[url]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,89174,00.html[/url]

LOS ANGELES — The United States, whose farmers are feeling the impact from a ban on genetically modified food by the European Union , is working on a claim filed with the World Trade Organization calling the EU's actions a form of illegal protectionism.
The high-profile political fight with Europe comes even as some Europeans say they have no evidence that genetically modified, or GM, foods are in any way harmful. EU scientists acknowledge that after dozens of studies that show no ill effects from engineered foods, their rejection is not science-based, but the result of paranoia following outbreaks like mad cow and foot-and-mouth disease.

"There is a genuine fear in Europe of the consequences of these foods. As a result it's difficult for politicians to certify new strains of genetically modified foods," said Clyde Prestowitz, president of the Economic Strategy Institute in Washington and a former trade negotiator
The impact has been the forceful rejection by European countries of American genetically modified food exports. The position was repeated earlier this month at a Group of Eight meeting in France and again when the EU Parliament ratified a three-year-old U.N. biosafety protocol that lets countries ban imports of a genetically modified product if they feel there is not enough scientific evidence a product is safe.

The treaty also requires exporters to label shipments containing genetically altered foods such as corn or cotton.

The United States did not sign the treaty, which has not yet reached the number of signatories yet to put it into effect.

Regardless of the treaty's status, the European Union's intransigence on the issue has effectively barred many American food imports while shielding European farmers from competition.  

In the United States, up to 70 percent of prepared foods contain genetically modified ingredients. Not only will the EU not accept them, but their ban has effectively forced starving nations to reject food aid, of which the United States provides 50 percent of the world's stocks.

[b]Last year, Zimbabwe and Tanzania, two African nations experiencing ongoing famine, turned down thousands of tons of desperately needed foods, in part because of Europe's ban, in part because of an international propaganda campaign.[/b]

"They basically are saying it is better a million people starve to death than eat perfectly nutritious genetically modified food from the U.S. where people have been eating it for 10 years without negative effect," said Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore. Moore has since broken with Greenpeace.

On Tuesday, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in Britain said in a draft paper that genetically modified foods can help underdeveloped countries meet its nutritional needs.

The paper added that European policy could hinder developmental efforts by countries forced to comply with strict export policies. But the organization said developing countries must decide for themselves whether to accept genetically altered foods.

Other nations have also rejected GM food. Thai government officials refused to accept "golden rice," which has been cross-pollinated with daffodils to add pro-Vitamin A to Asian diets, helping to prevent blindness in children. Rice is a major staple of the Thai diet but detractors say golden rice seed, made by British and German companies for export, has not been proven beneficial.

Moore said no science backs up claims that genetically modified foods can cause disease, and said scare tactics are inexcusable.

"They refuse the corn because of scare tactics by environmentalists. They say it's poisoned and contaminated, that's the way GM is described in the developing world," Moore said.

The WTO case is a long way from being decided. In the meantime, the five-year-old ban continues.

so let them starve.

If they aren't stopped, environmentalists will kill more people than all the dictatorships in the history of the world.

That's so stupid.  I'd expect it from superstitious cultures (like in Africa), but the Europeans should know better.

A modified strain of carrot is still a carrot to your digestive system.  It will be broken down to base nutrients regardless of these modifications.  It seems they'd rather eat unmodified foods potentially bathed in chemicals, than foods modified to be more hardened against attack during growth.

These products are tested people!!!

Perhaps they'd also like to refuse medicine developed with similar techniques.

Darwinism.  Fine by me if they starve out, we tried to do the right thing.  

However, everyone knows that we are just an evil empire looking to take over the world.  /sarcasm

When you are sitting in the dark, shivering, and unemployed, thank an environmentalist.

GunLvr

Let them starve, hell with them.

boo hoo

shedding a tear...cause i spilled my beer.

F#ck em if they dont want the chow...I will use it for my SHTF survival shelter

Let them starve, more food and air for the rest of us. Is Al Gore behind this?

This reminds me of a classic haiku:

Millions starve in Chad.
U.S. sends massive SPAM aid.
Millions starve in Chad.

didn't he invent genetically engineered food?

Things have been running in reverse in Africa now for the past 2 decades.  Per-capita income has decreased .2% over the last decade and life expectancy has decreased over the last 2 decades.  It has 10% of the world's population but receives only 1% of the world's foreign direct investment.  No progress till that changes.  Investment in Africa must be made EXTREMELY attractive but with anarchy and poor government administrations that is a large hurdle.  The continent is rejecting Globalism and Globalism is likewise rejecting them with dire results.

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37342-2003Jun9.html?nav=hptoc_eo[/url]

NO NO NO

SEND IN THE RANGERS TO FEED THE DUMBASSES IN AFRICA FORCE THEM TO EAT THE FOOD


Sad but what do you expect those people cant make do with what they got and they wont even take handouts, the politicians are screwing the little guys.

Paul has it right... just follow the money.  The environmentalists are just an excuse.  

Why should we throw money down a rathole? I might as well walk up to the intake of a running jet engine and throw bushel after bushel of my own tax dollars in, becasue that is the net effect of what it will be like- burning up tax money to no end. And then what about all the loans that will have to be forgiven, you know who's going to pay for them- John Q. Taxpayer, that's who....

What's next? Another Live Aid Concert to get more money for Ethiopians who, even after all our help are STILL starving??

And where does all that money go that the kiddies collect for UNICEF? I refuse to give anymore and I've told the neighborhood kiddies and their wackjob lefty parents why I won't give anymore- who wants to give cushy jobs to the relatives and hangers-on of 3rd World dictators?

Helping out Africa in its present state is like gun control- if I thought it would actually do any good, I'd be all for it. Unfortunately, both policies make the situation worse, as we see, time and time again.

They have to solve their own problems.

Let them starve.

I wonder how much more stupidity the USA will tolerate from the EU before punishing them somehow?