| Monday, June 27, 2005 |  |
| The Solution to Famine in Africa is Organic Farming Not GMOs | 3 comments |
| 27 Jun 2005 @ 22:19 The Solution to Famine in Africa is Organic Farming Not GMOs Posted 6/27/05 From The Independent (UK) Hungry for an alternative Tewolde Berhan believes that organic farming is the only real solution to famine in Africa.Sally J Hall meets the quiet but formidable Ethiopian who has become a thorn in the side of the GM foods lobby 27 June 2005 Organic farming is a slow-to-grow, low-yield industry favoured by middle-class parents who have the time and money to meander the overpriced aisles of Waitrose, deliberating over wild rocket or white asparagus. Right? Wrong, says Tewolde Berhan. He thinks organic farming could be the solution to Ethiopia's famines. The chief of the country's Environment Agency has worked his way through academia and government to become one of the world's most influential voices in the biotechnology field. Berhan believes that, properly applied, his approach could save the lives of many of the thousands of Africans who die every day as a result of hunger and poverty. He maintains that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) remove control from local farmers. He speaks for a growing number who believe that Africa should return to natural, sustainable methods of agriculture better suited to its people and environment. Can one man hope to stand against governments and the huge multinationals? Visiting London, Berhan appears to be a frail - if nattily dressed - sexagenarian. But our conversation reveals his determination, intelligence and encyclopedic memory, combining to create an indomitable force. Asked why bad harvests seem to have a greater impact on Ethiopia than its neighbours, he has a simple yet stark response. "It's largely because of the lack of infrastructure," he says. "The road system in Ethiopia has doubled in the past 10 years, but is still very poor. "Ethiopia is still an agrarian society, and there isn't one such country that hasn't had famines," he adds. "The reasons are clear: some years you have plenty and others not enough. If you don't have the technological and financial capacity and the infrastructure to store in good years, you can't make provision for the bad. People here depend entirely on the crops they produce in their fields, so when one season fails, the result is famine." Born in 1940, Berhan graduated in 1963 from Addis Ababa University and took a doctorate at the University of Wales in 1969. Later posts as dean of science at Addis Ababa, keeper of the National Herbarium and director of the Ethiopian Conservation Strategy Secretariat kept him in touch with the agricultural needs of Ethiopia's people. In 1995, he was made director general of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia, in effect becoming the country's chief scientist in agriculture. A strong critic of GMOs, he's a powerful voice in lobbying on food safety. His most notable triumph came in negotiations on biosafety in Cartagena, Colombia in 1999. Berhan acted as chief negotiator for a group of southern hemisphere countries. He helped to secure an agreement to protect biosafety and biodiversity, while maintaining respect for the traditional rights of the Third World population, gained against strong opposition from the European Union and North America. So why is organic farming the answer? Given low yields, poor soil and drought, you'd think that industrial farming would help Ethiopia to maximise production. Not so, Berhan says. "Organic farming deviates little from the natural environment in supplying nutrients to crops. We've developed the ability to change things in a big way and, without considering the consequences, we create disasters. Look at what happened with DDT. "Organic farming disturbs nature as little as possible and reduces those risks. Intensive farming has led to the exacerbation of pests and diseases, and loss of flavour in food." These views are at odds with the "conventional" industry. Tony Combes, the director of corporate affairs for Monsanto UK, a big player in the GM market, says: "Going organic isn't the way to increase yields. But then, neither is going totally GM. Farmers need solutions suitable for local predicaments. This means choosing from a range of options - organic, conventional and GM. If yields can be increased, that surplus can be sold." Berhan is undeterred. He has persuaded the Ethiopian government to let him demonstrate his ideas in the Axum area of Ethiopia. Old field-management techniques have been resurrected, while methods new to the area, like compost-making, have been successful. Those who think organic farming means low yields will be surprised by Berhan's evidence. "When well managed, and as fertility builds over years, organic agriculture isn't inferior in yield. Now, farmers don't want chemical fertilisers. They say, 'Why should we pay for something we can get for free?'" Berhan expresses gratitude for the West's famine-relief efforts, but he has reservations. "When countries want to help, they may not know how, so the intention has to be appreciated. But if you go beyond the intention and begin to dictate terms, it becomes more sinister. In times of shortage, making food aid available is helpful - for that year. If you keep making it available, you discourage production." He believes there are times when food aid can be more about control by Western governments than assistance. "The feeling is strong that this is deliberate. I attended a meeting where farmers from the USA were present. I told them a story I'd read about how rice production in Liberia was depressed because of cheap imports from the USA. The American farmers said this was a deliberate policy by the US State Department to make countries dependent on them for food. "I began to investigate and discovered that, while the EU has abandoned its policy of providing food aid, initially sending money so that food can be bought locally, the US still insists it will only give food in kind. This makes me feel those farmers were right." Berhan insists on the necessity of further trials for GM crops, and believes extreme caution should be used in their growth and trade. His application for a visa to attend talks in Canada on GM labelling was turned down earlier this year, suggesting that his influence is feared. "We were finalising the labelling of grain commodities," he says. "A compromise had been reached in 2000 for labelling to say, 'This product may contain GMOs,' but we wanted to toughen it up, to say, 'This product contains these GMOs,' and to list them." He also contests that GMOs give higher yield. "This is mainly hype. So far, there's not one GM crop that produces higher yields per acre than conventional crops. They offer an economical advantage to farmers as they can apply herbicide in large doses and not have to worry about weeds: that's all." After protests from the media and groups such as Greenpeace, the visa was granted. Dr Eric Darier, GM campaigner for Greenpeace Canada, explained why it was so important that Berhan attended. "He is truly one of the key 'fathers' of the biosafety protocol," Darier says. "It was convenient for the Canadian government [to refuse the visa], as it prevented a major critic and opponent of pro-GM Canadian policy from attending two of the three days of the workshop on liability. Canada has failed to ratify the biosafety protocol. In view of the fact that the Canadian government has done everything to undermine the efforts of the international community to adopt a strict, effective biosafety protocol, the delays in issuing the visa are evidence of Canada's bad faith." Is Berhan bitter? Far from it. "I think [the visa refusal] was based on a mistaken calculation. If anything, it gave the labelling issue higher visibility. We told the Canadian government: either you accept multilateral discussions, or the Office for the Commission of Biological Diversity [based in Montreal], must move to another country." The threat worked. Berhan's message is compelling - and he is in demand worldwide. In the past month alone, he has travelled to Austria, the UK, Tunisia and Norway. He returns to the UK in July to give a talk for the Soil Association, where he will ask: "Can Organic Farming Feed the World?" He is a huge force in trying to prove that it can. More > |
| New Safety Alert as Cancer Dye is Found in Salmon | 0 comments |
| 27 Jun 2005 @ 22:18 New Safety Alert as Cancer Dye is Found in Salmon The Sunday Times - Britain June 05, 2005 A BANNED dye linked to cancer has been found in organic salmon sold at a leading supermarket chain. A food safety alert has been issued to all European countries over organically farmed salmon that contained malachite green. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said last week the presence of the banned chemical at any levels in fresh fish was “unacceptable”. The alert over the contaminated salmon at Morrisons supermarket comes after the FSA earlier this year issued a warning over Sudan 1, a banned red dye discovered in many foods including sausages, cottage pie and pasta bakes. Malachite green, which acts as a fungicide as well as a dye, was banned from use in British fish farms two years ago because it was suspected of causing cancer. Morrisons said it did not believe banned substances were used in its organically farmed fish and the salmon may have been accidentally contaminated from dyed paper towels containing the toxic chemical. A sample of organic fish was tested last November by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, which checks the safety of the food supply chain. It found a level of 2.5 microgrammes per kilogramme, the first time malachite green has been found in organic salmon since 2000. The FSA was informed but said any affected products would have been eaten by the time it was aware of the problem. A spokesman said that although the likelihood of any risk to human health was low, the chemical should not be found in any foods. “We received the full supply chain details from the supplier of the affected salmon on April 27,” he said, “and after investigations into the precise method of sampling the [alert notification] was issued by the European commission on May 24.” The Irish authorities were told last week that the supplier of the salmon was Clare Island Sea Farm, operated by Marine Harvest, one of the world’s leading fish farming companies. The ban on malachite green also applies to Ireland, where a government spokesman said an investigation had been launched. The company denies any wrongdoing. Salmon farming has had a troubled recent history. A study published last year said chemical contaminants in farmed salmon were at unacceptably high levels and might increase the risk of cancer. The study was criticised by supporters of the salmon farming industry as “utterly reprehensible and flawed”. Malachite green was previously used as a fish fungicide and was declared illegal in fish production in Britain in 2002. Morrisons said it was satisfied that the supplier was not to blame for the “minute” amounts of contamination. It said paper towels thought to be responsible have been withdrawn from use. Pat Connor, a processing manager for Clare Island Sea Farm, said he was “100% confident” its salmon was clear of malachite green. He said tests were conducted on the fish prior to leaving the farm to verify no chemicals had been used in their production. |
| The Deoxyribonucleic Hyperdimension | 2 comments |
| 27 Jun 2005 @ 16:24 The Deoxyribonucleic Hyperdimension website is now back up and functioning after some challeging server changeover escapades. It's better than ever now. More > |
| Half of the World's Cotton May Be Genetically Engineered in Two Years | 0 comments |
| 27 Jun 2005 @ 16:15 This has severe implications to the sustainability of the bioregions growing GMO cotton. Half of the World's Cotton May Be Genetically Engineered in Two Years Posted 6/27/05 Web Note: Monoculture GE cotton still uses tons of pesticides, chemical fertilizer, and produces superpests and superweeds that are resistant to pesticides and herbicides--damaging the environment and public health. Organic cotton production is superior to GE cotton in all regards. ______________________________________________________________________ BharatTextile.com Mumbai,India GLOBAL: Half the world's cotton grown from genetically modified crops NEW YORK: More than half the world's cotton may be grown from genetically modified crops within two years as farmers in India and Brazil embrace the technology that promises to raise incomes and boost output. Increased usage of Monsanto Co.'s Bollgard II and other gene- altered varieties may propel the proportion of cotton grown from biotech crops to more than 50 percent by 2006-07 from about 35 percent now. Scientists have developed cotton varieties that repel grubs and other pests, requiring less pesticide. A smaller chemical bill can lower farmers' costs of production, boosting their incomes. Rising sales of the biotechnology in countries such as Brazil may bolster supplies amid a global glut of the fiber. The expansion of GM production, particularly in regions which already operate under a fairly low-cost production system, will have long-term implications upon the marginal cost of production and, subsequently, prices. Prices on the New York Board of Trade, the world's biggest cotton futures market, slumped 40 percent last year after larger crops in the U.S. and China swelled global supplies. Global output may exceed consumption by 2.5 million tons in the year ending July 31, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. India, the world's third-largest cotton-grower, planted 550,000 hectares (1.36 million acres) of biotech crops last year, up 460 percent from a year earlier. Some estimates indicate that this area may officially double in 2005-06 to 1 million hectares and, coupled with a higher proportion of better performing seeds, there is talk of India surpassing U.S. production in the near future to become the second-largest cotton producer globally behind China. St. Louis-based Monsanto, the world's biggest developer of genetically modified crops, said that it expects to sell enough biotech cotton in India to plant 2.5 million acres, double last year's sales. Monsanto's Bollgard seeds contain a protein from a soil microbe called Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, that protects the crop from bollworms. "Bollgard II technology offers cotton growers efficient, effective pest control with fewer pesticide applications than in conventional cotton crops,' Monsanto said on its Web site. The annual sales of companies providing biotechnology to farmers increased 15 percent to $4.7 billion last year, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications has said. In the U.S., 54 percent of cotton crops were planted with gene-altered seeds. The proportion rises to 76 percent in China and 80 percent in Australia. Brazil, the world's fifth-largest cotton-grower, will probably become the largest growth market for biotech cotton after the government officially approved the release of genetically modified varieties in March, Rabobank said. The uptake is likely to be quick,' the bank said. The inherent cost savings will encourage the use of GM seed' and strengthen the South American country's cotton exports. There is probably only enough of Monsanto's so-called Bollgard I, or BT1, seed to grow biotech crops across less than 10 percent of Brazil's cotton crop in the year starting July 1, said Haroldo Cunha, president of the Goias Cotton Growers Association. Goias is Brazil's third-largest cotton producing state. The planting season that starts in November. Chinese have to have the seeds adapted to their conditions. Now that BT1 is approved, the approvals for the other varieties will come faster.' The proportion of Brazil's cotton planted with BT1 and other gene-modified varieties may climb to 20 the following year. The seeds reduce farmers' expenditure on pesticides, allowing them reduce production costs by as much as 20 percent. The cost of producing a pound of cotton in Brazil has risen to 50 U.S. cents from 43 U.S. cents two years ago, partly as higher energy prices drove up the cost of ammonia and other fertilizers. |
| Supermarket Chains Join the "Organic Revolution | 0 comments |
| 27 Jun 2005 @ 16:11 It's good diligence that the man mentioned in the first paragraph drives so far to go to Whole Foods (not that I'm that supportive of Whole Foods tactics in the organic marketplace) for organic food, but I'm wondering if his quest to be healthy wouldn't be better served by eating less packaged food, buying fresh food from local Farmers Markets and not using petroleum to drive 25 miles to the store. Supermarket Chains Join the "Organic Revolution By Susan Salisbury Palm Beach Post Staff Writer (Palm Beach, Florida) Sunday, June 26, 2005 BOCA RATON < Melvin Markels doesn't want to consume anything that's bad for him. He shuns foods and beverages containing pesticides, chemicals or hormones. That's why the retired postal worker drives 25 miles from West Palm Beach to Whole Foods Market in Boca Raton every few weeks to load up a shopping cart with organic food such as tomatoes and soy lattes, free-range chickens raised without antibiotics and even natural toothpaste. "My wife thinks I'm crazy. It's more money, but it's better for you, and it tastes better, too," the 64-year-old Markels said during a recent visit to the Whole Foods store, the only outlet the Austin, Texas-based chain has in Palm Beach County or on the Treasure Coast. Better for you, and it tastes better: That, in an unprocessed nutshell, is what's driving the quest for organic food and beverages right into the heart of the American mainstream. The Organic Trade Association in Greenfield, Mass., projects sales of organic foods and beverages in the United States will reach $15 billion this year, up from about $1 billion in 1990. Organic sales have increased about 20 percent a year since 1997, compared with the 2 percent to 4 percent growth rate of total U.S. food sales. "Organic foods started with the hippies of the '60s. Now it is more broad-based. You can find the products in almost any conventional supermarket," said Barbara Haumann, spokeswoman for the organic trade group. For most consumers, buying organic foods < those produced without the use of synthetic chemicals, antibiotics and hormones < is all about health, said Marty Mesh, executive director of Florida Certified Organic Growers & Consumers Inc. in Gainesville. In earlier decades, people bought organic food out of concerns about the environmental impact of conventional farming, Mesh said. "They're asking, 'What's in it for me?' as opposed to 'What's in it for the earth?' " Mesh said. "People are concerned about their health and their family's health, and they're shopping their values." Chains join bandwagon U.S. Department of Agriculture standards for organic food, implemented in October 2002, helped level the playing field for consumers, forcing companies to abide by a uniform set of regulations in order to put the "organic" label on their products, Haumann said. As trendy as organics are, the products account for only 2 percent of U.S. food sales. That's hardly a critical mass, but still substantial in a country of 300 million, said Bob Messenger, publisher of The Morning Cup, a daily online newsletter focused on the food industry. "You would not see the big supermarkets making these changes in their stores if it weren't of genuine interest to consumers," Messenger said. Florida's dominant grocery chain, Publix Super Markets of Lakeland, introduced organic foods several years ago and keeps adding products to its GreenWise line of dairy, produce and packaged foods. Some organic products, such as certain juices and soups, are also found on shelves next to their conventional counterparts. A year ago Publix began offering its own GreenWise brand of canned vegetables such as corn and black beans, at 99 cents a can, said spokeswoman Anne Hendricks. "We listened to our customers," Hendricks said. "When they tell us they want certain things, we respond." Next year, Publix will debut its first stand-alone GreenWise stores. The first two stores are slated to be in Palm Beach County: One in Boca Raton, where an existing Publix at the Village Square shopping center off St. Andrews Boulevard will be converted, and the other is planned for Legacy Place off PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens. When Publix gets to PGA Boulevard, it will find a familiar competitor. Whole Foods is opening its second area market there later this year in the new Downtown at the Gardens retail development. The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, Ark., also has seen the appeal of organic food. Earlier this month, Wal-Mart's chief executive officer, Lee Scott, said the discounter needs to push premium perishables such as organic food to attract higher-spending shoppers. Wal-Mart already carries organics, said spokeswoman Karen Burk. Selections at various Wal-Mart Supercenters may include organic dairy products, dry groceries, organic packaged salad and fresh produce, she said. "It's all about providing our customers what they're wanting, and we're finding that many of them are looking for an organic alternative," Burk said. Taste, variety trump price Everyone shopping at Whole Foods isn't there for health reasons, or even to buy organic. The store carries products that are natural, but not organic, such as conventional produce, orange juice, pudding and other items. Take Boca Raton software salesman Richard Merrill, whose opinion of organic foods is blunt: "It's a hoax." Nonetheless, Merrill stops in a Whole Foods in-store cafe about four times a week, lunching on a bounty of organic and natural foods at the hot buffet, and the salad bar at $6.99 a pound. "I come here because it's convenient, it's quick and you don't have to wait. I like the variety. I've never had any of this before," Merrill said, taking bites of spinach lasagna and a couple of side dishes. Kathleen Byrd, a student at Florida Atlantic University across Glades Road from Whole Foods, shops at the market especially for foods without wheat or dairy, but says there's a bonus to her health concerns. "You find things you can't find anywhere else, then you find out they're really good," Byrd said during a trip to the grocery last week. Expensive, too. Prices for organic foods at supermarkets and specialty stores can be anywhere from 20 percent to 30 percent higher to as much as double the price for comparable items. Organic products generally cost more to produce, and farmers receive premium prices for them. According to an August 2004 survey of 1,000 Americans conducted for Whole Foods, price remains the primary barrier for most people to try organic products. Despite that, organic foods continue to grow in popularity. The same survey, conducted by the Chicago-based research firm Synovate, found that 27 percent of Americans were eating more organic products than in 2003. More than half of Americans have tried organic foods and beverages. That sales potential is recognized by major food manufacturers, who began acquiring organic and natural foods companies in the last five or six years, said Haumann, the spokeswoman for the Organic Trade Association. A partial list: Kraft Foods now owns soy-based meat alternative producer Boca Burger Inc. Kellogg's owns Kashi Cereal, Morningstar Farms and Sunrise Organic, while Coca-Cola North America bought juice company Odwalla Inc. in 2001. General Mills owns Small Planet Foods and its Cascadian Farm organic brand. Just last year Dean Foods Co. acquired Horizon Organic, the nation's largest producer of organic dairy products. While long-time organic industry supporters view the sector's mainstreaming as positive, encouraging more farmers to grow organically, they worry about big business' involvement. They don't want the organic movement's environmentalist roots to be forgotten. "We like to see the availability of organic products for more people, yet we also want fair prices paid to organic farmers," Haumann said. "The trouble with our society is that a lot of people don't factor in the true cost of food. You are not paying upfront for costs such as water and farmworkers." Consumers such as Krista Blaszyk, a Coral Springs resident and land surveyor who stopped for a salad of organic greens at Whole Foods last week, like having more choices. "It's encouraging that stores are carrying these foods. People are gravitating toward it," Blaszyk said. "It has to do with where people are in their lives." |