Famine Relief - Future subsidy for GE Foods?
Beth von Gunten (colibri@west.net)
Sat, 7 Feb 1998 18:46:25 -0800 (PST)
>X-Sender: dbriars@granite.sover.net
>Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 20:00:32
>To: mclibel@europe.std.com
>From: David Briars <dbriars@sover.net>
>Subject: Famine Relief - Future subsidy for GE Foods?
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>Subject: Famine Relief - Future subsidy for GE Foods?
>Date: Fri, 6 Feb 1998
>From: "Allsorts (also rts)" <allsorts@gn.apc.org>
>
>
>** Topic: Famine Relief - No to Genetically Engineered Foods **
>** Written 3:32 PM Feb 1, 1998 by jagdish@igc.org **
>
>NO TO DUMPING GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS THROUGH FAMINE RELIEF,
>YES TO FOOD AID TO SUPPORT FOOD SAFETY & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
>
> Increasing numbers of people are being pushed into states of permanent food
>insecurity as a result of economic globalisation which is uprooting peasant
>families. The drastic, cruel and destabilising effects of highly unstable
>and traumatic global economy, more than ever vulnerable to speculative
>finance, have greatly accelerated the destruction of the livelihoods of
>farming communities. In addition, climate change and genetic erosion is
>making food production increasingly vulnerable. Famine relief, therefore,
>will have to be organised on a larger scale, and at higher frequency.
>
> As citizens of the world concerned about sustainability and justice, we
>want to ensure that famine relief does not subsidise global agribusiness and
>allow dumping of genetically engineered foods on the poor and hungry. As the
>recent IMF conditionalities applied to Indonesia reveal, IMF is being used
>to open up Third World market to free trade in food. IMF is also the agency
>which will clear purchses of food on global markets for famine relief under
>the W.T.O agreement.
>
> Those who are poor and hungry are more vulnerable to health hazards.They
>should therefore be provided the best quality, most nutritious foods.
>Further, famine relief by its buying practices supports agricultural
>structures which either sustain the earth and farmers or destroy the earth
>and rural livelihood.
>
> Famine relief should support small farmers and sustainable agriculture. We
>call on all relief agencies not to allow genetically engineered foods to be
>dumped through food aid, thus creating a market for biotechnology industry
>where products are being rejected by northern consumers.
>
> Instead, relief agencies should become leading actors in the transition
>towards sustainability and food security, by creating market for sustainable
>agriculture as well as localizing and regionalizing food production to
>ensure an organic link between the farmers and consumers.
>
> ==============================================
> SIGNED:
>
> Vandana Shiva - Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology,
>India
> Martin Khor - Third World Network (TWN) , Malaysia
> Chee Yoke Ling - TWN, Hongkong
> Gurdial Nijar Singh - TWN, Malaysia
> Hira Jhamtani - KONPHALINDO, Indonesia
> Witoon Lianchamroon - BioThai, Thailand
> Tewolde Berhan Gebre Eghziaber -Institute for Sustainable Development,
>Ethiopia
> Farhad Mazhar - UBINIG, Bangladesh
> Victoria Tauli-Corpuz - Tebtebba Foundation, Philippines
>
>
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