> > Activist Mailing List - http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian/ > > GM crops enter food chain by back door > > INDEPENDENT January 24 1999 > > > Animal feed for cows, pigs and chickens containing genetically > modified crops is about to go on the market, raising fears in > Whitehall of another BSE-style health crisis. > > Government officials, environmental groups and scientists believe that > genetically modified DNA from the animal feed could pass though the > food chain to humans, with unknown effects. > > They also say that consumers will be denied the opportunity to avoid > GM food, as there are no laws saying that meat or milk containing the > product must be labelled as such. > > Earlier this month, Monsanto, the biotechnology giant, applied for > government approval to sell two new GM ingredients to animal feed > producers in Britain. Its applications, one for GM cotton and the > other for GM corn for specified use in animal fodder, were considered > by government advisers. > > Insiders have told the Independent on Sunday that officials at the > Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) animal feed unit, which dealt with the > BSE crisis, were "very worried indeed" when the applications came > before the Maff approval committee. > > They called for more "toxicology tests" on Monsanto's GM cotton and > have privately expressed fears about unknown implications of using it > as feed. > > "Maff officials wanted full toxicology tests on the cotton," said a > source from the meeting. "They were very concerned and agitated. One > of them was virtually shaking. They are not happy and they have been > saying so privately." > > Sources close to the committee have confirmed that Monsanto is about > to be given the green light to sell GM maize to animal feed producers > in Britain. > > Some scientists, however, say that by the time the meat and milk is > consumed by humans, the DNA will have broken down and only > infinitesimal quantities will remain. > > "The truth is that no one has any idea whether the GM organisms fed to > animals pose dangers to human health," said Patrick Holden, director > of the Soil Association. "But surely the very least the consumer > should have is the right to choose whether they consume these products > or not." > > The crisis comes in the week the Government is to announce the setting > up of a Food Standards Agency, which will preside over food safety, > including that of GM food. Supermarkets, pubs, and shops will all be > expected to pay a flat rate of #90 each in a food "poll tax" under > plans which will go out for consultation this week. > > Nick Brown, the Agriculture Minister, recently said at an organic food > conference that people should be able to choose whether to eat GM > food. > > Already, two varieties of Monsanto's genetically modified corn and > soya have been approved for general consumption by humans and animals > in Europe. It is not known whether they are yet being used in animal > feed. > > Nervous farmers, who had to destroy generations of cattle because of > the BSE crisis, have begun asking feed companies whether the processed > food contains GM ingredients. > > A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said: "Farmers are asking > what is in the feed; it's a big problem. There is certainly concern > among farmers who don't want to use GM crops in their feed." > > At the same time, the Government is funding new research into > genetically modifying the grass that cows and sheep graze on. The > scientists in charge admit that there are public concerns about > feeding GM products to cattle and say that a vital part of their work > is assessing potential risks. > > "We are doing some work on genetically engineering grasses. We are > looking at changing their digestibility," said a spokesman for the > Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research. "We can't > theoretically see problems with feeding genetically manipulated crops > to humans, but we have to realise that the public is worried." > > > > JOIN THE ACTIVIST MAILING LIST > _____________________________________________________ > * The Activist * > http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian > =20 > This is not about the world that we inherited from our forefathers, > It is about the world we have borrowed from our children !! > _____________________________________________________ > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Activist Mailing List - http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian/ GM crops enter food chain by back door INDEPENDENT January 24 1999 Animal feed for cows, pigs and chickens containing genetically modified crops is about to go on the market, raising fears in Whitehall of another BSE-style health crisis. Government officials, environmental groups and scientists believe that genetically modified DNA from the animal feed could pass though the food chain to humans, with unknown effects. They also say that consumers will be denied the opportunity to avoid GM food, as there are no laws saying that meat or milk containing the product must be labelled as such. Earlier this month, Monsanto, the biotechnology giant, applied for government approval to sell two new GM ingredients to animal feed producers in Britain. Its applications, one for GM cotton and the other for GM corn for specified use in animal fodder, were considered by government advisers. Insiders have told the Independent on Sunday that officials at the Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) animal feed unit, which dealt with the BSE crisis, were "very worried indeed" when the applications came before the Maff approval committee. They called for more "toxicology tests" on Monsanto's GM cotton and have privately expressed fears about unknown implications of using it as feed. "Maff officials wanted full toxicology tests on the cotton," said a source from the meeting. "They were very concerned and agitated. One of them was virtually shaking. They are not happy and they have been saying so privately." Sources close to the committee have confirmed that Monsanto is about to be given the green light to sell GM maize to animal feed producers in Britain. Some scientists, however, say that by the time the meat and milk is consumed by humans, the DNA will have broken down and only infinitesimal quantities will remain. "The truth is that no one has any idea whether the GM organisms fed to animals pose dangers to human health," said Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association. "But surely the very least the consumer should have is the right to choose whether they consume these products or not." The crisis comes in the week the Government is to announce the setting up of a Food Standards Agency, which will preside over food safety, including that of GM food. Supermarkets, pubs, and shops will all be expected to pay a flat rate of #90 each in a food "poll tax" under plans which will go out for consultation this week. Nick Brown, the Agriculture Minister, recently said at an organic food conference that people should be able to choose whether to eat GM food. Already, two varieties of Monsanto's genetically modified corn and soya have been approved for general consumption by humans and animals in Europe. It is not known whether they are yet being used in animal feed. Nervous farmers, who had to destroy generations of cattle because of the BSE crisis, have begun asking feed companies whether the processed food contains GM ingredients. A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said: "Farmers are asking what is in the feed; it's a big problem. There is certainly concern among farmers who don't want to use GM crops in their feed." At the same time, the Government is funding new research into genetically modifying the grass that cows and sheep graze on. The scientists in charge admit that there are public concerns about feeding GM products to cattle and say that a vital part of their work is assessing potential risks. "We are doing some work on genetically engineering grasses. We are looking at changing their digestibility," said a spokesman for the Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research. "We can't theoretically see problems with feeding genetically manipulated crops to humans, but we have to realise that the public is worried." JOIN THE ACTIVIST MAILING LIST _____________________________________________________ * The Activist * http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian =20 This is not about the world that we inherited from our forefathers, It is about the world we have borrowed from our children !! _____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
