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and Cargill have enormous clout to demand it and a potent partner supporting them—the US government and its agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture and State, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and even the defence establishment. The World Trade Organization's (WTO's) trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) patent rules also back them, along with industry-friendly WTO rulings like the 7 February 2006 one. The WTO favoured a US challenge against European GMO (genetically modified organisms) regulatory policies in spite of strong consumer sentiment against these foods and ingredients on the continent. It also violated the Biosafety Protocol that should let nations regulate these products in the public interest—but it doesn't because WTO trade rules sabotaged it. Nonetheless, anti-GMO activism persists, consumers still have a say and there are hundreds of GMO-free zones around the world, including in the US. All this, and more, is needed to take on the agribusiness giants that so far have everything going their way. and Cargill have enormous clout to demand it and a potent partner — Bush executive order assured it, ruling that GMO plants and foods supporting them—the US government and its agencies, including are "substantially equivalent" to ordinary ones of the same variety the Departments of Agriculture and State, the Food and Drug like corn, wheat or rice. This established the principle of Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency "substantial equivalence” as the "lynchpin of the whole GMO (EPA) and even the defence establishment. The World Trade revolution". It was pseudoscientific mumbo-jumbo but was now Organization's (WTO's) trade-related aspects of intellectual law, and Engdahl equates it to a potentially biologically property rights (TRIPS) patent rules also back them, along with catastrophic "Andromeda strain"—but no longer science fiction. industry-friendly WTO rulings like the 7 February 2006 one. Monsanto chose milk as its first GMO product, genetically The WTO favoured a US challenge against European GMO manipulated it with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) (genetically modified organisms) regulatory policies in spite of and marketed it under the trade name Posilac. In 1993, the strong consumer sentiment against these foods and ingredients on Clinton-era FDA declared it safe and approved it for sale before the continent. It also violated the Biosafety Protocol that should any consumer-use information was available. It's now sold in let nations regulate these products in the public interest—but it every US state and promoted as a way that cows can produce up doesn't because WTO trade rules sabotaged it. to 30 per cent more milk. Problems, however, soon appeared. Nonetheless, anti-GMO activism persists, consumers still havea Farmers reported their stock burned out up to two years sooner say and there are hundreds of GMO-free zones around the world, than usual, serious infections developed and some animals including in the US. All this, and more, is needed to take on the couldn't walk. Other problems included the udder inflammation agribusiness giants that so far have everything going their way. mastitis as well as deformed calves being born. The information was suppressed and rBGH milk is unlabelled, Washington Launches the Gene Revolution so there's no way consumers can know. They also weren't told Engdahl explains that the science of "biological and genetic 's leukaemia and tumours in rats, and that a modification of plants and other life-forms" first came out of US European Commission committee concluded that humans research labs in the 1970s. The drinking rBGH milk risk breast and Reagan administration was determined prostate cancers. The European to make America dominant in this Union thus banned the product, but emerging field, and the biotech This established the principle of the US did not. Despite clear safety agribusiness industry was especially issues, the FDA failed to act and it favoured. Companies in the early "substantial equivalence” allows hazardous milk to be sold 1980s raced to develop GMO plants, " A below the radar. It was just the livestock and GMO-based animal as the lynchpin of the whole beginning. drugs. Washington made it easy for GMO revolution". It was them with an unregulated, business- . age . Data Manipulation friendly climate that has persisted ever pseudoscientific mumbo-jumbo Engdahl reviews the Pusztai affair, since under Republicans and but was now law... the toll it took on his health, and the Democrats alike. Leading the effort to develop modest vindication he finally received. Pusztai was already out of GMOs is a company with a "long a job when in 1999 the 300-year-old record of fraud, cover-up, bribery", British Royal Society attacked him, deceit and disdain for the public interest: Monsanto. Its first claiming that his research was "flawed in many aspects of design, product was saccharin, which was later proved to be a carcinogen. execution and analysis and that no conclusions should be drawn It then got into chemicals, plastics and became notorious for from it". This criticism had no basis in fact, and the attack was Agent Orange that was used to defoliate Vietnamese jungles in made because Pusztai's bombshell threatened to derail Britain's the 1960s and 1970s and exposed hundreds of thousands of hugely profitable GMO industry and do the same thing to its US civilians and troops to deadly dioxin, one of the most toxic of all counterpart. known compounds. As for Pusztai, after five years, several heart attacks and a Along with others in the industry, Monsanto is accused of being ruined career, he finally learned what had happened after he a shameless polluter. It has a history of secretly dumping some of —_ announced his findings. Monsanto was the culprit. The company the most lethal substances known into water and soil and getting complained to US president Bill Clinton who, in turn, alerted the away with it. Today on its website, however, the company ignores British prime minister Tony Blair. Pusztai's findings had to be its record and calls itself "an agricultural company [applying] quashed and he had to be discredited for his discoveries. He was innovation and technology to help farmers around the world be nonetheless able to reply with the help of the highly respected successful, produce healthier foods, better animal feeds and more British scientific journal, The Lancet. In spite of Royal Society fiber, while also reducing agriculture's impact on our threats against Pusztai, the editor published his article but at a environment". Engdahl proves otherwise in his thorough research. cost. After publication, the society and the biotech industry In spite of its past, Monsanto and other GMO giants got attacked The Lancet for its action. It was a further shameless act. unregulated free rein in the 1980s and especially after George H. As a footnote, Pusztai now lectures around the world on his W. Bush became president in 1989. His administration opened GMO research and is a consultant to start-up groups researching "Pandora's box" so that no "unnecessary regulations would the health effects of these foods. Along with him and his wife, his hamper them". Thereafter, "not one single new regulatory law co-author, Professor Stanley Ewen, also suffered. He lost his governing biotech or GMO products was passed then or later position at the University of Aberdeen, and Engdahl notes that the [despite all the] unknown risks and possible health dangers". practice of suppressing unwanted truths and punishing In a totally unfettered marketplace, foxes now guard the whistleblowers is the rule, not the exception. Industry demands henhouse because the system was made self-regulatory. Anelder —_ are powerful, especially when they affect the bottom line. This established the principle of "substantial equivalence" as the "lynchpin of the whole GMO revolution". It was 12 = NEXUS pseudoscientific mumbo-jumbo but was now law... www.nexusmagazine.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2008