permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Puerto Rico GM crop haven
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:23:36 -0500
From: jcummins <jcummins@UWO.CA>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Otganic farming in  Puerto Rico  seems to be out of the question.
Nature Biotechnology 27, 970 (2009)
doi:10.1038/nbt1109-970a
Puerto Rico GM crop haven
Veronica Guerrero
Puerto Rico has passed a new law designed to position the island as an
agricultural biotech Mecca. Legislators passed the Law for the Promotion
and Development of Agricultural Biotechnological Businesses, signed in
August by Governor Luis Fortuño. The new law introduces financing
incentives and a series of measures designed to ease the process by
which biotech corporations obtain trade rights and licenses on the
island. As long as they comply with all the legal requirements, firms
will receive assistance for projects that include the development and
mass production of novel transgenic plants, the use of genetically
modified plants to produce pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals or to act
as catalysts in environmental cleaning processes. Since 1987 Puerto Rico
has registered 2,177 official field tests for genetically modified (GM)
crops, placing the island as the third preferred place for planting
experimental or commercial GM crops, after Hawaii and the US state of
Indiana. Currently, several US universities and 11 biotech firms are
located in Puerto Rico. The island's excellent weather, which enables
winter nurseries and year-round growing cycles, accounts for this
preference, says Santiago Arauca, Public Affairs Manager for Monsanto
Puerto Rico. The new law, he adds, could help biotech corporations
expand, boosting the island's economic activity. Critics such as Puerto
Rico's Pro-Ecological Agriculture Coalition argue that the new law
favors corporations but fails to evaluate the negative impacts


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [SANET-MG] Puerto Rico GM crop haven
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2009 10:41:47 -0500
From: Josefina <josefinaarce@GMAIL.COM>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

This is very bad since many "experiments" have been carried out in Puerto
Rico to test effectiveness of drugs or chemicals, like anticonceptives and
agent orange. If you wnt more information visit
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=119398742076
for information in spanish and english. There are various Puerto Rican
groups creating awareness of this situation.  We need support from
international groups.