-To: Rich Winkel <rich@pencil.math.missouri.edu>
Sender: Activists Mailing List <ACTIV-L@MIZZOU1.MISSOURI.EDU>
From: Rich Winkel <rich@pencil.math.missouri.edu>
Organization: PACH
Subject: Greenpeace To Mediate Sales Of Soybeans In Argentina
/** headlines: 134.0 **/
** Topic: Greenpeace To Mediate Sales Of Soybeans In Argentina **
** Written 9:30 PM Oct 16, 1996 by econet in cdp:headlines **
/* Written 4:38 AM Oct 15, 1996 by nobody@xs2.greenpeace.org in gp.press */
/* ---------- "10/10 GP Argentina to Mediate on So" ---------- */
Subject: 10/10 GP Argentina to Mediate on Soybeans
Date: Tue, 15 OCT 96 05:41:21 GMT
USA: PROTEST AGAINST MANIPULATED SOYBEAN
GREENPEACE SETS ABOUT IN ARGENTINA PLAN TO INTERMEDIATE
BETWEEN FARMERS AND TRADERS TO FAVOR TRADITIONAL SOYBEAN
Greenpeace Press Release:
Buenos Aires, October 10th. 1996.- Greenpeace informed today
that the organisation will set about in Argentina a comercial
plan to stand between farmers and traders in order to favor
the sells of traditional soybean in the international markets
against genetically manipulated soybean of the chemical
company Monsanto, which create the sadly popular "Orange
agent" used in the Vietnam war.
The experience was also launched in the USA, the other country
where the soybean of Monsanto its being used and where traders
are already working with Greenpeace to attend markets that
refuse to buy the USA multinational corporation soybean.
Around 80 percent of the global production of Argentinan
soybean (1) and its byproducts are export to the European
market, becoming the most important comercial position for the country
with incomes for 3.000 millons dolars per year.
Greenpeace has been warning Argentinian farmers on the
objections made by important channels of supermarkets,
retailers and food companies from Europe where 60 per cent of
the processed foods are compound with soy products, from baby
foods to chocolates. These refuse to buy organisms genetically
altered for human consumption and demand to enable the
posibility to choose between the traditional and the altered
soybean products trough a labeling system.
The past experiences of the interdiction by law imposed by
Europe and the USA to the Argentinian cow meat pretexting that
it was afected by the aphthous as well as the fruit exports
supposed to be affected by the fly of the fruit, have been
provoked millionares loses to the Argentinian comercial trading.
PROTEST IN IOWA, USA
Greenpeace activists blocked in the state of Iowa (USA) a
Monsanto RRS field and obliged to establish a quarantine on it
with the purpose to advise to the public about the hazard of
the genetic manipulation of food products.
Inspired in an USA TV programme called "The X-files", more
than 30 activits of Greenpeace marked on the soybean field an
X 30 metres long side, in non toxic brillant rose painting
and the words: "Biohazard, Monsanto".
GREENPEACE ALERTS ARGENTINIAN FARMERS
Greenpeace South Cone alerts soybean Argentinian farmers about
the promise made by Monsanto in its ads where its promises
that the transgenic soybean will carry them better outputs and
incomes. Monsanto launched in the Argentinian agricultural
market its genetically manipulated soybean at the end of
August promotioning it as the "forth agricultural revolution".
The RR soybean (Roundup Ready, in English: ready for the
herbicide Roundup) difers from the traditional soybean because
it has been added to its ADN three genes from the Agrocacterium sp, the petunia
and the virus mosaico of the coliflower, respectively.
The only consequence of this modification is that converts the
traditional soybean in other resistent to ilimitated
quantities of the herbicide Roundup of Monsanto, based in the
glifosato. With these, Monsanto promise to the farmers that
the weeds will not compete with the soybean during the growing process.
[PD NOTE: i.e. they can use an herbicide in with a crop!]
The RRS doesnt supply any benefit to the consumer: it is not
more nurishing, it doesn't taste better neither is cheaper.
With its development the chemical and the agricultural
industries go towards a dangerous direction: the design of
plants adapted to incresing doses of chemical toxics products. [*** KEY POINT]
The RRS increase Monsanto incomes which benefit itself with
the selling of the seed, the herbicide and posibly in the
future, with the royalties that may charge sometime for the
use of the patent, issue that is being pushed by the USA
government. The use of the RRS makes the farmers fully
dependent on one company -Monsanto - reducing their control of
their lands and seeds.
Monsanto oposses the labelling of seeds and products made with
the RRS impeding consumers to distinguish the use of this type
of row materials in food products.*
This negative will place the whole Argentinian soy production
as genetically modified to the eyes of European consumers who
may put objections to its entrance to their markets. Based on
this reasons Greenpeace decided to offer to conect traditional
Argentinian soybean farmers with interntioanl traders to
enable them to place their production in European markets.
Monsanto expects that in the following years the RRS to ocupy
a substantial part of the huges crops of soybean in Argentina
as well as in its country home (USA) and Brazil.
(1) INDEC - Trade Department - Exports - Soybean - October
4th. 1996 - Germany, Holand and Belgique buys 53,5 per cent of
the Argentinian soybean exports.
* PD NOTE: PUSHING FOR LABELLING SEEMS LIKE KEY ACTION HERE. If it's safe, why
won't they let the consumer choose? Informing the consumer is a vital design
element in the free market's maxim "Let the market decide" - it can only decide
if it has full information! Monsanto uses free market arguments when it's to
their advantage, and completely rejects them when it's not. If it's so safe,
why not let us decide???