Bush GM foods famine appeal is based on greed, insists MEP

THE US administration is more concerned with monopolising global food production than combating famine, MEP Patricia McKenna said yesterday.

She criticised US President Bush’s renewed call for Europe to halt its opposition to genetically modified foods.

In an emotive plea, President Bush urged European governments to lift obstacles to biotechnology development for the sake of African states threatened by famine.

Insisting the appeal was motivated by pure commercialism and greed, Green Party MEP Ms McKenna said:

“Nobody in their right mind would believe George Bush and the USA are worried about the poor people of the world.“

This was the nation which gave us junk food and so many other unacceptable things. Now they are trying to tell the people of the world what foods are good for them.”

The EC yesterday also rejected the US President’s accusations. Commission spokesman Gerassimos Thomas said it was wrong to claim Europe was against biotechnology in developing countries.

The EU, he said, handed out seven times more development aid to the Third World than the US.

Mr Bush claimed Europe was acting on unfounded and unscientific fears by blocking the import of new biotech crops. Speaking in Washington, he said:

“The spread of safe, effective biotechnology should be encouraged so that the fight against global hunger can be won.”

However, a number of anti-GM activists were arrested yesterday at a conference on technology in agriculture organised in Sacramento, California.

Scientists and ministers from 75 countries, mainly from the developing world, are attending the US government-organised conference.

Protest groups say the conference is aimed at persuading developing nations to accept GM foods and boost the profits of biotech companies, some of which have links to the Bush administration.

A major sponsor of the event, US agri-giant Monsanto contributed several million dollars to the US President’s election campaign.

Ms McKenna said the US would better assist the poorer nations by ploughing the monies expended on biotech research into the developing countries. “

America wants poorer nations to move away from traditional food production processes and become dependent on mainly USA-based multi-nationals to whom farmers and producers will have to pay royalties,” she said.

The Food Safety Authority (FSAI) said EU legislation and scientific assessments conducted in Ireland by the food agency’s committees determines what GM foods or ingredients can be sold here.

However, the FSAI’s Dr Pat O’Mahony said: “Maize and soya are the only GM foods or ingredients available in Ireland.

As far as we are concerned, GM crops are dead safe. In the USA, where there’s over 50 products on the market, GM foods have a good safety record.”