From: herald@rafi.org on behalf of RAFI News Posting Account [herald@rafi.org] Sent: Friday, July 02, 1999 11:30 AM To: Multiple recipients of news - Sent by Subject: RAFI Genotype on recent Terminator Developments Rural Advancement Foundation International - RAFI Geno-Types July 2 1999 http://www.rafi.org *** Governments Declare State of Siege on GMO Applications *** Rockefeller Foundation Says No to Terminator *** New Hampshire (USA) Calls for Study Commission on Terminator *** USDA Sticks it Head (Deeper) in the Sand In government offices from Sao Paulo to Montreal, Tokyo to Brussels, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) and the controversial Terminator technology have been the subject of intense and thorny policy negotiations in recent days. The latest developments reflect forceful and effective campaigning by civil society organizations and growing consumer and farmer resistance to genetically engineered products for agriculture. … The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced in mid-June that it would tighten safety regulations on genetically modified crops following the release of a Cornell University study which shows that pollen from genetically engineered insect resistant B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis) maize is toxic to monarch butterflies. MAFF will suspend approval of Bt crops in Japan until revised safety protocols are developed for GM crops. … The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has declared itself a genetically-modified free zone. On June 23 a Brazilian federal court barred the planting and distribution of genetically modified soybeans in Brazil, a ruling that bars Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybean from Brazilian soil -- the world's second largest exporter of soybeans. … In Montreal the scientific body (SBSTTA) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity spent four days wrestling with Terminator and related technologies it calls GURTs (genetic use restriction technologies). Despite the strong efforts of Norway, India, Ecuador, Cote d'Ivoire and many other countries to establish a moratorium, SBSTTA failed to take a stand to protect the sovereignty of farmers and global food security. For detailed analysis, see RAFI press release, 28 May. … On June 24 the president of Rockefeller Foundation, Gordon Conway, told Monsanto that it should "disavow" Terminator technology and pointed out that opposition to genetic seed sterilization is shared by most governments of the developing world. The New York-based Rockefeller Foundation is one of the primary architects of the Green Revolution, and has invested over $100 million in plant biotechnology. … On June 24, just hours before Gordon Conway publicly condemned the Terminator technology, a coalition of activists (including RAFI) met with the US Department of Agriculture's second-in-command, Deputy Secretary Rominger in Washington, DC. Despite an avalanche of public opposition to the Terminator from all corners of the globe, the USDA flatly refused to withdraw from the Terminator patent that it co-owns with Delta & Pine Land/Monsanto. Rominger aides insist that the technology could have potentially beneficial applications, though they failed to elaborate on what they might be. The USDA officials admitted that they were totally unaware of their agency's newest Terminator patent claim, this time a joint venture with Purdue University. The newest USDA Terminator patent application was published in Europe on March 11. … On June 25, European Union environment ministers concluded a marathon negotiating session in Brussels with a de facto moratorium on new applications for genetically modified organisms. France, Italy, Greece, Denmark and Luxembourg insisted that they will block new applications for genetically modified plants and seeds until a new regulatory regime is put in place - not likely before 2002. … On June 30 a legislative committee in New Hampshire debated legislation calling for a ban on Terminator technology. The bill, which would have made it illegal to grow or transport Terminator seeds in the state of New Hampshire, was approved by the Senate earlier in June. Despite overwhelming support from New Hampshire citizens for a ban on Terminator, Monsanto's ever-present lobbyists won the day. A single dissenting legislator blocked the ban. The compromise that emerged establishes a committee to study the threat of Terminator to biodiversity and agriculture in New Hampshire. RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation Int'l.) 110 Osborne St., Suite 202 WINNIPEG MB R3L 1Y5 CANADA Tel: (204) 453-5259 Fax: (204) 925-8034 E-mail: rafi@rafi.org Internet: www.rafi.org