News Releases November 2003

EMERGING PARTNERSHIP : MONSANTO & GATES For whose benefit???

Dear friends,

We have recently sent off the letter to the Gates Foundation. Thank you for those of you who have contributed your support by signing on to the
petition. We have got tremendous response. In just 2 weeks we have received more than 300 signatures from email alone!!

We are still collecting signatures for the GMO Challenge campaign as a EU-US intervention in WTO dispute and the number is increasing steadily. The dispute process may take time, and that will give us a chance to collect more signatures. Vandana Shiva and friends are in the process of developing an amicus draft to present along with the signatures.

Your help is crucial in spreading the word and helping us achieve our goal of at least 100,000 signatures! For a copy of the declaration, please go to www.vshiva.net under "campaign". You can distribute it during meetings, conferences, or any gatherings.

The world social forum is coming soon and our organization (Navdanya) is organizing a number of events. Hope some of you may be able to come and attend. For more information of events go to www.wsfindia.org

For questions regarding thisGMO campaign, please do not hesitate to email us.

Best regards,

GMO Challenge coordinator
Navdanya

for more information regarding this letter please e-mail [email protected]

Here is the original letter if you have not seen this before.

Dear friends,

The Gates Foundation is donating $25m for research to combat malnutrition using Genetic Engineering. David Fleming, Director of Global Health Strategies at the Gates Foundation said, "Vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which contribute to the deaths of millions of children each year, can be easily prevented by adding just a few key nutrients to staple foods." We need to put an end to this emerging partnership that will only support Monsanto morally and financially. Please submit your signature to oppose this act and circulate this letter.

We plan to send the letter by next week!!! If you want to sign-on, please send your contact details (including your country) to the email address below. PLEASE specify if it is an individual or organizational endorsement that you are making. Your signature will be included at the end of the letter.

Email : [email protected]

Dear Bill and Melinda Gates,

Your generosity for supporting initiatives in education, world health and population, and community has gained worldwide recognition. However, your recent announcement that you are donating $25m for research in GM food nutrition is based on some fallacious premises and will work against your stated mission and world-wide interest.

Your investment ignores scientific evidence on the actual and potential risks of GMO and the benefit of superior alternatives (The Case for a GM Free Sustainable World, Independent Science Panel on GM). Citizens worldwide have shown a preference for alternatives such as biodiversity-based organic agriculture. Your contribution is thus NOT working for a safe and healthy nutrition, but is working AGAINST science and democracy. We are strongly urging you to withdraw your $25m to support a failing genetic engineering industry that is making false claims on improving nutrition

The claim that Genetic Engineering is improving nutrition is scientifically flawed. GM potato is claimed to contain 45% more protein than traditional potatoes. The protein content of the ordinary potato is 1.6 grams per 100 grams. That is still nothing compared to 14.7gms of protein in100gm in Amaranth, or in peas (24.1 gm/100gm) or lentils (25.1 gm/100gm). According to Ramesh Bhat and S. Vasanthi of the National Institute of Nutrition at Hyderabad, to meet the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for protein from GM potatoes alone, the children would need to consume 1.5 kg of potatoes per day!

The infamous Golden Rice would never solve Vitamin A deficiency because it only contains 30 microgram of Vit. A per 100 grams ofgrain. It is far more inferior compared to carrots (217-434 mcg/100mg), spinach (600mcg) or radish leaves (750mcg). In fact, one would have to consume 9 kg of cooked rice everyday to reach the RDA. Whereas eating 2 carrots a day would more than satisfy the recommendation.

Evidence from around the world, again and again confirms the failure of GM crops to deliver their promises. In 2002, the first commercial planting of Bt cotton in India was wiped out while non-GM varieties performed well, leaving GM planting farmers facing serious financial losses. A recent report from the UK field experiment clearly proved that GM crops significantly reduce wildlife, and they also find that contamination through pollination is many times higher than it was > anticipated. (The Farm Scale Evaluations of spring-sown genetically modified crops, UK). Scientific evidences all point the uncertainty and instability of genetic engineering. Moreover, no research has been conducted to determine the long-term effect of GM crops on our health and the ecosystem.

By supporting GM food, the industries and agencies that are pushing it undemocratically, you are threatening the choice of citizens around the world to have safe food. Only four countries are growing genetically modified crops, with the US accounting for over 75%. And across the world, only one company, Monsanto, accounts for 93% of GM crops grown. Most people still firmly reject this technology. More than 35 countries, including the entire European Union have taken precautionary steps by restricting the growing and importation of GM foods, and requiring labeling of all foods with genetically modified ingredients. Many regions and cities around the world have even banned or imposed a moratorium on GMOs. Your funding of GM, in effect, is creating a subsidy for Monsanto and undermining people's choice.

By investing in GM food, you are increasing farmers' dependency on corporate agribusiness, threatening food security and biodiversity. Because of this dependency, many farmers are locked into high debts and as a result, farmer suicides, especially in developing countries, are increasing at an alarming rate. There are no socio-economic > benefit in GM crops because of the expensive seed costs and royalties (Field Work: Weighing up the Costs and Benefits of GM Crops Strategy Unit of the Cabinet Office, UK). Instead of working for the interest of public good, you are favoring the interests of corporate agribusinesses.

Millions of farmers around the world have demonstrated that they can produce sufficient nutritious food in a sustainable manner, without GMOs. 208 sustainable agriculture projects in 52 developing countries have shown productivity increases from 50 to 100%. (Reducing Food Poverty by Increasing Agriculture Sustainability in Developing Countries, J. N. Pretty et al.). If you really care about improving the health and nutrition of 3rd world communities we urge you to use your money to directly support small farmer-centered programs for biodiversity conservation and agro-ecology.

Signed,

Vandana Shiva, Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology.

Mae-wan Ho, Institute of Science in Society (I-SIS)

Caroline Lucas, Member of the European Parliament, Green Party, UK

Brian Tokar, Institute for Social Ecology

Beth Burrows, Edmonds Institute ,

Philip L.Bereano, University of Washington

Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy

Californians for GE Free Agriculture

Center for Ethics and Toxics (CETOS)

Organic Consumers Asssociation