Click on top of this page here:http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/home/
Cartoon: another from local scribbler Russ - I like this one lots!
Why bother with such a biased pro-GM online poll? No doubt the intention is to press release or otherwise to European Commissioners ahead of their meeting on May 7th to discuss the approval of a number of GMOs, with Amflora, Bt11 and 1507 on the agenda.
They even make no bones about it being Pro...a GM campaign group was alerted to this poll when they were forwarded a message from the biotech industry's European Federation of Biotechnology, telling EFB members that ahead of the meeting on the 7th: 'A pro-biotech internet survey will be launched on the www.GMO-compass.org website in the coming 2 days and would encourage you to answer the few questions and circulate this email encouraging other people to log on and answer the yes/no questions asap and certainly before midday on May 6th.'
GMO Compass, incidentally, is funded with EU money and claims not to be: 'decidedly "for" or "against" genetic engineering. The website does not seek to discourage the use of genetic engineering in food and agriculture, nor does it seek to promote it.'
In fact, it is invariably pro-GM and appears to be primarily the work of a company ('Genius') which numbers amongst its many GM-related customers: the American Soybean Association, BASF, Bayer, EuropaBio and Syngenta...ah well perhaps still worth taking part in the poll...
2 comments:
Just got this:
The Green MEP for the South East has urged the European Commission to oppose
an application to grow two new GM crops in the EU when a key vote takes
place tomorrow in Brussels, highlighting the fact that there are still major
doubts over the safety and sustainability of such crops.
In a letter to Commissioner Peter Mandelson, Dr Caroline Lucas MEP, a long
time campaigner against the use of genetically modified crops, warned that
the application for two GMOs – a pesticide-producing maize plant and a
potato that contains an antibiotic resistant gene – should be rejected.
Dr Lucas said: “I have particular concerns about the two varieties which
will be considered by the Commission tomorrow. Each produces its own
pesticide, yet under current practices the crops will only have been tested
for 90 days for health effects – as opposed to the two year testing
requirement for standard pesticides.
“In addition, the GM potato contains a gene that makes cells resistant to
antibiotics. We have already seen some of the problems associated with the
widespread use of antibiotics and resulting resistance. If this gene were to
be released into the environment, it could create serious problems in
treating a range of diseases.
“The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has admitted that it lacks the
methods for carrying out long term assessments of the health and
environmental impacts of GMOs. It is also relying on incomplete data
submitted by the agro-chemical industry. In the absence of adequate data, it
would be deeply irresponsible of the Commission to give the go ahead to
these new maize and potato varieties."
She continued: ““Every country and region should have the right to
completely prohibit the import, growing and sale of genetically modified
organisms. More than 170 EU regions and 4,500 other zones have now declared
themselves GMO-free, yet the Commission continues to authorise new GM
varieties, forcing countries to permit their cultivation. This is
undemocratic and utterly unacceptable. It rides rough shod over the 70% of
EU citizens who are opposed to GM crops and food stuffs.
“I call on Commissioner Mandelson and his fellow Commissioners to put the
wishes of Europeans above those of the agro-chemical industry by rejecting
the request for permission to grow these new GM crops.”
More from Caroline after the meeting:
07 May 2008
EURO COMMISSION SHIES AWAY FROM CRUCIAL DECISIONS ON GMOS
- Application process for GM crops exposes incompetence of European Food
Safety Authority
The European Commission has once again failed to show leadership on GMOs,
according to UK Green MEP Caroline Lucas, after it again shied away from
making crucial decisions this morning on the fate of a number of
applications by GM companies.
Dr Lucas MEP said: "The constant indecision and the shirking of
responsibility on GM crops within the European Commission is embarrassing.
The Commission has failed to take its role in risk-management seriously by
once again delaying the decision to ban insect resistant bt-maize variants
1507 and bt11.
“Instead of enacting the ban proposed by Environment Commissioner Stavros
Dimas, the Commission compromised and decided to send back the files to the
EFSA, which has already proven its incapacity to judge long-term effects.
“I welcome the fact that the Commission has so far refused to authorise the
genetically modified starch potato Amflora, produced by BASF. However, yet
again, by sending back the application to EFSA the main problem has not been
solved.
“EFSA has already ignored an argument against the use of Amflora by the
European Medicines Agency. The existing conflict can only be solved if the
Commission assumes a clear position and takes the precautionary principle
seriously, thus taking into account the fact that no conclusive long-term
studies yet exist, and so banning the crop altogether.
“The Commission can no longer hide behind EFSA and delay important decisions
on GMOs. Sending back these files for reconsideration is a farce and weakens
the standing of the Commission itself.”
Dr Lucas concluded: “The reform of EFSA is long overdue. It is obvious that
EFSA has failed to do a proper risk-analysis of GM products and various
member states are asking for a total reassessment. The Commission has to
eliminate the weaknesses of EFSA in order to ensure that it does not weaken
the credibility of the Commission."
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