Greenpeace - Thai Court drops lawsuit over GMO trial

[webfact]

DECADE OF COURT BATTLES
Court drops lawsuit over GMO trial
Wasu Vipoosanapat
The Nation



Greenpeace fears move will lead to more openair testing and crop contamination

BANGKOK: -- AFTER MORE than a decade of court battles, the Supreme Administrative Court yesterday dismissed Greenpeace's lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture (DOA) for alleged negligence in relation to a demonstration plot of genetically modified (GM) papaya, which had prompted fears of contaminated crops.

The move spurred a warning from Greenpeace that the DOA might use this as an excuse to push through more experiments on genetically modified organisms (GMO).

Yesterday's verdict upheld the 2008 Central Administrative Court's ruling that the DOA had taken necessary legal steps to curb widespread use of GMO plants, had cancelled the distribution of GM papaya seeds to farmers and took steps to eradicate GM papaya trees in 2004.

In 2006, Greenpeace filed a lawsuit against the DOA for alleged negligence in testing GM papaya at its research site in Khon Kaen province in 2004, which reportedly led to the contamination of nearby farms.

Unhappy with the Central Administrative Court's ruling in 2008, in which the DOA and its then-chief were found not guilty, Greenpeace appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court claiming that there was no clear evidence whether GMO papaya trees and seeds had been completely destroyed.

Tara Buakamsri, Greenpeace Southeast Asia country director for Thailand, said this ruling did not mean that GMO contamination would go away. On the contrary, he noted that GMO contamination had affected several crops in different provinces over the past few years. He also voice concerns that the DOA will use this to seek legitimacy for conducting open-air GMO trials.

"This should be the biggest lesson for Thailand as it proves that GMO experiments in open fields cannot be controlled," he said.

Greenpeace would continue to check on other crops that might be contaminated by GMOs nationwide.

According to a study by Biothai Foundation, GMO-contaminated plants - such as chilli, cotton and corn - were found in 13 provinces, including Nakhon Sawan, Lop Buri and Chiang Mai, between 2012 and 2013.

Greenpeace will later this month call on the military regime to cancel state support for GMO field trials in the country.

This move follows the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry's recent announcement that it was looking to conduct a feasibility study to improve four economic crops, namely maize, cassava, palm and sugar cane, and will consider GMO options to boost production, control costs and cut down on pesticide usage.

DOA's Biotechnology Research and Development Office chief Alongkorn Konthong is reportedly planning to ask the National Council for Peace and Order to lift Cabinet's 2007 resolution banning GMO field trials anywhere but on government land. Tara warned that removing this ban would lead to widespread GMO contamination in the country.

"This would allow agricultural giants to easily join up with a government body and open the door to future testing," he said. "GMO technology, developed to support corporate

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Court-drops-lawsuit-over-GMO-trial-30246009.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-22

[SOTIRIOS]

...who knows...they may be beneficial in one's next incarnation..........

[geistfunke]

Sad news and a huge backlash for the whole agricultural business in Thailand. Can you explain me how you want to be "The kitchen of the world"?

"According to a study by Biothai Foundation, GMO-contaminated plants - such as chilli, cotton and corn - were found in 13 provinces, including Nakhon Sawan, Lop Buri and Chiang Mai, between 2012 and 2013."

"the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry's recent announcement that it was looking to conduct a feasibility study to improve four economic crops, namely maize, cassava, palm and sugar cane, and will consider GMO options"

At least the EU will not be amused and ban the import of more Thai crops in the near future. Happy Malaysia, happy Cambodia, happy Indonesia, happy Sri Lanka.....

[asean]

what's wrong with GMO? Can you imagine a Thai court sanctioning a poor isaan farmer for using GMO seeds that blew on his property? How many people have died from GMO crops over the last 20 years?

[attrayant]

Genetic modification is a tool. Like any tool, it's not inherently evil, it's the way the tool is used that matters. Nobody has died (or ever will die) from biting into a GMO apple, and that's not the boogeyman that most anti-GMO folks like to invoke when the subject comes up for debate. There are some legitimate concerns about the unintended consequences that might be associated with genetic tinkering, but that just means we need to proceed carefully.

The UN estimates that we are going to need to grow about 70% more food by 2050 based on population projections. GMOs are one potentially good way to meet that demand.

[geistfunke]

Sure you can eat GMO food and you will not die. Maybe you will only supporting your cancer. Who knows? Who can tell us?

But this is not the only point for the (Thai-)Farmers or the DOA Thailand. I think it's not a good idea for Thailand or any other country to follow the GMO way. You can not GM mother nature without consequences and now half of all U.S. farmers have to fight with the "Superweeds" (http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/superweeds-sprout-farmland-controversy-over-gmos-n214996)

On the other side GMO crops are a problem for the Thai-Agriculture export, specially into the EU. The EU may have the most stringent GMO regulations in the world. At the moment It is not possible to export one Thai-Papaya without GM testing and sure you have to pay the extra money for the test. So better stay away now. For Thailand it is not to late. The court decision was a step backwards for Thailand.

The problems with GMO crops just start.

[attrayant]

Herbicide-resistant weeds is a red herring. As long as farmers continue to over-use herbicides, super weeds will happen whether we use genetically modified crops or not.

Maybe you will only supporting your cancer. Who knows?

And maybe an asteroid will smash into the Earth tomorrow. The scare-mongering and appeal to ignorance isn't really helping to move the discussion forward. Genetically modified feed has been used on livestock since 1996, and it now makes up to 90% of all animal feed in the United States.

Following this, an analysis of studies regarding livestock health between 1983 (13 years before GM feed was introduced) and 2011 (15 years after), which included a total of 100 billion animals collectively eating trillions of GM meals found that GM feed had no negative health impact, and that the animals were as nutritionally equivalent as those not fed GM crops.

[geistfunke]

I agree with your post, but GM crops are originally sold to control costs and cut down on pesticide usage? So why after more than 10 years the massive superweeds on the GM farms? It is not working in the longtime.

In the details to the scare-mongering we may have to consider, that farm animals are eating GM meals only for a short period (10-20%) of their "normal" natural life-span. So they might be not enough time for them to develop an illness quick enough. We are humans and you suggest to eat GM foods 50 years or longer? I am still sceptical about the outcome.

The first lifetime trials involving rats fed on GM corn found a raised incidence of breast tumours, liver and kidney damage. http://www.ijbs.com/v05p0706.htm

EDIT:
Just see that this study is highly controversial, but sure, we have to keep in mind, that it is not easy to find independent evidence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A9ralini_affair

[RPCVguy]

IF CONFINED to the GMO application as done for the papaya plants, the decision by the Supreme Administrative Court may have consequences, but not of the health variety most concerning. The modifications done for the current variety of GMO papaya did not cross species, but rapidly supplied genes from some papaya having a specific disease resistance into a readily available seed line. THIS is what cross breeding has long done, and what the technology of GMO made happen more quickly.

THAT GMO trials will gain traction in Thailand is the danger I see here... both financially and in terms of health.

The Big Ag corporations are seeking to assure patent and trademark ownership over seeds, and GMO is their mechanism for gaining "legal" claims. Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, and Bayer are each producing GMO seeds and the chemicals that get sold with that seed. Many farmers in the USA and Canada have had their crops claimed - for having the genes in their crops but not having purchased their seed from the company. Sometimes it is intentionally having planted using seeds from a prior crop, but many times it is because of wind borne cross pollination. The courts have responded differently as to the validity of those claims and numerous nations have seen the path ahead and simply banned GMO cultivation and crops. The insidiousness of the strategy is that unlike a chemical spill where the contamination is diluted over time, genetic modification multiplies and compounds itself with each passing generation.

The FAILURE to contain open air experiments was demonstrated when the US experiments on wheat were halted YET the genetic strains continue to be found years later in that region. The consequences for exports are huge. Already there have been shipments refused and lawsuits engaged over the escaped pollen progeny of these experiments. Not to repeat a post (though few might have seen the discussion from early 2013.)
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/573343-gmo-food-regulations-in-thailand-anyone-know/page-2#entry6466754

... which is why US wheat exports are under tighter scrutiny since the wheat in the region where the GMO experiments were done, then stopped show current crops containing the cross pollinated genes.

Go back to that corporate strategy of owning rights to all seed sold. The USA is pushing Trade Treaties both across the Pacific via the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and across the Atlantic via the TAPA (Trans Atlantic Partnership Agreement. Embedded in those agreements are Corporate protections allowing them to sue governments to avoid constraints - (including any local or national bans on GMOs)
The marketing claims of reduced dependence upon pesticides, drought resistance and such are generally proving to be only "marketing claims" not reality. The reality is the trap of genetic entitlements that will follow as the pollution spreads.

Gene Giant’s Tech Cartel:
Cross-Enabling Agreements: Anti-trust regulators (anyone out there?) in Brussels and Washington take note: The Gene Giants are forging unprecedented alliances that render competitive markets a thing of the past. By agreeing to cross-license proprietary germplasm and technologies, consolidate R&D efforts and terminate costly IP litigation, the world's largest agrochemical and seed firms are reinforcing top-tier market power for mutual benefit. The trend isn't new, but the tech cartel deals are getting bigger and bolder.
http://www.gmwatch.org/gm-firms/10558-the-worlds-top-ten-seed-companies-who-owns-nature

Actual problems with product safety of eating Bt-Corn or other mutations - these are harder to prove, especially when people don't have labeling to allow comparative studies. A discussion that focused on health effects ("Truth and Lies about GMO") is one I almost lost track of, and now see my early post became "popular"
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/636836-the-truths-and-lies-about-gmos-and-the-cos-that-make-them/#entry6437428

This decision out of the Supreme Administrative Court is still recent enough to be reconsidered, and I would hope they do... at least in limiting the types of GMO varieties to be considered, limiting trials to what could have been produced by cross breeding instead of cross species.

Oh, and just to show some GMO concern exists beyond this forum, I found this eye-catching graphic (Though it lists Dow instead of Dupont, maybe because of the agent orange link to the latest pesticides and GMO )

[enjoybeing]

Thank You Greenpeace for trying to save Thailand! As an American, almost everyone I know, is sick to death of being basically force-fed GMO's. No one I know craves them or has ever asked for them to be served up.

It seems Greenpeace has quelled Shiploads of GMO's from making it to the soil in Thailand. GMO manufacturers have some very unscrupulous practices such as this... http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/greenpeace-exposes-dumping-of/ ... Anyone saying that no one will or ever will die from GMO foods, is quite blatantly spewing non-founded information.

A recent study published in the journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology is proving genetically modified organisms (GMO) may cause kidney damage, liver failure and early death. http://draxe.com/genetically-modified-foods-gmo-linked-tumors-allergies-early-death/ Eating genetically modified corn (GMO corn) and consuming trace levels of Monsanto’s Roundup chemical fertilizer (commonly used in GMO) caused rats to develop horrifying tumors, widespread organ damage, and premature death.

The study has been deemed “the most thorough research ever published into the health effects of GMO crops and the herbicide Roundup on rats.”

In a 2011 review published in Environmental Sciences Europe, 19 studies of mammals, fed GMO soybeans and corn, were evaluated. The 90-day long trials indicate liver and kidney problems as a result of GMO foods. Kidney’s were disrupted by 43.5% and liver by 30.8%.

With cross contamination pollination, GMO's are nearly impossible to eradicate, as we still find GMO papayas in Thailand 10 years after the move to eradicate them.. It's a very slippery slope to be on and any testing should be confined so cross contamination cannot occur.

I sure hope Thailand doesn't blindly follow America, as American shipments of Corn and other GMO's are being rejected by the billions of tons and costing American billions of $dollars$. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/16/syngenta-corn-costs-idUSL2N0N82DF20140416

http://naturalsociety.com/biotech-outraged-china-rejects-several-billion-tons-gmo-corn/

THese studies of GMo's causing early death have been done in Norway, France and elsewhere. http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/09/study-herbicide-and-gm-corn-may-cause-tumors-early-death/#.VNNmLWjF-KI

Also, the very sad repercussion to all this is that Thailand can kiss their honeybee population goodbye as the Neonicotinoids used in fungicides are proving to cause honey bee populations to plummet 90% in America. Colony collapse disorder is so out of control they are now talking of making robotic pollinators or creating Genetically Modified Honeybees as a result..

Massive die-offs of several other species are now believed to be taking place from extensive use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and other poisons related to GMO production. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/behind_mass_die_offs_pesticides_lurk_as_culprit/2228/

[asean]

It's okay guys. The whole thing was a hoax. We can go back to eating http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/09/mark-lynas-truth-treachery-gm