| | 30/September/24
| Investigation reveals mass profiling of "opponents" of the agrochemical industry An excellent 3-part series of articles in Le Monde covers the dubious activities of the PR firm v-Fluence, founded by ex-Monsanto man Jay Byrne. The articles contain multiple examples of the misleading and malicious profiling – on the private Bonus Eventus platform – of critics of the GMO and pesticide industry, including scientists like Dave Goulson and Tyrone Hayes. Around a thousand people belong to the Bonus Eventus platform, including 30 US government officials, a US ambassador to the UN FAO, a leading Australian regulator, and other key pesticide players. One of the articles describes how Bonus Eventus was recruited by the Trump administration to torpedo the European Union's attempts to cut pesticide use via the Farm to Fork initiative.
The articles (in English) are: 1. Investigation reveals mass profiling of "opponents" of the agrochemical industry 2. Diving into the black box of global pesticide propaganda 3. How Trump's administration tried to torpedo the EU Green Deal using influence and misinformation campaigns. The articles are paywalled, but in our view it's well worth subscribing to Le Monde as they often publish critical material of the sort that seldom comes to light in the mainstream press. GMWatch comment on articles in Le Monde UK government to progress laws to speed up new GMO releases The new UK government has stated that it will progress the implementing legislation necessary to bring into force the Genetic Technology Act passed by the last (Conservative) government. The Act fails to require meaningful risk assessment, traceability and labelling for a whole class of new so-called "precision bred" GMOs – and unless the implementing legislation fills the gaps, these vital precautions won't happen. The government appears to be telling the media that new GM will perform all kinds of wonders, from making crops resistant to pests and diseases to increasing food production and reducing pesticide use. Needless to say, there is no evidence that any new GM crop can do any of these things. But there is still a chance for the government to build some science-based protections for health, the environment, and non-GMO and organic farmers into the implementing legislation. It should seize that chance. GMWatch comment on article in the Farmers Guardian UK govt blows £2.2m of taxpayer money on GM gene-edited crop project An article for Food Manufacture reports on a £2.2 million project funded by DEFRA to "rate [GM] organisms bred for improved traits and yield", including identifying what role they might play in a sustainable food and farming system. The platform is known as PROBITY and it's being led by BOFIN (British On-Farm Innovation Network). The crops identified for planting are three GM gene-edited cereals – two types of wheat (including the so-called low acrylamide wheat – more on that here and here) and one type of barley. GMWatch comment on article in Food Manufacture India: Telangana farmers' associations oppose GM crops Demanding that the Indian central government hold democratic consultations as a first step towards formulation of a policy on GM crops, farmers' associations from south India urged the state government to shun gene technologies in the food and farming sector. In view of the Supreme Court recently directing the Centre to formulate a national policy on GM crops, Kisan Congress hosted a conclave of the south Indian farmers' associations. Kisan Congress state chairman S. Anvesh Reddy said: “Introduction of genetic engineering technologies in our food and farming systems is a concern for all citizens without exception. It is about our environment, health, livelihoods and sovereignty. Farmers do not want those technologies and GM crops, both as producers and as consumers. They want a bio-safety policy and not a promotional policy for GM crops.” Sustainability expert Kavitha Kuruganti warned that the Ministry of Agriculture, under pressure from industry, may bypass the democratic consultative processes recommended by the Supreme Court. It has already appointed a panel of "experts" to draft the policy, and information about it is being kept secret. The New Indian Express Nigerians firmly reject GM crops A coalition of over 100 civil society actors, farmers, scientists, legal practitioners, and academics representing 100 million Nigerian consumers have demanded that the Nigerian Government discontinue plans to introduce GM potatoes and ban GMOs in the country, stating they violate fundamental human rights and target Nigeria’s food system. This demand followed the announcement that the government will soon release a report on trials of GM potatoes. Similar reports indicate that GM potatoes will be commercially released in 2025. Business Day Dutch approval of glyphosate was influenced by US expert who made big money working for Bayer The Dutch approval of glyphosate was influenced by a controversial US expert who made big money working for Bayer and previously worked for the asbestos, diesel, and lead industries, an investigation by Dutch TV documentary makers ZEMBLA reports. “This is a man who has previously defended benzene and asbestos,” says Harvard professor of history of science Naomi Oreskes of Kenny Crump. “Those are established carcinogens.” Oreskes says “It is not that difficult to find scientists who want to do your dirty work”. Crump worked for Bayer 2021-2023. He acted as an expert witness for the chemical company in an Australian lawsuit over glyphosate. With that work, Crump says he earned “five hundred dollars an hour” and a total of “hundreds of thousands of dollars”. @GMWatch on X, on articles for NL Times and BNNVARA We hope you’ve found this newsletter interesting. Please support our work with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you! __________________________________________________________ Website: http://www.gmwatch.org
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