When choice becomes just a memory (6/21/2001) Europeans would be forgiven for thinking that the war against genetic
tampering in the food supply has been all but won. There are labels in the
supermarkets aisles, there is mounting political support for organic
farming, and Greenpeace campaigners are seen to represent such a
mainstream point of view that the courts have let them off for uprooting
genetically modified crops. With 35 countries worldwide that have, or are
developing, mandatory GM labelling laws, you'd think that the North
American agricultural export industry would have no choice but to bow to
the demand: keep GM seeds far away from their unaltered counterparts and,
in general, move away from the controversial crops.
Italian shoppers, proud of their country's culinary tradition and its
renowned pastas, hams, cheeses and wines, are increasingly turning to
organic rice, olive oil, fruit and vegetables, Italy's biggest farmers' group
has said.
How magic markers are messing up our food
system (6/20/2001) In the aisles of Loblaws, between bottles of President's Choice Memories of Kobe
sauce and Memories of Singapore noodles, there is a new in-store special:
blacked-out labels on organic foods. These boxes used to say "free of genetically
modified organisms," but then Canada's largest grocery chain decreed that such
labels were no longer permitted.
North Dakota law places no restrictions on the kinds of seed cases that may be
brought before the board, and almost any civil dispute, including patent
infringement cases, can be handled through arbitration with the prior agreement
of all parties. The intent of the law is to resolve disputes outside of the courts. In
any case, the decisions of the board are nonbinding.
modified crops in the same way as dangerous
and banned plants to keep them out.
This would stop farmers from growing GM
plants in WA, stop the sale of GM seed and
force landholders with GM plants on their
properties to rip them out.