NEWS: Canada, Corn, Canola and CODEX!!!!

Well, it seems Canada is of heavy importance to Monsanto at the moment… there’s a storm brewing between the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN - an umbrella organisation of 18 environmental and geneticly engineered food opposition groups) and Canada Health and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) - who are are responsible for approving new food products coming to market in Canada.
They have individually approved Monsanto’s latest Corn hybrid, a SmartStax Gentically Engineered Corn.
So called Smart Stax because it ‘stacks’ 8 different genetically modified gene traits in one crop. (6 insect resistant genes and 2 with resistence to weedkillers).
Up until now Monsanto have been selling products that have 3 genetic traits so 8 is quite a leap for them, and one they are excited about!

In Bloomberg:

“This is a big deal for Monsanto and Dow,” said Mark Gulley, a New York-based analyst for Soleil Securities. “They’re at least two years
ahead of Pioneer,” the agriculture unit of Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont
Co.

In May Pioneer were sued by Monsanto what it calls “unlawful use” of Monsanto's herbicide-tolerant technologies in soybeans and corn. DuPont subsidiary, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., isn’t allowed to combine, or stack, its technology with any soybeans already containing Monsanto’s Roundup Ready technology, Monsanto said.
DuPont countersued Monsanto in June, alleging that that Monsanto engages in “anti-competitive” conduct and that stacking is well within its rights under an existing license agreement with Monsanto.

The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) plans to hold its annual conference Aug. 7 in St. Louis. They are holding it in St Louis because ‘the city is central to its membership, it’s a “good media market” and it’s the home of Monsanto’!
This year’s theme is “Confronting the Threats to Market Competition.”

So where do CBAN and CODEX come in?
Well, interestingly, CBAN says that the authorization of SmartStax seeds is against CODEX guidelines. And that while Canada Health and CFIA tests traits individually for approval, they do not see the need to test them in accumulation with each other, which is contrary to CODEX guidelines.

Lucy Sharrat from CBAN had the following to say:
Sharratt said the organization, which Canada chairs, has pointed to unintended affects from stacked organisms. Such affects can include new allergies or toxins, according to Dr. Michael Hansen with the Consumers Union in the United States."This GE crop should have gone through a new safety assessment, as recommended by Codex in its 'Guidelines for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants' adopted in 2003,” said Dr. Hansen in a press release.“Codex standards and guidelines are used to settle trade disputes and the lack of a new safety assessment for this GE corn means that other countries could reject 'SmartStax' without running afoul of WTO rules.”Sharratt said the divergence in Canada's regulations from those of Codex reveal a major regulatory omission.

From AsianTimes:
Combining many GE traits together can give rise to unintended effects which could adversely affect health, such as creating new allergies or toxins, or exacerbating existing allergies," said Michael Hansen of the Consumers Union, a US-based NGO and leading global expert on the potential health risks of GE. "This GE crop should have gone through a new safety assessment, as recommended by Codex," Hansen said in an interview. However, US regulations do not require any health and safety assessments because GE crops are considered the same as regular crops, even when novel traits are combined, he said. "The Food and Drug Administration didn't even take the slightest look at SmartStax," Hansen said.

Meanwhile, Monsanto has announced it will spend $15 million over the next two years on infrastructure projects in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The agricultural biotechnology corporation unveiled plans to construct a new, state-of-the-art Monsanto breeding centre to be located adjacent to the current site of Monsanto's corporate Canadian head office.
Many of the canola hybrids developed by the breeding group will be tested and advanced at this facility, according to a Monsanto press release. As well, all canola trait development and field testing will be managed out of the CTRC.
"Canola is a key strategic commercial imperative for Monsanto's Canadian business and a significant crop for Western Canadian farmers," said spokesperson Ryan Baldwin.


Hmmmmm...

Thinking of my Canadian friends.... perhaps time to lend your support to CBAN?
Who'd have thought that the CODEX guidelines could come in useful in getting in the WAY of these Biotech giants? Not a reason for me to like 'em though!

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