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Re: [SANET-MG] Bayer, GE, California, Thailand



Hi Greg,
The article below from the Nation gives an over view of recent
regulatory events in Thailand. The scientific literature, as well, shows
that Thai researchers are very advanced in areas such as producing
pharmaceuticals in rice cell culture. Hope this helps, joe cummins
http://www.biothai.org/cgi-bin/content/news/show.pl?0269
POLICY REVERSAL: Green light for GMOs

PM authorises planting, trading of modified crops after testing

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday bestowed the government's
tacit blessing on the planting and trading of genetically modified (GM)
crops by revoking an earlier ban on their commercial use, in defiance of
wide opposition from farmers, environmentalists and consumer networks.

In contrast to the current policy that only permits GM crops to be grown
in laboratories for experimental purposes, the revision will allow for
open planting and commercialisation of GM crops provided they receive
approval from the Bio Safety Committee (BSC), the premier said.

The announcement was made yesterday after Thaksin chaired a meeting of
the National Biotechnology Policy Board (NBPB) at the Science Ministry.

"We are not going to promote GM crops, but we will not slam the doors
shut on their development. We will allow for their plantation and
commercialisation as we do for other crops," said Sakarindr Bhumiratana,
NBPB secretary and president of the National Science and Technology
Development Agency (NSTDA), who relayed the prime minister's speech.

After outlining Thaksin's three basic options of promoting GM crops,
allowing them to be planted and commercialised, and imposing an outright
ban on their commercial use, Sakarindr said: "We choose the second option."

"The current policy caused misunderstanding amo.ng researchers and
private biotech companies that led to a decrease in related research and
investment," he said.

"The policy change is needed. Otherwise Thailand will fail to keep
abreast of the global current in the GM-crop trade," Sakarindr added.

As a means of kick-starting the policy next Tuesday, the Cabinet will
revoke the resolution it passed on April 3, 2001 that effectively bans
any handling of GM crops outside a research environment.

The Bio Safety Committee has been tasked with issuing suitable safety
measures within three months in a bid to implement the new policy as
soon as possible.

Meanwhile the Natural Resource and Environment Ministry has been
assigned to draft the Bio Safety bill within one year, while the Science
Ministry has been granted authority over assessing the safety of GM
crops and related products.

The premier's political about-face has inflamed local farmers,
environmentalists and consumer networks.

"The policy is putting Thai people at risk," said Witoon Lianchamroon,
director of the BioThai Network.

"How can the government place its trust in the Bio Safety Committee when
it has long been known as a paper tiger? It has no legal power to
enforce the rules and therefore cannot make private companies adopt its
guidelines," he said.

The networks said they believed the decision stemmed from heavy US
pressure and giant biotech corporation Monsanto, which allegedly aims to
monopolise the Thai grain and agricultural markets.

Witoon said he anticipated a national upswell of protest against the
premier's decision to decriminalise the crops.

"It is a mammoth mistake, and the premier will undoubtedly suffer the
consequences," Witoon said. "Thaksin has doubled back on his 'big
promise' to farmers and environmental groups," Witoon said, referring to
the April 3, 2001 Cabinet resolution which was the result of protracted
negotiations between rival lobbying and government groups.

Witoon said the resolution represented Thaksin's promise to put the
issue to bed before 2001, when a leak of genetically modified cotton was
discovered in the northeastern provinces.

"The policy will put Thailand at risk of further contamination from GM
crops, which may spread to natural plants. The premier will take us to
the point of no return," he said, referring to the potentially
irreparable level of damage some believe GM crops will wreak.

"The lesson to be learned from the BT cotton episode in Loei province is
that controlling contamination is impossible and thus there is a large
inherent danger," he added.

"Before long an opposition movement will take place. Not only from our
network but also from other consumer and environmental networks," warned
Witoon.

Varoonvarn Svangsopakul, a campaigner from Greenpeace Southeast Asia,
said the policy would make eating GM-contaminated food unavoidable.

"GM products are banned in most countries, especially our 'expert'
countries like the EU and Japan. Consumers there reject them to avoid
possible side-effects," she said.

"Next week we will hold a special session and invite GMO scientists from
Britain to update us on the latest GMO safety developments," she added.

Jacques-chai Chomthongdi, founding member of the Free Trade Agreement
Watch, said he believed the government had been swayed by lobbying from
Monsanto Thailand and the US government, which wants to protect its
biotech trade.

"The US Trade Representatives expressed quite clearly during my visit to
Washington DC several months ago that granting intellectual property
rights [IPR] for GM grain was the staple US policy and it was not
subject to negotiation regardless of nation," he said.

"Recently the US government stated in its proposed free-trade agreement
[FTA] to the Thai government that Thailand had to support the
implementation of IPRs, agree with the benefits and use of GMO
technology and make Thai people understand that GM technology was not
dangerous," he said.

"There is no other reason why the US had to sign an FTA with Thailand as
it was already receiving benefits in deals made in other business
sectors," he added.

Discussions on penning a Thai-US FTA began this year, with follow-up
talks scheduled for Hawaii next October and the third round slated for
soon after that in Bangkok.

Apart from the new policy on GM crops, yesterday's meeting also saw the
Bt660-million Bio Park project approved in an endeavour to boost the
nation's competitiveness in the biotech industry.

The NSTDA was also granted principal authority in developing a "shrimp
cluster" to promote the domestic shrimp industry by exploiting new
biotechnology.

Responding to the government's announcement, Monsanto's spokesman
Khongthas Janchai said the company was "very happy" with the reversal
and planned to launch field tests for two potential GM crops, the
Round-up Ready and Bt maizes, in the near future.

"We believe GM crops can coexist with native plants without any negative
impact. The government is on the right track," he said.

Khongthas denied accusations by the farmers' network that Monsanto had
developed a special relationship with NSTDA's scientists and had applied
pressure to amend the policy.

Scores of farmers and environmental networks contacted by The Nation
yesterday said they were currently discussing ways of responding to the
new crop policy to register their protest.

"We cannot reveal how this movement will express itself, but it will
happen in a big way, and we are hoping for large-scale public support,"
said one environmental activist contacted by telephone.

Kamol Sukin

THE NATION  21 Aug 2004
Raquel & Greg wrote:
It is interesting to me that Bayer is pulling out of various countries
around the world, because they are very likely the next battle to be fought
by California rice farmers.  They are planning to introduce their GE Liberty
Link rice this year or next in Arkansas, I believe, and California probably
two or three years from now.  My firm position is that it should not be
grown anywhere in the United States, as all US rice farmers will pay a price
in lost markets and lost income.  Similarly, Ventria must not be allowed to
commercialize their drug rice in Missouri or anywhere else.

On a similar note, I'll be travelling to Thailand in January to speak to
Thai rice farmers about our experiences with Ventria here in California.
Anyone have any inside information on the current state of GE rice in
Thailand?

Regards,
Greg Massa

----- Original Message -----
From: "Evon Kochey" <sydney151@earthlink.net>
To: <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 1:08 PM
Subject: [SANET-MG] Bayer Backs Out of Genetic Engineering in India By
PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK UPDATE SERVICE


Edition Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2004
http://www.berkeleydaily.org/text/article.cfm?issue=12-21-04&storyID=20342
Bayer Backs Out of Genetic Engineering in India By PESTICIDE ACTION

While FDA regulations may encourage GE experimentation in the U.S.,
the difficulties encountered by biotech companies in other parts of
the world appear to be having an effect. Bayer’s retreat from testing
GE crops in India is only its most recent demur. In March the company
pulled out of GE crop research in the UK, and in June it dropped plans
to commercialize GE canola in Australia. Monsanto has also limited its
research and testing of GE foods, discontinuing plans for GE wheat in
the U.S. and Canada and for GE canola in Australia earlier this year.

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