Socially and Ecologically Responsible Agriculture Network

["Evon Kochey" <sydney151 AT earthlink.net>]

COMMENT ON APHIS NOTICE OF INTENT
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Pew Administrator 
To: Evon Kochey 
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 1:12 PM
Subject: Comment from Pew Initiative on APHIS Notice of Intent


 
Michael Rodemeyer, executive director of the Pew Initiative on Food and 
Biotechnology, issued the following comment in response to today's 
announcement by the Animal Health Inspection Service (APHIS) at USDA 
regarding their intent to examine how agricultural biotechnology is reviewed 
by the agency.  

 

"APHIS should be commended for taking the first steps needed to ensure that 
the regulatory review process keeps pace with the application of genetic 
engineering technology to agriculture.  By proposing to conduct this review 
in a transparent manner in which all interested parties can participate, 
APHIS is taking an important step toward safeguarding public trust in the 
regulatory system and helping build confidence in the environmental safety of 
the products it approves." 

 

For further comment, contact:

 

Kim Brooks

202-347-9044 ext. 230

kbrooks AT pewagbiotech.org

 

 


>From dhinds AT myrealbox.com  Fri Jan 23 21:06:43 2004
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Evon Kochey posted:

EK> This is from the Pan American Health Organization press release
EK> January 21,2004.

  http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/pr040121.htm

  Recent developments in Latin America suggest that biotechnology
  may be heading toward greater acceptance. Brazil, Colombia,
  Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela are all
  signatories to the Cancún Declaration of Like-Minded Megadiverse
  Countries, which affirms their desire "to take an active part in
  the new economy associated with the use of biological diversity,
  genetic resources and biotechnology." This and other
  developments "could signal a growing shift in focus toward how -
  not so much if - GM technology can be harnessed to benefit the
  region and its inhabitants," the article says.

You are citing Donal Nugent, a fellow at the U.S.-based Council for
Agricultural Science and Technology. What else do you expect him to
say?

In any case, his suggestion "that biotechnology may be heading
toward greater acceptance" in Mexico is false. Furthermore, the
"Cancún Declaration of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries", was not
ratified by Congress. Congress DID ratify the Cartagena Protocol
that establishes the precautionary principle. however,

In any case, GM crops do not form part of Socially and Ecologically
Responsible Agricultural Production Systems, and that is what we
want to focus on here.

Douglas