Starving Nations Reject U.S. Food Donation [earliear thread]-AIM writer requests help.

Fox News ^ | 06/12/2003 | Fox News

[walford]

...The high-profile political fight with Europe comes even as some Europeans say they have no evidence that genetically modified, or GM, foods are in any way harmful. EU scientists acknowledge that after dozens of studies that show no ill effects from engineered foods, their rejection is not science-based, but the result of paranoia following outbreaks like mad cow and foot-and-mouth disease...

[walford]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/927755/posts?page=23#23

BilltheDrill made an excellent point here (I intend to expand on it):

"...a total embargo on the importation of African crops because of suspected "contamination" by GM grain. The African farmers have a hard enough time as it is competing with subsidized competition (both the U.S. and the EU subsidize farm products) without being threatened with this.

What is pernicious about all this is that the one hope African people have of becoming self-supporting is free-market farming, the very thing this EU policy is killing. This is not a benign policy. It keeps the Africans dependent and it forces them to choose between starving today or starving tomorrow. It ends up, ironically, forcing their governments to accept grain from the U.S. for free, which is well-intentioned and necessary to solve the short-term starvation problem, but only makes the long-term problem of self-support worse."

I'm looking for sources that discuss how Europe successfully intimidates Third World nations into rejecting GM imports and is even afraid to grow their own.

This is not a game; it actually matters which side 'wins.' This is not the first time that media distortion has resulted in the threat to human life, by allowing evil to go unnamed.

Your help would be appreciated.

[caisson71]

You're not going to find any nation in the developed world that does not subsidize their agriculture. If there is any such thing as "fair" welfare, it is agricultural subsidies - we all eat relatively the same amount, rich or poor and pay less of our income for food than undeveloped countries.
The problems in African nations are multifold - social, political, technical, lack of development capital, etc. It is not, however, GM products offered to them for FREE.

[bruinbirdman]

"I'm looking for sources that discuss how Europe . . . ."

Google

[cake_crumb]

"It keeps the Africans dependent..."

It always seems to come to that, doesn't it? You're right, it ISN'T a game, but to the left, everything is. Including human life.

There is a small ray of possible hope: Ted Turner announced his charitable foundation, which puts hundreds of millions a year into the pockets of groups like Friends of the Earth, will close it's wallet for a year due to lack of funding. Meaning next year, the environazis Ted supports will have a lot less money and power to ruin lives and cause massive suffering and starvation across the globe.

[walford]

"Google"

I'm doing my homework, BBM. I was hoping that someone who has a leg-up or who has been looking at what Asia/Europe/Africa/S America has been saying about this, but I know that you meant well.

http://www.ncfap.org/40CaseStudies.htm
http://www.tomorrowsbounty.org/library/prepubvs91502a.htm
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/1223/302_print.html
http://www.patagonia.com/enviro/reports/a_europe_ge.shtml?src=ls
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,543742,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/Story/0,2763,968397,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/gmdebate/0,2759,178400,00.html
http://www.connectotel.com/gmfood/gu020603.txt
http://www.connectotel.com/gmfood/ob080603.txt
http://www.connectotel.com/gmfood/wn090603.txt
http://www.connectotel.com/gmfood/
http://www.csa.com/hottopics/gmfood/overview.html
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0999/7217_319/57827401/print.jhtml
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0EUY/26_7/76295446/p1/article.jhtml?term=genetically+modified
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1568/8_31/58381560/print.jhtml
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0EUY/12_9/99698252/print.jhtml
http://www.connectlive.com/events/pewagbiotech/
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m4PRN/2002_June_27/87862003/print.jhtml
http://www.biotech-info.net/no_fluke.html
http://www.biotech-info.net/percy_schmeiser.html
http://www.aim.org/publications/aim_report/1989/04b.html
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1295/9_65/77811471/print.jhtml
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/927755/posts
http://www.foxnews.net/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,89174,00.html
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0FVP/12_257/60901506/print.jhtml
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0822/2_100/59700131/print.jhtml
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1272/2675_130/77400374/print.jhtml

[happygrl]

The problems in African nations are multifold.... It is not, however, GM products offered to them for FREE.

Actually it is, in the context of billthedrill's post. The EU will ban food crops exported from a country if they think they might have accidently been crossbred/received genes from GM crops. In the same way that meat is banned from countries with uncontrolled anthrax, and now madcow, the EU fears that a crop can accidently cross-contaminate if GM grains are in the vicinity. This is an insidious game they're playing, not based on science, but on an irrational belief system. Very strange for a cultural which considers itself so much more sophisticated that the US regarding "beliefs."

Africa needs to develop markets and not be redlined because of European superstition. It has its problems to be sure, but at some point, it will have a generation that can make it work.

Besides, the EU needs to give up its superstitions and join the modern world.

[happygrl]

Thanks for this post and the links.