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News :: Agriculture |
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Johnson Repeats Support For Frankenfoods |
Current rating: 0 |
by US Rep Tim Johnson
(No verified email address) |
24 Jun 2003
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Dizzying distortion from our US representative. |
For Immediate Release
June 13, 2003
Contact: Matt Bisbee
Phone: (217) 403-4690
(217) 649-1754
Johnson: Biotechnology Can Help Solve World Hunger, Farm Crisis
Leading biotech research institution, University of Illinois, behind Congressional efforts
Washington DC… U.S. House Subcommittee on Research Vice Chairman Tim Johnson (IL-15) played an integral role in a Thursday hearing, which addressed a solution to African hunger and famine, a lift on unwise trade barriers and revitalization of the U.S. farm economy. Rep. Johnson discussed in depth, the need to dissolve the European Union’s moratorium on biotech commodities. Several of his colleagues on the committee joined Johnson before the packed room to lend their support. Additionally, after Johnson’s introduction, Speaker of the House and Representative from northern Illinois Dennis Hastert made a rare committee appearance to testify on the necessity and value of U.S. exported biotech corn and beans in the world marketplace.
"The current EU moratorium on genetically-modified products has translated into an annual loss of over $300 million in corn exports alone for U.S. farmers. More disturbing is the recent trend in Africa, where several nations have rejected U.S. food aid because the shipments contained biotech corn. This is based solely on the fear that EU countries will not accept their food exports if genetically modified seeds spread to domestic crops," explained Speaker Hastert.
Rep. Johnson added, “Children from Africa are starving and the U.S. farm economy is suffering because the European Union, for five years now, has maintained a moratorium on trading agricultural biotechnology. Officials there have offered no sound argument, but have only justified their trade ban on prejudice and misinformation – not sound science.”
Malnourishment in the developing world affects more than 800 million people and more than 100 million go hungry each day, the panel of experts agreed during participation in the subcommittee hearing. Leaders from private sector agricultural companies and biotech researchers from the science community alike joined the bipartisan delegation of House Members in their demand for dissolution of “bogus” trade barriers. Rep. Johnson and Speaker Hastert received unwavering support from Subcommittee Chairman Nick Smith (R-MI), Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-CA) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
The University of Illinois, a world leader in biotech research applauded Vice Chairman Johnson and the Research Subcommittee on highlighting the need for expanded trade of U.S. biotech commodities. “Biotechnology offers tremendous potential for humankind. Science on our campus and others is providing critical and timely answers to concerns about food safety,” said Dean Robert Easter from the U of I College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
Rep. Johnson noted, “The U of I boasts world-class scientists and researchers in agriculture and biotechnology. If we are successful in knocking down the EU trade moratorium on U.S. biotech exports, obviously, institutions like the U of I will stand to reap great benefits and I will continue to be their strongest advocate on Capitol Hill.”
Earlier this week, Rep. Johnson was in the overwhelming majority of the House to vote in favor of H. Res. 252 which supports and applauds the efforts of the Administration on behalf of the Nation's farmers and sound science by challenging the long-standing, unwarranted moratorium imposed in the European Union on agriculture and food biotech products. The bill also encourages the President to continue to press this issue.
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See also:
http://www.foodfirst.org
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Related stories on this site:
Activists Converge In Sacramento Vs WTO And GMO's
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Comments
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Biotech Crops Are Not The Solution To World Hunger |
by Food First
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
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The Third World Debunks Corporate Myths about Genetically Engineered Crops
SACRAMENTO, CA - June 19 - New Report from Pesticide Action Network and Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy Counters Corporate Hype with the Voices of Third World Activists
WHAT:
While the Bush administration pushes genetically engineered (GE) crops on the Third World at a ministerial conference June 23-25 in Sacramento, and through its WTO case against the European Union, a new report, Views from the South, based on the views and analysis of leading Third World farmers, scientists, and activists dismantles the myth that GE food will end hunger.
WHEN:
Hear Third World experts present their views on GE crops at the following four events:
Monday June 23rd, 11:00 a.m. PDT - Conversation with the media in Sacramento
Monday June 23rd, 7-9 p.m. - Panel in Sacramento: Agriculture, Hunger and Biodiversity, featuring biotech industry and USDA spokespeople as well as report authors.
DETAIL:
CONVERSATION WITH MEDIA - SACRAMENTO
Monday June 23rd, 11:00 a.m. PDT - Kamilos Room, Sheraton, 1230 J Street, Sacramento, 916-447-1700
Format: brief comment from report authors, followed by informal Q&A and one-to-one interviews as desired
Speakers:
Timothy Byakola, Chairman, Projects Steering Committee of the Uganda Rio+10 Coalition
Silvia Ribeiro, Researcher and Program Manager, ETC Group (formerly RAFI), Mexico
Anuradha Mittal, Co-Director, Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, co-editor of Voices from the South.
Amadou Kanoute, Director, Consumers International, Regional Office for Africa, Zimbabwe
Ellen Hickey, Program Director, Pesticide Action Network North America, co-editor of Voices from the South.
PANEL: AGRICULTURE, HUNGER AND BIODIVERSITY - SACRAMENTO
Monday June 23rd, 7-9 p.m. PDT - Crest Theater, 1013 K Street, Sacramento, 916-44-CREST (442-7378).
Speakers will feature biotech industry and USDA spokespeople as well as report authors For media tickets, please call Anuradha Mittal, Food First, 510-654-4400, ext. 233 or 510-469-5228 (cell). Interviews are available with Spanish speakers at both events. To arrange an interview in Spanish, please call Pamela Laurence, Pesticide Action Network, at 415-981-1771 ext. 323.
For report documents on the web, including downloadable chapters, author biographies, and photos, please visit: http://www.foodfirst.org/sacramento/pressadvisory.php |
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Keeping Tabs On Your Local Congress Critter |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
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Here's a handy link to keep track of Timmy's positions and voting record:
http://www.progressivepunch.org/ |
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Superweed Setback For Genetically Modified Crops |
by Friends of the Earth
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
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LONDON, UK / SACRAMENTO, US - June 23 - The case for Genetically Modified (GM) crops suffered a major setback today following news that 'superweeds' have evolved which are resistant to weedkillers that GM crops are modified to tolerate.
The news means that more weedkillers will be needed in GM crop fields - not less as GM supporters have claimed.
Today's London-based newspaper 'The Independent' reports (http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=418070) that a paper by Professor Hartzler at Iowa State University (US) reveals that in the past seven years up to five species of weed have been found with resistance to glyphosate - a powerful herbicide marketed by multinational corporation Monsanto (NYSE:MON) under the name of Roundup.
The most widespread GM crops on the market and in the fields are those that have been genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate. This allows them to be sprayed with the herbicide throughout the growing season. Today's news means that more weedkillers will be needed, on top of the glyphosate. The Independent reports Monsanto as saying that its solution for dealing with resistant weeds was to apply different weedkillers in new ways.
The weeds' resistance has occurred through natural evolution, rather than gene transfer from genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops.
"Companies like Monsanto have spun the line that GM crops and their weedkillers will have less impact on the environment, but the fact of resistant weeds means that they will use more of these pesticides, and the impacts on the environment will be greater. These discoveries remove a central plank from the whole argument for GM crops," said in Sacramento Larry Bohlen from Friends of the Earth International.
From June 23-25 in Sacramento (US), around 100 Agriculture Ministers from over 75 countries, most of them developing countries, are attending a US government sponsored Ministerial Conference on Agricultural Science and Technology. The US government and biotech corporations are strongly promoting GM crops as the primary solution to improving the hunger crisis and environmental problems in developing countries.
The US promotion of GM crops as a solution for the hunger crisis was criticised by many groups and was even blasted in a June 17 document (http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=418070) of the 15-nation European Union (EU): "Food aid to starving populations should be about meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of those who are in need. It should not be about trying to advance the case for GM food abroad, or planting GM crops for export, or indeed finding outlets for domestic surplus, which is a regrettable aspect of the US food aid policy," according to the document of the EU's executive European Commission. |
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EU Says Bush Accusations On Biotech Policy Untrue |
by Robin Pomeroy
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
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BRUSSELS - Europe shot back at Washington on Tuesday in their war over genetically modified food, accusing President Bush [and those echoing Bush's charges like US Rep. Tim Johnson] of falsehoods about EU restrictions on the eve of a summit meant to ease transatlantic tensions.
The European Commission rejected Bush's accusation on Monday that the European Union's unofficial ban on GM food aggravated the risk of famine in Africa, and said the EU did far more than the United States to feed the world's poor.
"The suggestions made by the United States are simply not true," Commission spokesman Gerassimos Thomas told a daily news briefing. "It is false that we are anti-biotechnology or anti-developing countries."
Bush, who has launched a trade suit against the EU over its GM policy, is due to discuss the issue with EU leaders who visit Washington on Wednesday at a summit aimed at reviving transatlantic relations damaged by the Iraq war.
The United States, Argentina and Canada, which grow 95 percent of the world's gene-altered crops, last month asked the World Trade Organization to overturn the EU restrictions, which have hampered GM exports to the EU for the last five years.
U.S. maize farmers say they are losing about $300 million a year in sales to the EU and have become increasingly concerned about new EU rules that would require GM crops to be segregated from conventional strains when imported to Europe.
The European Parliament will vote on the rules next week, a move which could lead the way for the ban to be lifted.
HUNGER
Bush told a biotechnology conference on Monday that the EU should lift its restrictions "for the sake of a continent threatened by famine."
Last year, some African countries rejected U.S. food aid as it contained GM grain, which they feared could be used as seed, threatening future exports to the EU.
The EU has rejected U.S. calls to reassure developing countries that they should accept GM organisms, which are routinely eaten by Americans.
"We never try to impose our views on African or other less developed countries," EU spokesman Thomas said. "We have a much better record that the United States (on aid). We provide seven times more aid than the United States."
Thomas also took a swipe at U.S. legislation granting $15 billion to fight AIDS in Africa which mentioned some countries' rejection of GM food, something anti-GM campaigners see as a link between accepting biotech food and receiving aid.
"We do not tie our aid to our policy. In a way, it is a bit worrying to see that the United States in the pharmaceutical aid tries to impose GMO acceptance as a condition for pharmaceutical aid," Thomas said.
Environmentalist group Friends of the Earth said Bush's link of GM organisms (GMOs) to world hunger was "absolutely immoral."
The group opposes GM crops as it believes they could pose hidden health risks or lead to super-weeds if their genes mix with plants in the environment.
"If the U.S. says it is going to solve the world food problem through GMOs it is a lie, " said FoE campaigner Geert Ritsema. "The main reason that the United States wants this is that they want to break open the (developing countries) market to GMOs."
© Copyright 2003 Reuters Ltd
http://www.reuters.com |
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Activists Say U.S. Manipulating Meeting To Promote GM Food |
by Katrin Dauenhauer
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2003
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Heavily-armed police wearing riot gear form a protective cordon to keep protesters away from the California State capitol building (background) in Sacramento, June 23, 2003. Thousands rallied in Sacramento today to protest against genetically-engineered foods and corporate owned farms, as a ministerial convention promoting the foods was taking place nearby. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne
WASHINGTON - Activists have gathered at a California conference this week to counter what they call the U.S. administration's attempts to force-feed genetically engineered (GM) crops on developing countries.
They reject Washington's argument that science and technology provide all the answers to fight against hunger.
”It is a myth that science and technology play a critical role in reducing hunger in developing countries. The claim that we must accept genetically engineered foods if we are to feed the poor in the Third World is simply 'poorwashing',” Anuradha Mittal of California-based Food First (http://www.foodfirst.org/) told IPS on Monday.
”Hunger is a complex phenomenon that cannot be solved by technology alone. We need political commitment and not technology. Countries suffering from hunger need basic social economic change,” she added.
A growing number of activists and Third World farmers and politicians challenge the value of genetically engineered (GE) food and instead stress the importance of access to food, local food sovereignty and capacity building as essential tools to solve the problem of hunger.
In a report prepared for the conference, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, its Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of State, activists say that the development of GE technology has not focused on feeding people but on securing markets for the world's largest agro-chemical and biotech companies.
”Genetically engineered crops are instruments of industrialized agriculture,” said Silvia Ribeiro of the ETC Group and one of the authors of the report, 'Voices from the South: The Third World Debunks Corporate Myths on Genetically Engineered Crops' (http://www.foodfirst.org/progs/global/ge/sactoministerial/voices.php).
”They benefit the richest people in the world, not the hungriest,'' he continued. ''GE crops are designed to take control of production of food away from local communities, by creating greater dependence on huge agribusiness corporations for seed and pesticides.”
The report says there is already enough food in the world to feed the population one and a half times over but that poverty and inequality are leading to starvation. In fact, almost 80 percent of the countries that face hunger are food-exporting nations, it adds.
The three-day Ministerial Conference and Expo on Agricultural Science and Technology (http://www.fas.usda.gov/icd/stconf/conf_main.htm), billed as the first meeting of its kind, has brought together ministers of agriculture, health and environment from over 120 nations. For three days, participants will discuss the role of science and technology in reducing hunger and poverty in the developing world.
On Sunday, protesters who took to the street in the city of Sacramento were met by a small army of riot policemen. Local news reports said 36 people were arrested and that larger demonstrations, of about 5,000 people, were expected Monday.
Many critics see the conference as another means for the Bush administration to promote its GM policies.
It comes as the United States is pressing the World Trade Organization (WTO) to force the European Union (EU) to accept genetically modified food (GMF), after having filed a formal complaint with the trade body last month.
”This ministerial is about U.S. arm twisting to force feed the world corporate controlled 'free trade' and genetically engineered food. Countries around the world are rejecting genetically engineered food because it is an unnecessary, dangerous technology which has been disastrous for small farmers, consumers and the environment,” said Doyle Canning of the Institute for Social Ecology's Biotechnology Project.
”What farmers in the developing world need are policies that give farming communities control over their own resources and build on local ecological knowledge,” said Timothy Byakola from Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Uganda (http://www.pan-africa.sn/).
Activists also argue that the root causes of hunger have to be addressed if policy makers want to solve the problem of hunger effectively.
”Malaria, like hunger, is a disease of poverty. When economic conditions improve, it disappears, just as it did in the United States and Europe,” said Food First's Mittal.
”The focus ought to be on the root causes of the problem, not the symptom. The hungry don't need a technological quick fix. They need basic social change.”
Copyright 2003 IPS
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See also:
http://www.ips.org
http://www.biotechimc.org/
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Re: Johnson Repeats Support For Frankenfoods |
by Glen
ihman1466 (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
26 Jun 2003
Modified: 04:38:22 PM |
Thank you Tim!!!! It is about time that someone steped to the plate for farmer. Farmer in this district need this help to stay alive. Most of you that look at this website like to nock farmer and what they do but done of you every have the answer to help farmers. So till you have some answers don't nock Johnson for help people in his district. Farmer are the only thing that are keep rural alive.
Glen
P.S. Don't talk bad about farmer when you mouth is full with good cheap food!!! |
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Re: Johnson Repeats Support For Frankenfoods |
by Peter Miller
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 5
26 Jun 2003
Modified: 11:05:37 PM |
I fully support helping farmers, but maybe someone can explain how increasing production by introducing unnecessary and potentially disastrous technology is helping farmers or me. Does it raise farm incomes? I recall a little piece of legislation last year that lets all taxpayers subsidize corporate agriculture to the tune of $100 billion. It seems that GMO-enhanced oversupply has re-created the need for a large rural welfare program, and it's got me paying for my food through my taxes and at the grocery store. I'd be more willing to do it if more of the money went to farmers, and if more farmers recognized that welfare shouldn't just be provided to them.
I wonder how many farmers really support GMO technology. It's pretty clear that it's an extortion scheme for Monsanto and company--they control all the inputs, and they throw you in jail if you come up with a better way of doing things. They even charge a lot more for the required chemicals here in the US than they do in poor countries where they're pushing GMO's like a bad drug.
Rural economies? The US has more people in jail than we have farming. If we supported rural economies, we'd give up some efficiency and regulate agriculture so smaller farms could survive. More people on the land means more people in small towns, commerce that isn't just wal-mart, and real communities--not ghost towns.
I support farmers; I don't support corporate agriculture or GMOs. |
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