> -----Original Message----- > From: lynx [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > Sent: Monday, October 30, 2000 4:47 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [starcgrassroots] Urgent ACTION ALERT - SEED LAW > > > ACTION ALERT > > > EL SALVADOR COULD BECOME TESTING GROUND FOR > GENETICALLY MODIFIED PRODUCTS > > > October 24, 2000 > > In May of 2000 the Minister of Agriculture and > Livestock presented the Seed Law bill to the > Legislative Assembly which would replace the existing > Certification of Seeds and Plants Law. The new law > would allow the "free circulation" of genetically > engineered foods into the country without any > restriction, safeguarding or certification process. > This would be a green light for transnational > corporations to experiment, produce, import and > commercialize transgenetic organisms without having to > worry about the effects to the local economy, health, > or environment. > > According to the CDC (Center of Defense of the > Consumer), Monsanto and it's local subsidiary Semillas > SA, which ex- president Christiani owns, are the > financial interests behind the law. The financial > interests of this company, which has unsurpassed > control over the seed industry, and the Seed Law would > create disastrous social effects. > > BACKGROUND: > > Genetically engineered products are usually advertised > as a way of ending world hunger, but in reality have > been used to control world food production. This > phenomenon must be placed within the context of > neo-liberal globalization. Large transnational > companies utilize patents or Trade Related > Intellectual Property Rights to further control the > production of food. Patenting and property rights are > an essential ingredient in the biotechnology > industry. By patenting plants and seeds, once the > modified seeds are introduced into a community the > traditional communal way of farming by collecting > seeds and replanting the next year will be illegal. > Through the TRIPs agreement, which was established at > the Uruguay Round Agreement, foreign corporations can > also appropriate valuable agricultural and medicinal > biodiversity from "developing countries". The TRIPs > agreement states that all members of the WTO (World > Trade Organization) must allow patenting or another > "effective" system. Anything that can be genetically > manipulated can be patented as private property by > transnational corporations. The TRIPs agreement was > conceived by the Intellectual Property Committee which > was made up of powerful companies with global > financial interests. At the time they were Bristol > Meyers, Dupont, General Electric, General Motors, > Hewlett Packard, IBM, Johnson and Johnson, Merck, > Monsanto, Pfizer, Rockwell and Time-Warner. Any > country that violates "international standards" of > property rights can face the wrath of sanctions, > fines, or other means of inflicting damage upon > non-abiding nations. > > In order to gain world control of food production, > local and traditional producers must be driven out. > The new market for the transnationals must be "opened > up". There are various ways in which this done. > Often, the World Bank and the IMF encourage or demand > that countries not only buy genetically engineered > seeds but also that they plant non- traditional crops > for export instead of producing for their needs (often > times the "owner" of the exports is a private > transnational). This practice often ends in disaster > such as in Mexico and Zimbabwe where both countries > were "advised" to halt production of the local food > staple. Another way of displacing the local producers > is by "dumping". Dumping is the practice of "dumping" > mass quantities of certain foreign staple food > products on a community with the goal of stopping > local food production which is meant to be consumed by > the local communities and opening the "new market". > Such is the case right now in El Salvador. According > to the CDC, free genetically engineered seeds are > being distributed to farmers in order to create > dependency. In the case of El Salvador, this law > would exacerbate the already grave situation which > confronts the small and medium size farmers in this > country. > > Finally, without any required testing or protocols in > place "developing" countries turn into laboratories > for genetic experiments which result in health hazards > and environmental devastation. Studies have shown > that genetically modified foods are already on the > shelves in the supermarkets of El Salvador without > having followed the appropriate norms and > regulations. If a country has too high of standards a > dispute can be brought to the World Trade > Organization. The committee is made up of "trade > experts" not scientists or doctors who study the > social effects. In the end the determining factor is > if its good for "trade" not if its good for the > people. > > On October 16, the CDC placed a resolution in the > Legislative Assembly which includes 6 basic measures > to try to ensure the safety of the people of El > Salvador. The measures are: all decisions including > the use of transgenetic organisms should be consulted > with the citizenry first, opening up spaces for > participation and discussion about the risks and > impacts > > > the Seed Law should not be signed until the Cartagena > Protocol and the Biodiversity Law are ratified > > > declare a moratorium on the entrance of transgenetic > organisms until it is proven that they are completely > safe for the population > > > the center theme of all biosecurity policies should be > the application of the Caution Principal > > > before approving any related initiative to genetic > manipulation an institutional norm must be established > to assure the control and the regulation of such > organisms in order to protect health, the environment, > and life itself. > > > that the Ministers of Agriculture and Livestock, > Economy, Public Health, Social Security, Environment > and Natural Resources explain the considerations and > economic, social and political impacts. > > The resolution will be sent to a special commission to > analyze the bill and the resolution. In this case, > the Commission of Agriculture and Economy will be in > charge of investigating the issue. > > WHAT YOU CAN DO: Write the special commission and > demand that they follow all the requests presented by > the CDC in their resolution > > > > Comisión de Economía y Agricultura > > Asamblea Legislative > Centro de Gobierno > San Salvador, El Salvador, C.A. > Fax: (503) 281-9526 Sample Letter Follows > > > > > Comisión de Economía y Agricultura > Asamblea Legislativa > Centro de Gobierno > San Salvador, El Salvador, C.A. > > Dear Distinguished Members of the Commission, > > I write you today as a concerned world food consumer > and as an individual who cares for the safety and well > being of the people of El Salvador. As a result, I > urge you to seriously study the Seed Law as presented > by the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock along > with the bill presented by the Centro para la Defensa > del Comsumidor (CDC). I also urge you to implement > the 6 measures included in the bill presented by the > CDC. Failure to do so will lead to health and > environmental risks for the people of El Salvador. In > addition, this new law would help to eradicate > traditional farming done by small and medium sized > farms and would further exacerbate the agricultural > crisis. > > Sincerely, > > > > Comisión de Economía y Agricultura > Asamblea Legislativa > Centro de Gobierno > San Salvador, El Salvador, C.A. > > Estimados miembros de la Comisión de Agricultura y > Economía, > > Les deseo éxito en su trabajo y espero que esta carta > les encuentre bien. > Les escribo como consumidor de alimentos mundiales y > como persona preocupado(a) sobre la salud y el > bienestar del pueblo Salvadoreño. En ese sentido, por > este medio les solicito atentamente que examinen > detenida y profundamente, la Ley de Semillas > presentada por el Ministerio de Agricultura y > Ganadería. De igual forma, que lo hagan con las > solicitudes contenidas dentro de la pieza de > correspondencia entregada por el Centro de la Defensa > del Consumidor (CDC) el d ía 16 de Octubre de 2000. > Esta pieza de correspondencia, junto con las > solicitudes, están directamente vinculadas con la > aprobación de la Ley. Además, les pido que respondan > satisfactoriamente a dichas solicitudes, que son seis, > ya que de lo contrario, la salud del pueblo > Salvadoreño y el medio ambiente estarán en peligro. > La crisis agropecuaria también se profundizaría si se > aprueba la Ley sin tomar en cuenta las solicitudes del > CDC. > > > Sinceramente, > > > ______________________________________ > Sent by Bay Area CISPES, > Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador > 3382 26th Street > San Francisco, CA 94110 > Phone: (415)648-8222 > Fax: (415)648-6529 > www.cispes.org > > CISPES meets on the 1st Wednesday of > every month at 7:00pm at above address. > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE. > http://im.yahoo.com/ > > -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> > The best travel > companies bid for > your business at Hotwire. > http://click.egroups.com/1/9746/3/_/20295/_/972942410/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > > >
