European Tribune - Community, Politics & Progress.

Barroso In A Hurry?

by afew
Tue Feb 9th, 2010 at 09:35:56 AM EST

French business daily La Tribune reports:

José Manuel Barroso revient à la charge sur les OGM		Jose Manuel Barroso back to the attack with GMOs
Le président de la Commission européenne José Manuel Barroso veut relancer le processus d'autorisation de la culture de deux OGM controversés, ont assuré à l'AFP (Agence France Presse) plusieurs sources européennes.		The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso wants to relaunch the approval process for growing two disputed GM crops, several European sources have told AFP (Agence France Presse) .
"L'autorisation de la culture du maïs MON 810 et de la pomme de terre Amflora est une de ses priorités", a ainsi confié une source au sein de l'exécutif bruxellois sous couvert de l'anonymat.		"The authorization of MON 810 maize and the Amflora potato is one of his priorities," a source in the Brussels executive confided, on condition of anonymity.
Le président souhaiterait ainsi résoudre très vite le dossier, dès la prise de fonction de sa nouvelle équipe la semaine prochaine. La première réunion de la nouvelle Commission est prévue le 17 février mais le programme est "encore en cours d'élaboration", a précisé la porte-parole de la Commission, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen.		The president wishes to settle the matter quickly, as soon as his new team takes up its functions next week. The first meeting of the new Commission is scheduled for February 17 but the program is "still being worked out," said the spokesperson of the Commission, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen.

Further comment from the same article:

José Manuel Barroso revient à la charge sur les OGM
"Barroso ne raisonne qu'en termes de marchés et de relations commerciales", a souligné une source au sein de la Commission. "Il se fonde sur les avis scientifiques qui disent que ces OGM ne présentent pas de risques pour la santé, mais ne se préoccupe pas des possibles conséquences à long terme sur l'environnement".		"Barroso reasons only in terms of markets and trade relations," emphasized a source from within the Commission. "He grounds his view on scientific advice that these GMOs present no health risks, but he's not concerned about possible long-term consequences on the environment."

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Barroso In A Hurry? | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Barroso In A Hurry? (none / 0)

One week of not even loud lobby barrage was enough to get him on the act...

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.

by DoDo on Tue Feb 9th, 2010 at 04:38:11 PM EST

Re: Barroso In A Hurry? (none / 0)

Where GMOs go, seed patents must follow (to make it profitable I suspect). Is there a breakthrough nearing in the ACTA negotiations?

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

by A swedish kind of death on Tue Feb 9th, 2010 at 05:55:45 PM EST

Re: Barroso In A Hurry? (4.00 / 2)

Will approval to grow MON 810 hold the manufacturer harmless from legal actions such as Beyer has recently suffered in the USA when its strain escaped and contaminated seed stock in the Mississippi Delta?GMO

Ken Bell, a rice grower in southwestern Missouri, remembers that 2006 was shaping up to be one of those years farmers only dare to dream about. "Not only was the market up," he told me, "but we had a good crop growing."
Then on August 18, a Friday, Bell's world collapsed. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that traces of genetically modified rice produced by Bayer CropScience, a division of the huge German drug and chemical company, had somehow escaped test plots and found their way into rice fields in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The GM crop was engineered to survive applications of Liberty Link, a Bayer herbicide. The USDA still does not know what caused the widespread contamination.
By the following Monday morning, worldwide markets for American long-grain rice had evaporated. Japan, Russia, Canada, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Iraq imposed restrictions on U.S. rice imports. The European Union demanded that all incoming U.S. rice be tested and certified as free of GM traits. Bell had incurred all of the up-front costs of what was to be that year's bumper harvest, but suddenly no one would buy it. He lost more than $1.9 million. "It went from a great year to a disaster," he said.
Last Friday, Bell and another Missouri farmer, John Hunter, had their day in federal court. A St. Louis jury found Bayer negligent and awarded them almost $2 million in compensatory damages (though it did not award punitive damages). For Bayer, it may be the first battle in a very long war. Some 3,000 rice producers have sued the company.

The legal exposure to Beyer appears to be well over $1 billion at present, not including legal fees. How does that compare to the revenues they are likely to get?

And what are the politics here. Who got and/or gets the donations and how does Barroso benefit? Or is that something that we will find out in 10 or 15 years?

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer at eurotrib.com) on Wed Feb 10th, 2010 at 05:23:45 PM EST

Re: Barroso In A Hurry? (none / 0)

More likely never.

Grabbing what you can, as John Ruskin said, isn't any less wicked when you grab it with the power of your brains than with the power of your fists.

by geezer in Paris (risico at wanadoo(flypoop)fr) on Wed Feb 10th, 2010 at 11:25:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Barroso In A Hurry? (4.00 / 3)

I think it will depend on Member State law. Maize pollen escaping is supposed to be guaranteed against, but the procedures as proposed in France are laughable (insufficient distance between GM and non-GM).

The real problem is that "choice" for farmers and consumers - depending on the existence of separate lines of production and transformation ending with products stamped "No GM" on the shelves - is a lie. Once GM gets going, no one but organic farmers will fight for anything else, and they're a tiny minority.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Feb 11th, 2010 at 02:05:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Barroso In A Hurry? (none / 1)

I think it will depend on Member State law. Maize pollen escaping is supposed to be guaranteed against, but the procedures as proposed in France are laughable (insufficient distance between GM and non-GM).

Good news for attorneys in France who have experience in environmental law. I suspect that, even were the plants grown in greenhouses, pollen would escape. Ventilation is a necessity and I rather doubt that HEPA level filtering would be applied, thought double filtering through water might work. But do farmers have the equivalent to a tort process for damages in France?

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer at eurotrib.com) on Thu Feb 11th, 2010 at 12:13:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Barroso In A Hurry? | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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