Save our Seeds

Dozens of the UK Government`s most influential advisers on critical health and environmental issues have close links to biotech and drug corporations, according to a dossier of Whitehall documents obtained by The Observer<a href="http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,997205,00.html">The Observer: Anger at advisers' biotech links</a>

The new Scientific Panel on GMOs of the the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has concluded in its first published opinion that there was no justification for a GMO free Zone in Upper Austria.</p><p><a href="http://www.efsa.eu.int/pdf/pressrel20030710_en.pdf">EFAS press release</a></p><p><a href="http://www.efsa.eu.int/p_gmo_en.html">opinion at the GMO panels homepage in English, German and French</a><b>EU-Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit hält Gen-Verbot für nicht gerechtfertigt</b> Brüssel - Das geplante Verbot für Gentechnik in Oberösterreich ist aus Sicht der EU-Behörde für Lebensmittelsicherheit (EFSA) nicht gerechtfertigt.</p><p><a href="http://derstandard.at/?id=1356923">derStandard.at</a>

A bleak picture for the future of genetically modified crops in Britain was outlined by the Cabinet Office strategy unit on Friday 11th, which said there was currently no benefit to the UK consumer or farmer in growing such foods because there was no market.</p><p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,996704,00.html">Guardian: GM foods: unloved, unwanted and a rush to grow crops could cause civil unrest</a></p><p><a href="http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page3673.asp">Strategy office press release and report for download</a></p><p><a href="http://archiv.tagesspiegel.de/archiv/12.07.2003/653073.asp">Tagesspiegel: Die Gensaat geht nicht auf</a>

Giovanni Alemanno, president of the Agricultural Council of Ministers said on Wednesday in Brussels:"As soon as the regulations are approved on food we can lift the moratorium on food. When regulations on agricultural coexistence are approved, we can lift the moratorium on seeds."<a href="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N2W071087.htm">Reuters - Italy farm minister sees end to EU biotech ban</a>

Genetically modified contamination has been found in sweet corn planted from Syngenta seeds, harvested in New Zealand and sold on Japanese pizza toppings.</p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsletter&topic_id=6&subtopic_id=26&doc_id=5638">GM Contamination Found In NZ Corn</a>

A thoughtful and colorful long article on the labelling and co-existence situation in the United States by Sally Deneen.</p><p><a href="http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=newsletter&topic_id=1&subtopic_id=3&doc_id=5609">Food Fight: Genetic Engineering vs. Organics: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly</a>

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, the UN food standards agency adopted three sets of standards on safety of genetically modified food (GMOs) that support strong regulations for these foods. It appears questionable whether present US GMO safety assessment regulations would satisfy these standards.</p><p><a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=422089">Independent: UN food body calls for strict new rules on GM crops</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/CodexBiotechregulations.pdf">Prepublicaton of the new Codex guidelines on food derived from Biotechnology</a></p><p><a href="http://www.consumersinternational.org/news/display.asp?regionid=135&tag=C&id=261&type=news&cat=465&langid=1">press release from Consumers International</a></p><p><a href="http://www.bio.org/foodag/codex.asp">background page on Codex & GMOs from Biotech-Industry</a></p><p><a href="http://www.nrz.de/nrz/nrz.kultur.volltext.php?id=233481&zulieferer=dpa&kategorie=&catchline=%2Fwissenschaft%2F">dpa: FAO und WHO verordnen Untersuchung von Gen-Produkten</a>

Sun 06 July 2003, Palermo, ITALyGreenpeace today presented the EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and the Italian Trade Minister, Adolfo Urso, with two sacks of soy contaminated with genetically engineered (GE) varieties by the US-multinational GE company Monsanto, asking the Commissioner to return them to his US counterpart Robert Zoellick. Commissioner Lamy is currently in Palermo to meet with the EU Trade Ministers in their last official meeting prior to the WTO ministerial in Cancun, Mexico in September.</p><p><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en//press/release?press_id=292133">Greenpeace press release</a>

The European Parliament today adopted regulations on GM food and feed and traceability of GMOs, which will have far reaching consequences on the way GMOs in food and feed will have to be labelled in the future.1. All products containing or consisting of an ingredient, which contains more than 0,9% of GMO must be labelled.2. Labelling is also required where the specific DNA or protein of the GMO can no longer be identified in the final product. This applies inter alia to oil, starch, glucose and other highly refined products.3. GMO in animal feed will also have to be labelled. However animal products from GM animal feed, such as meat, eggs and milk do not require labelling.About 90% of all GM imports to the European Union are used as animal feed and for starch or oil production and will now for the first time require labelling.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/ep_vote_02_07_03.pdf">short report</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/food_feed_final.pdf">Final version of the regulation</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/eu_foodfeed.pdf">background: Market implications of the new regulations</a></p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3027026">Reuters: EU Passes GM Labeling Laws, U.S. Unimpressed</a></p><p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=3026743">Reuters Factbox on the new rules</a></p><p><a href="http://www3.europarl.ep.ec/omk/omnsapir.so/calendar?APP=PV1&LANGUE=EN">EP homepage on latest debates - you can chose your language there</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/clippings.pdf">press clippings on yesterdays debate</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/presse_en_03_07_03.pdf">UK & US press clippings</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/downloads/presse_fr_03_07_03.pdf">La presse francaise - french press clippings</a></p><p><a href="http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.getfile=gf&doc=IP/03/935-0- RAPID&lg=EN&type=PDF">EU Commission Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/gp_pr_02_07_03.pdf">Greenpeace Press Release</a></p><p><a href="http://www.europabio.org/upload/articles/article_203_EN.doc">Press release of EU GMO industry Europa-Bio</a>

At the European Parliament a compromise, which has been negotiated between the Institutions and the different political groups within the Parliament is most likely going to be adopted on July 2nd. This compromise basically gives up all the amendments, which had been proposed by the Parliaments Environment Committee, such as lowering the threshold for adventitious presence of GMOs to 0,5%, providing for compulsory co-existence measures, prohibiting the presence of unauthorized GMOs at any level and the exemption of GM seeds from this regulation. In exchange a new article will be included in the Directive 2001/18 on the deliberate release of GMOs, which allows Member States to take measures to prevent contamination of conventional crops with GMOs.</p><p><a href="http://www.zs-l.de/gmo/news/ep_compromise_24_06_03.pdf">Memorandum on GM Food and Feed compromise</a></p><p><a href="http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A5-2003-0202+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&L=EN&LEVEL=1&NAV=S&LSTDOC=Y#TOP">List of amendments this report refers to</a></p><p><a href="http://wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/oeil/oeil_ViewDNL.ProcViewCTX?lang=2&procid=5457&HighlighType=2&Highlight_Text=modified">Text and all legislative acts regarding the Food and Feed Regulation</a>