Fwd: Anheuser-Busch backs down + Monsanto challenged to public debate

[Guest guest]

News Update From The Campaign

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Dear News Update Subscribers,

 

In our last News Update, we reported that Anheuser-Busch had threatened to

boycott purchasing all rice from Missouri if permission is granted to grow

genetically engineered rice that contain pharmaceutical drugs anywhere in

the state.

 

Now it appears that Anheuser-Busch has backed down and agreed that they will

still buy Missouri rice as long as the drug-containing genetically

engineered rice is grown at least 120 miles from commercial rice.

 

We expect that Anheuser-Busch came under significant pressure to soften

their stance since their position created negative publicity for biotech

crops.

 

Biotech giant Monsanto is headquartered in Missouri and contributes

significantly to the state's economy. Although Monsanto is not currently

trying to get commercial approval for any biotech crops that contain

pharmaceutical drugs, we speculate that they would not have been happy about

Anheuser-Busch's earlier position.

 

In any case, the governor of Missouri was quite pleased that Anheuser-Busch

modified their position.

 

Posted below is an article from the Associated Press titled " Anheuser-Busch

drops threat to boycott Missouri rice. "

 

MONSANTO CHALLENGED TO PUBLIC DEBATE

 

Last Sunday, in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, there was an article titled " In

California, grape-growers grapple with possibility of biotech " reporting on

the initiative efforts in California wine growing counties to ban the

planting of genetically engineered crops.

 

In the article, it mentions how the documentary film, The Future of Food, is

being used as an organizing tool by citizens promoting the county

initiatives to ban the biotech crops. Indeed, those of you who have seen The

Future of Food know its great value for organizing and educating people.

 

However, the article quotes a Monsanto spokesman speaking about The Future

of Food. He states that the film, " rehashes a lot of old claims and presents

them as fact when they're not the least bit factual. "

 

Deborah Garcia, the producer-director of The Future of Food, adamantly

disagrees with Monsanto's statement that her film is not factual.

 

On Thursday, working with The Campaign, Deborah Garcia issued a press

release challenging Monsanto to a public debate over the facts contained in

her outstanding documentary.

 

We have posted the press release below titled " Filmmaker Challenges Monsanto

to Debate on Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods. " We have also posted

the article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch where the Monsanto spokesman

said The Future of Food was not factual.

 

This week Deborah Garcia plans to send a formal letter to Monsanto

challenging the company to this public debate over the safety of genetically

engineered foods.

 

The Campaign thinks a public debate over the safety of genetically

engineered foods is long overdue in the United States. In the United Kingdom

(UK), during 2003, there were over 600 public debates over genetically

engineered foods and 11 regional public forums sponsored the UK government.

The UK government even has a web site about the public debate over

genetically modified crops:

http://www.gmnation.org.uk/

 

We hope Monsanto agrees right away to this public debate. However, if

Monsanto refuses to debate Deborah Garcia and her scientific advisors, we

intend to increase the pressure on the company.

 

This pressure will include launching ACTION ALERTS asking you to help point

out to the media and politicians throughout the country that Monsanto

refuses to debate the safety of genetically engineered foods.

 

If Monsanto is publicly stating that The Future of Food is not factual, then

they better be prepared to back up those words with facts.

 

If you would like to purchase a DVD copy of the excellent and factual

documentary The Future of Food, you can do so on our web site at:

http://www.thecampaign.org/store.php

 

THE CAMPAIGN'S NEW WEB SITE COMING SOON

 

This is probably a good time to mention that The Campaign will be launching

a revised version of our popular web site by May 1st.

 

Besides a fresh new look, we will be implementing several new online tools

that will allow for even greater activism by visitors to our web site.

 

Further, the new web site will make it much easier for you to stay informed

of the news and network with other activists in your state.

 

And, yes, we will be encouraging people to use The Future of Food as a tool

to organize and educate people in their neighborhoods and communities.

 

Thank you, Deborah Garcia, for producing such a wonderful documentary film!

 

Craig Winters

President

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

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Anheuser-Busch drops threat to boycott Missouri rice

 

Saturday, April 16, 2005

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Anheuser-Busch Cos. has dropped its threat to boycott

Missouri's rice crop after a biotechnology firm agreed to grow its

genetically engineered rice farther away from commercial rice farms in the

state.

 

The agreement reached Friday ends a dispute between the beer giant, the

state and California-based Ventria Biosciences, which wants to grow about

200 acres of genetically modified rice to produce human proteins used in

drugs.

 

" I am pleased that Anheuser-Busch and Ventria have reached a fair compromise

that furthers cutting-edge life-sciences technology while protecting current

markets for Missouri rice farmers, " Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said in a

statement.

 

Earlier this week, Anheuser-Busch said it was concerned the genetically

modified crops could contaminate rice grown in the southeastern part of the

state. Under the agreement, Ventria's rice would be planted at least 120

miles away from commercial growing areas.

 

It was not clear whether the agreement with Anheuser-Busch would resolve

similar safety concerns raised by Arkansas-based Riceland Foods Inc., the

world's largest rice miller and marketer and the largest purchaser of

Missouri rice. Both companies had urged federal regulators to deny a permit

for Ventria's project.

 

Riceland did not return repeated calls from The Associated Press.

 

The practice of growing engineered crops to produce drugs -- known as

" biopharming " -- has angered environmental groups, the food industry and

farmers, who fear modified crops could contaminate soil or food and

crossbreed with other plants.

 

Ventria's request to plant rice enhanced with synthetic human genes to

produce the proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme is pending with the

Agriculture Department. The company hopes to harvest and refine the proteins

for use in medicines to fight diarrhea and dehydration.

 

The USDA can either deny Ventria's permit or issue a permit with additional

conditions.

 

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Filmmaker Challenges Monsanto to Debate on Safety of Genetically Engineered

Foods

 

Thu Apr 14, 7:00 AM ET

 

National Desk

 

Contact: Deborah Garcia, 415-383-0553

 

SAN FRANCISCO, April 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Responding to charges from a

Monsanto spokesman that her highly acclaimed film " The Future of Food " isn't

factual, Deborah Koons Garcia is challenging Monsanto to a debate on the

safety of genetically engineered foods.

 

" Let's debate the facts in a public forum and see who is lying to the

American public about the safety of these risky crops, " Garcia says.

" Monsanto probably won't want to engage in a public debate because they know

that my film is telling the truth. It appears that Monsanto has been trying

to keep the American public in the dark about the dangers of genetically

engineered foods for years. "

 

Garcia says she and many of the experts in her film are willing to debate

Monsanto in a public forum in St. Louis, Washington DC, or anywhere in the

country.

 

Garcia was responding to charges by Monsanto spokesman Chris Horner,

reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that " The Future of Food " " rehashes

a lot of old claims and presents them as fact when they're not the least bit

factual. "

 

" Everything in 'The Future of Food' has been very carefully documented, "

Garcia says. " In making the film, we relied on a tremendous group of

prestigious advisors from many walks of life, including scientists,

professors and farmers. It's disingenuous for Monsanto to allege that the

movie is not telling the truth, without backing up the claims. "

 

" The Future of Food, " released in 2004, offers an in-depth investigation

into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically

engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the

past decade.

 

From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico,

this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been

negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications,

government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the

reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically

altered crops into our food supply.

 

Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, " The Future of Food "

examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing

what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's

food system.

 

Further information about the film can be found at

http://www.thefutureoffood.com .

 

***************************************************************

 

Posted on Sun, Apr. 10, 2005

 

In California, grape-growers grapple with possibility of biotech

 

BY BILL LAMBRECHT

 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

 

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - (KRT) - In the heart of California wine country, Sonoma

County vintner George Davis claims that his " biodynamic " growing method

summons cosmic forces to enliven grapes for his zinfandels and chardonnays.

 

His Porter Creek Vineyard, situated on prime soils valued at $100,000 an

acre, eschews chemicals in favor of manure, composting and ultra-organic

farming that aims to enhance the spirituality of consumers, as well as their

wine.

 

So it's no surprise that Davis stands foursquare against tinkering with

crops through genetic engineering, which would be banned in Sonoma County

for 10 years under an initiative cleared recently for the November ballot.

 

" Monsanto came in with their big ideas and wants to release them on the

world. It's just happening too fast, " said Davis, 63, in reference to the

St. Louis-based pioneer in plant sciences.

 

Davis' sentiments appear to be in the minority among Sonoma County

grape-growers. Citing potential rewards of biotechnology, leaders of the

Sonoma County Grape Growers Association voted last week to oppose the ballot

issue.

 

Nonetheless, a spirited debate over biotechnology is under way in the

county, site of the newest high-profile fight over biotechnology and an

arena unlike any other where the issue has been waged.

 

The California initiative heads a list of state and local public policy

debates involving biotechnology that are being closely monitored by the

industry and its critics.

 

In Vermont last week, the state Senate passed legislation designed to place

the liability for any problems resulting from modified seeds with the

manufacturer, rather than the farmer. The bill goes to the Vermont House.

 

On the other side of the coin, at least five states - Pennsylvania, Iowa,

Georgia, North Dakota and South Dakota - have adopted legislation since

November that precludes local governments from banning gene-altered crops.

Similar legislation is pending or awaiting the signature of governors in at

least five other states.

 

The success of ballot initiatives in California last year triggered the

industry effort in state legislatures.

 

" It would be a real problem to have to fight county by county or city by

city across the country, " said Allan Noe , spokesman for CropLife America,

which represents Monsanto and its rivals in the biotech industry.

 

But Britt Bailey, director of Environmental Commons, an advocacy group in

Mendocino County, Calif., argued that the industry is waging a stealth

campaign to take control away from local governments.

 

" People need to understand that local decision-making is being pulled out

from beneath them, " she said.

 

Last year, the California counties of Mendocino, Marin and Trinity approved

versions of genetic engineering bans. The industry succeeded in defeating

prohibitions that appeared on ballots in San Luis Obispo and Butte counties,

and an initiative was pulled in Humbolt County before a vote.

 

In Sonoma County, situated in mountains and lush valleys an hour north of

San Francisco, wine-making and the tourism it spawns amounts to a $3 billion

annual business Amid alternating quaint and tony settings, the county is

populated with self-described " ex-hippies " made good who equate healthful

living with organic farming.

 

Monsanto and its allies have sought without success to be part of the

organic culture since their gene-splicing techniques went commercial in the

mid-1990s. But after a campaign by activists and consumers, engineered

products were forbidden to carry the Agriculture Department's certified

organic label.

 

Biotech offers nothing at present for grapes. But the prospect of one day

engineering insect resistance to protect vines against pests is among the

reasons several grape-growers said they planned to oppose the ballot

initiative.

 

Steve Dutton, whose Dutton Estate Winery is known for its chardonnay, said

he is hopeful that the genetic engineers will be able to modify grapes so

that they can resist disease spread by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a

leaf-hopping insect.

 

Dutton said he worries that a ban on genetic engineering in Sonoma County

would put his operation at a competitive disadvantage.

 

" There are a lot of people around here who are organic-minded and

nature-minded who believe that anything that is processed is bad. But if

they did come up with a genetically engineered grapevine that worked, they

could plant it everywhere else but not here, " he said.

 

Defeating the initiative could present a challenge for the biotech industry,

which says it intends to keep a low profile in Sonoma County.

 

In Mendocino County immediately north, the industry spent more than $600,000

in opposing the ballot initiative. But that may have backfired by fostering

the perception that the biotech barons were nosing around in local business.

 

" They shot themselves in the foot in Mendocino County, " remarked Sonoma

County Farm Bureau head Lex McCorvey. " We recognize that this is going to

have to be a campaign of family farmers. We're not going to take any money

from CropLife America. "

 

Supporters of the moratorium plan to rely in their campaign on a staunchly

anti-biotech film, " The Future of Food, " by Deborah Koons Garcia, widow of

the late Jerry Garcia, of the rock group Grateful Dead.

 

The 90-minute film focuses on what it regards as Monsanto's heavy-handed

dealings with farmers and its use of political influence to bring biotech

products to the market.

 

Daniel Solnit, who is coordinating the campaign for the moratorium, noted

the popularity of filmmaker Michael Moore's " Fahrenheit 9/11, " a blend of

documentary and propaganda that was harshly critical of President Bush's

administration and family.

 

After a showing of the Garcia film in the Sonoma County town of Healdsburg

last weekend, Solnit said his group intends to use it as a tool to organize

and raise money.

 

Monsanto spokesman Chris Horner asserted that the Garcia film " rehashes a

lot of old claims and presents them as fact when they're not the least bit

factual. "

 

Horner said that Monsanto has no plan to become actively involved in the

Sonoma County fight but expects farmers who can benefit from Monsanto

products to present their case strongly.

 

They'll need to be persuasive to convince some of Sonoma County's vintners.

One of them is Lou Preston, who showed up at the Flying Goat Coffeehouse in

Healdsburg last weekend to see the Garcia film.

 

Preston, who exemplifies Sonoma County's organic farmers, converted not just

his tractors but his 1960 Mercedes sedan to run on used vegetable oil.

 

Preston of Dry Creek Vineyards uses no chemicals on soils that grow grapes,

olives and fruit. On April 1, his winery proudly announced that it had

achieved full certification as an organic operation.

 

" I was once part of that class of people who had answers to every problem,

real or imagined. But I came to understand that scientists don't have

perfect knowledge, " said Preston, 63.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Monsanto has been a problem for the last 20 years+. I used to code

documents where Monsanto was being sued for dumping chemical waste on

public and private property. Bad news.