soy
Meat factories booming - Environmental standards sinking - farmers disappearing
The production of pork in the EU is increasing rapidly. But while 21,3 million tons are being produced, only 19,7 million tons are being consumed. This translates into an overproduction of almost 10 percent. In order to export this, there are about 200 million Euros in export subsidies for pork in the EU budget. This expresses and proves the power of the Agro-lobby in Brussels and Berlin.
The globalised pig is the main victim of the Agro lobby's attempts to dominate the world market. Read more...
April 17: Activists block Cargill in Belgium
Thursday April 17th, the international day of farmers struggles, the group Agrocrisis blocked a Cargill company firm in the harbour of Ghent, Belgium. Some 30 activists began the action at around 6h30 in the morning and lasted until after 5 p.m. During all that time, not one truck with soy could enter or leave the firm. Some activists had locked themselves with pipes and bicycle chains at the gate, so it was impossible to open the entrance without brute force. The staff of the firm, scared of bad publicity, chose therefore to let the activists occupy the gate and didn't ask the police to intervene. Read more...
Pigs and chickens - how animal breeding gets dominated by the biotech-business
With stock-breeding there are animals and feed that those animals are supposed to eat so humans will be able to consume the meat, milk or the egg. This is in general a not very efficient way of producing food, but this is how it has been done for many millenniums. The scale of this process is increasing ever more and on the A SEED website you can find a lot of information about the problems that result from this.But the developments continue: now there is the Monsanto pig™ that is eating Monsanto feed™. And also The Netherlands is participating with enthusiasm; Hendrix Genetics is one of the world leading companies when it comes to hybrid chicken, pigs and turkeys. Read more...
Massacre in the department of Caaguazu - Paraguay
Paraguayan peasant movement on tour in Europe
Smithfield's sickening activities in Mexico
Campesino Families Block Fumigation of Soy Fields in Paraguay
Thursday, 10 January 2008 - One hundred campesino residents were able to block the agrotoxic fumigation of a new soy field in the 4th line of the Ybypé community in the Lima district of the department of San Pedro. In this “line” [section] of the town, parcels of campesino land were sold to Brazilian soy growers, who dismantled the parcels entirely with tractors and planted soy. The residents, aware of the dangers represented by the pesticides used to fumigate the soy fields, have successfully resisted every intent to fumigate these parcels. Read more...
Action reports and other updates from the UN Biodiversity Summit in Bonn
From the 12 until the 30th of May the UN summit on Biodiversity (CBD) took place in the German town Bonn. But as expected the current problems with the food and climate crisis have not been solved by this meeting. Not even some serious steps in the right direction. But what can you expect with countries like Canada and Australia that mainly defend the interests of their large scale agriculture. Also delegations from European countries are thinking more about their multinationals and own decadent consumption pattern than about nature and a healthy and social food production. Read more...
Pamphlet protest action "GM Soy issues sidetracked"
Dutch debate on socio-economic impacts GMO’s: Sidetracking the real issues?
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture today organises a conference about a very important topic: the socio-economic impacts of GMO’s. End of last year, the EU Environment Ministers decided that socio-economic criteria should be developed for GMO’s. But at this conference, the real issues seem to get sidetracked.
The Dutch Agriculture Ministry and the conference organisers are using this debate for another aim: to set the ground for a ‘review’ of the EU GMO policy. They claim, along with the biotech and animal feed industry, that the EU admission procedure for new GMO’s is too slow. In particular, they want to see the EU zero-tolerance policy regarding non-authorised GMO’s to be abolished. The argument for this is that this policy causes economic damages for Europe’s factory farms. The focus therefore is not on the real socio-economic impacts that soy production and factory farms cause around the world.
Critical speakers on RR soy production (including the Paraguayan Minister of Environment) were refused for the conference sessions, whereas RR soy production is known for its damaging social and economic impacts. The reason given was that this conference ‘should not be focused on soy’. However, one session at this conference is precisely about the ‘Round Table on Responsible Soy’ (RTRS), with speakers from Syngenta and Grupo DAP, a controversial Paraguayan soy producing and investment company.
The RTRS has been criticised and rejected by a great number of organisations. Not one South American small farmers’ or indigenous peoples’ organisation is a member of the RTRS. Nevertheless, the RTRS is supported by the Dutch government as a way to avoid taking responsibility for the damage done by the massive Dutch GM soy imports. Over 10.500 people have sent a message to Ministers Verburg and Koenders asking them to withdraw the Dutch government’s financial support for the RTRS. At this conference, these signatures will be handed over to Minister Verburg.
For more information:
www.toxicsoy.org / www.gifsoja.nl
lasojamata.iskra.net / www.aseed.net
A report on the reality behind the ‘responsible soy’ company Grupo DAP will be available at this conference. Local communities in San Pedro, Paraguay, have protested against Grupo DAP’s arrival in their area, starting large scale soy plantations. A few years later, complaints about the impact of DAP’s soy fields for the community have not silenced. The report can also be downloaded from: www.corporateeurope.org
A new report will be launched soon about another soy expansion region, North West Argentina. There, both indigenous and gaucho communities are fighting for their rights to land and against the rampant deforestation in the area. In North West Argentina, where the soy sector is particularly associated with violence, repression and corruption, the RTRS has been particularly active doing outreach, among those soy producers. This report will be available on: www.chaya.org.ar
Read more...
Agrofools hit the road during Social Forum in Malmö
Protesters at petrol stations state "Agrofuels are no solution for the climate and energy problem!"Malmö, Saturday 20 September 2008 - During the European Social Forum (ESF) about 50 people protested against the introduction of the large scale production of agrofuels. The devastating social and environmental consequences of the production of energy crops was a big issue in the presentations and discussions inside the ESF. The Agrofools decided that it was important to reach the people in the streets as well, and to explain that we have to choose between food and fuel. Read more...