[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [SANET-MG] promoting gm crops



Hello Rolf Utegaard,
Other developing countries, such as Canada have experienced the Monsanto
offer of greenbacks as an alternative to environmental assessment.
Several years ago there was a scandal involving  the approval of rBGH
(recombinant bovine growth hormone). Monsanto was reported to offer
Canadian bureaucrats a large sum to avoid a review of the hormone. The
bureaucrats were enthusiastic but the politicians objected and rBGH was
never approved.
The agricultural bureaucrats learned from the experience so they
provided millions in taxpayer dollars to Monsanto to develop gm wheat.It
was claimed that the bureaucrats had lobbied to obtain direct salary
payments from the Corporation. When Monsanto dropped gm wheat the
Canadian bureaucrats continued testing the gm wheat on the sly it was
reported in a few small newspapers.
I guess what I am driving at is that developing  countries and EU will
have a hard time controlling greenback seduction of their bureaucrats.
Counties like Canada seem to gone over to the "dark side".
sincerely,joe cummins
Rolf Utegaard wrote:
I wouldn't doubt it, since this is the predominate modus operandi for many
of these foreign government Departments and officials. What I can't believe
is that these multi-national companies continue to try to operate at these
levels despite the "politically correct " effort of US policy makers and the
EU stance on GM... That must mean that despite efforts to reign them in,
they must have money to burn!
----- Original Message -----
From: "jcummins" <jcummins@UWO.CA>
To: <SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU>
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 6:40 AM
Subject: [SANET-MG] promoting gm crops



COMPANY NEWS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

+ MONSANTO FINED USD 1.5M OVER INDONESIA BRIBES
Monsanto is to pay $1.5m in penalties to the US government over a bribe
paid in Indonesia in a bid to bypass controls on the screening of new GM
cotton crops.

According to a criminal complaint by the Department of Justice under US
anti-bribery laws, the company paid $50,000 to an unnamed senior
Indonesian environmental official in 2002, in an unsuccessful bid to
amend or repeal the requirement for the environmental impact statement
for new crop varieties.

The Financial Times reports, "The [bribe] was delivered by a consultant
working for the company's Indonesian affiliate, but was approved by a
senior Monsanto official based in the US, and disguised as consultants'
fees.

"The company also admitted that it had paid over $700,000 in bribes to
various officials in Indonesia between 1997 and 2002, financed through
improper accounting of its pesticide sales in Indonesia.

"The attempt to circumvent environmental controls on
genetically-modified crops in a developing country is a significant
embarrassment for Monsanto, which is engaged in an ongoing campaign to
win public support in the European Union for its genetically modified
crops."

In how many other countries around the world have similar things been
going on? This is very probably the tip of the iceberg.

***Read the full articles from the Financial Times and Associated Press***
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=4773

********************************************************
To unsubscribe from SANET-MG:
1- Visit http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html to unsubscribe or;
2- Send a message to <listserv@sare.org> from the address subscribed to

the list. Type "unsubscribe sanet-mg" in the body of the message.

Visit the SANET-MG archives at:

http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html

For more information on grants and other resources available through the

SARE program, please visit http://www.sare.org.

********************************************************
To unsubscribe from SANET-MG:
1- Visit http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html to unsubscribe or;
2- Send a message to <listserv@sare.org> from the address subscribed to the list. Type "unsubscribe sanet-mg" in the body of the message.

Visit the SANET-MG archives at: http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html
For more information on grants and other resources available through the SARE program, please visit http://www.sare.org.

********************************************************
To unsubscribe from SANET-MG:
1- Visit http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html to unsubscribe or;
2- Send a message to <listserv@sare.org> from the address subscribed to the list. Type "unsubscribe sanet-mg" in the body of the message.

Visit the SANET-MG archives at: http://lists.sare.org/archives/sanet-mg.html
For more information on grants and other resources available through the SARE program, please visit http://www.sare.org.