30th July 2006
Significant new study challenges benefits of GM crops - but Government give GM all clear

Cllr. Martin Whiteside, Parliamentary spokesperson for Stroud District Green party said: "It's almost impossible to overstate the importance of a new study by researchers at Cornell University looking at seven years of Bt cotton cultivation in China (i). The study shows farmers failed to reap a profit because secondary pests have emerged requiring lots of pesticides."

Martin Whiteside, a development consultant advising agencies like Oxfam, Christian Aid, WWF, British Government and the United Nations on sustainable rural development programmes, said: "This cotton has been dubbed 'Miracle Cotton' and Monsanto have been claiming it is a huge success and even using it to market other GM crops to other Asian countries (ii). This news comes at a time when the Government admits there can be no ‘safe’ buffer between GM and non-GM crops, but HAS STILL GIVEN GM THE ALL-CLEAR by proposing weak measures that will allow contamination of conventional and organic crops (iii). They are once again failing to listen to the vast majority of people who say they don't want GM crops or food."

Martin Whiteside added: "Every county council in the South West, along with many unitary authorities, district, town and parish councils have passed resolutions opposing GM crops and food in their areas. If the Government allows commercial planting of GM crops in this country it will be nothing less than a subversion of democracy."

Martin Whiteside added: "Bt seed is expensive - it costs 3 times as much as conventional seed - this study found that it has resulted in an 8% net average income loss for Bt farmers when compared to conventional cotton farmers. And this was not a localised effect. The study was based on farmers in five major cotton-producing provinces. It's also worth noting that the Cornell researchers are themselves keen proponents of GM."

Notes:

(i) See more re the study at:
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/July06/Bt.cotton.China.ssl.html
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=6804

(ii) "In China they now call the Bt-cotton 'Miracle cotton'." - Robert Frawley, Monsanto's executive vice president and chief technology officer
http://www.global-reality.com/biotech/articles/othernews020.htm

See piece in The Times of India: "China, our rival, has beaten us in this race as well. The new cottonseed, called Bt cotton, is especially popular... If our Andhra farmers had used it, their crop would have survived and we might have prevented suicides... Chinese farmers had begun to enjoy its fruits while Indian farmers were committing suicides. Our two largest cotton growing competitors, the US and China have, thus, taken a lead over us."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1136822172.cms

(iii) After a delay of almost two years the Government public consultation on GM 'coexistence' for England was launched on 20 July. The Government is proposing weak measures that will allow contamination of conventional and organic crops, paving the way for biotech companies to get their crops grown. We’ve got until 20 October to get maximum responses calling for no GM contamination of our food, farming and environment. Go to Friends of the Earth step-by-step guide which makes it easy to respond to the consultation. There is also an email action for those with not much time.

See also Stroud District Green party letter on this subject.