Investments

Bank Of America Investment RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Brazilian Consumers Defence Institute (IDEC) asked the courts to issue arrest warrants for the members of a government scientific commission that gave the go-ahead to imports of transgenic corn, on the argument that the decision was released in violation of the law.

The GM canola that drifted onto Schmeiser's farm was engineered to withstand spraying of Monsanto's proprietary weedkiller, Roundup. But Schmeiser did not use Roundup on his canola crop. After all, if Schmeiser had sprayed his crop, the chemical would have killed the majority of his canola plants that were not genetically modified to tolerate the weedkiller! Schmeiser didn't take advantage of Monsanto's GM technology, but the court ruling says he's guilty of using the seed without a licensing agreement.

Investment Opportunity The non-governmental IDEC charged Monday that the members of the National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio) committed ''civil disobedience'' by issuing a resolution in favour of the import of 13 strains of genetically modified (GM) corn.

• Organize your tax information and help maximize deductions Features & Benefits - plus investment planning tools to help better manage your portfolio and help maximize your investments. • Get the most out of your investments Powerful investment tools help you define goals, set targets and optimize your investment portfolio. Get alerts on your favorite stocks and funds to help you make informed investment decisions.

Banc Of America Investment After a three-day examination of studies carried out in Argentina, Canada, Europe and the United States, the CTNBio released a statement last Friday maintaining that using the corn in animal feed would pose no risk to human health or the environment.

The people making investment decisions for unit trust holders are professionals. Their training and background ensures that decision making is structured and according to basic investment principles. In the process, unit trust funds enjoy the depth of knowledge and experience that fund manager bring. In the long term, it is this expertise that should generate above average investment returns for unit trust investors.

Banking Investment The decision reached by the CTNBio, which answers to the Ministry of Science and Technology, recommends however that shipments of GM corn be inspected, and that the product be transported in conditions that prevent its release into the environment, and in a totally processed state in order to keep it from being used as seed corn.

//www.organicconsumers. article_13332.cfm GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS CANNOT FEED THE WORLD In a revealing interview with the Guardian UK last week, Martin Taylor, the chairman of one of the world's leading sellers and promoters of seeds for GM crops, Syngenta, admitted that biotech foods cannot feed the world.

Investment Solution Strategic IDEC coordinator Marilena Lazzarini accused the CTNBio of violating a court ruling prohibiting it from issuing any resolution on transgenic food before meeting several legal requirements.

The end result, when you make emotional investment decisions you may be putting your finances on the line.

Investment Banking Services On Jun 26, Judge Antonio de Souza Prudente, in Brasilia, set a 90-day deadline for ''standards on safety, marketing and sales, and consumption of transgenic foods'' to be defined before the CTNBio released any opinion on the question. He also ordered an environmental impact study.

Bank Investment IDEC formally asked the judge Monday to enforce his decision, to leave without effect the technical resolution released by the CTNBio Friday, and to arrest the members of the Commission on charges of civil disobedience.

Alternative Investment The chair of the CTNBio, Leila Oda, said she had not been notified of the Jun 26 legal ruling.

Online Investment Services However, IDEC reported that it had sent Oda a written communication on the ruling and, moreover, that she was present in the courtroom when it was handed down.

Accompany Essential Investment Oda clarified that the CTNBio evaluation did not amount to authorisation of imports of transgenic corn, which is still pending a final decision by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Investment Company In recent weeks, the courts impounded several shipments of Argentine corn deposited in ports in Brazil, after IDEC and international environmental watchdog Greenpeace filed complaints alleging the possible presence of GM crops.

Investment Management Solution The planting and marketing of transgenic crops is prohibited in Brazil, on the initiative of IDEC and Greenpeace, which argue that there are no reliable studies on the effects of GM crops on the environment and health.

Investment Management Services The CTNBio, however, had already issued a resolution stating that 'Roundup Ready Soy', produced by the US-based seed giant Monsanto as resistant to its 'Roundup Ready' herbicide, posed no risks.

Guide Investment Stock The debate is expected to pick up steam this year, because Brazil will need to import two to three million tonnes of corn to meet a rise in production of chickens and pigs.

Investment Manual Solution Furthermore, the local corn harvest was damaged by a lengthy drought in Brazil's farming regions.

Investment Stock In Argentina, Brazil's traditional supplier of corn, transgenic crops can be freely planted and marketed, which has led environmental and consumer groups here to suspect that any shipment from that country could contain GM grains. Genetically modified crops are also widely planted in the United States.

Essential Investment Solution Chicken and pig farmers welcomed the CTNBio decision due to their worries about possible shortages of animal feed. But on the other hand, they are concerned about losing markets, especially in Europe, if the word gets out that their livestock might be fed with transgenic corn.

Citicorp Investment Services Europe is the chief market for Brazilian soy and meat, and the European movement against the genetic modification of food is one of the reasons the government is reluctant to authorise the commercial planting of transgenic crops.

Fool Guide Investment Motley Thus, the CTNBio's technical opinions run up against commercial, environmental and health arguments, with the advantages of GM grains, such as increased productivity and reduction of costs, set against the risk of losing market share abroad.

Fidelity Investment Services Another concern involves possible reactions by the domestic market, which consumes 85 percent of the chickens raised in Brazil.

Investment Management Two weeks ago, IDEC and Greenpeace reported that 11 food products commonly found on supermarket shelves were found in lab tests to contain traces of transgenic products.

[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]