OTC 14.11.96 11:27
During a press conference Wednesday in Rome, four women who were part of a group of anti-biotech demonstrators removed their clothes and threw grain (reportedly barley or wheat) at Glickman.
"That was the most interesting thing that has happened to me in this job," Glickman laughed following the incident.
Meanwhile, the environmental group Greenpeace continues its protest against Monsanto Co.'s Roundup Ready soybeans, with demonstrations most recently in New Orleans, Louisiana. Wearing protective masks and wheat inspection suits, the Greenpeace activists boarded barges near New Orleans and painted slogans on the side of the barges which read "Biohazard Monsanto Soybeans" and "X--Genetic Experiment."
In Europe, Greenpeace has blockaded ports, attempting to stop the delivery of U.S. soybeans which they believe contain the modified variety. The group is pushing for a boycott of the modified soybeans by major European food processors, wants U.S. exporters to ship the modified soybeans separately from other soybeans, and demands that food products made with the modified soybeans be labeled to alert consumers.
Of nearly 10,000 processed food products, more than 60% list soybeans as an ingredient. Roundup Ready soybeans are expected to account for 10% of the total U.S. soybean crop in 1997.
Officials in Europe approved Roundup Ready soybeans last April. There is no requirement to separate the modified beans from traditional soybeans, and the European Council of Ministers has rejected a labeling proposal. However, the European Parliament favors the labeling requirement. A compromise labeling proposal is still being debated in Europe.
Countries like Japan have also cleared entry of modified soybeans into their market.
Despite the genetically modified crop debate, other countries will be planting the Roundup Ready soybeans. Argentina is planting modified soybeans this year, and Brazil is expected to follow in the next year or two. Although the biotech protesters claim U.S. soybean exports will be hurt if the modified beans are not separated and labeled, U.S. soybean exports are up sharply this year, reaching a 16-year high for the week ended Oct. 31. End
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