This seems to me to be a battle of spinmeisters. If the Codex Alimentarius
Commission was not willing to issue a ruling against the 1993 European
moratorium on rBST then one would be led to believe there is something to
the European concerns, especially now as implied below, they are trying to
determine a safe level for the residue from rBST induced hormones above the
naturally occuring base level.
Your spinmeister, my sinmeister pick your expert. This game reminds me of
part of a song by Don Henley called The Garden of Allah on the Acutal Miles
CD.
"Today, I made an appearance downtown. I am an expert witness; because I
say I am. And I said Gentleman and I use that word loosely, I will testify
for you. I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar. Because there are no
facts, there is no truth, just data to be manipulated. I can get you any
result you like, what's it worth to you? Because there is no wrong, there
is no right and I sleep very well at night. No shame, no solution, no
remorse, no retribution. Just people selling t-shirts, just Opportunity to
participate in the pathetic little circus and Winning, Winning Winning."
The majority of the Epstein post was not even talking about the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and he did address the JECFA and it's position (as
well as it's composition and biases) on the matter.
For the "life science industry" to cry foul on this seems dishonest. How
is Epstein's spin any different from the spins put out my Avery implying
that organic farmers are the source of E. coli 0157? How about Richard
Lugars statement today blaming any future world hunger on the EU because
they will not accept Frankenfoods? What happened to "The Customer is
ALWAYS Right." I guess that died with Edward Deming.
The straw man of world hunger is exposed by the current glut of corn etc.,
etc. for most other crops. Obviously, there is more food than the world
can pay for being produced on the existing amount of farmland let alone
cutting down more rainforest. And the other obvious solution to the
"overpopulation problem" just might be to use birth control but that would
not lead to the sale of more Roundup or rBST now would it?
Before we feel sorry for monsanto, lets look at the total picture. Mike
Miller
Subject: in all fairness to Monsanto
>
>
>----
>got this from their site.......
>squeemish diego bill
>
>
> A Recent 'Press Release' (Aug. 18, 1999, S.S.
> Epstein) Alleging A United Nations Ruling That Milk
> From Cows Supplemented With BST Is Unsafe Is A
> Total Fabrication .....
> In fact, the most recent action regarding bovine
>somatotropin (BST) by the
> Codex Alimentarius Commission was announced in a news
>release on July 4,
> 1999. At that time, Codex decided to postpone setting
>a maximum residue limit
> for BST until a consensus is reached. The indepedent
>scientific committee that
> provides scientific advice to Codex -- the Joint
>Expert Committee on Food
> Additives (JEFCA) -- has twice reviewed and reaffirmed
>that milk and dairy
> products from cows receiving BST is safe for human
>consumption. And, in July
> 1999, the European scientific committee (Committee for
>Veterinary Medicinal
> Products) also reaffirmed the safety of BST. Epstein's
>characterization that the
> Commission ruled in favor of the 1993 European
>moratorium on the product is
> false and misleading.
>
> To review the Codex news release issued July 4, or to
>listen/download excerpts
> from John Lupien, Director of the food and nutrition
>Division of the Food and
> Agriculture Organization (FAO) regarding the
>Commission's decision on BST,
> please visit:
>
>
>http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/1999/pren9941.htm
>
> In addition, U.S. representatives to Codex may be
>contacted at 202-205-7760
> for clarification.
>
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