GM Contamination Register

"This GM contamination register is the first of its kind in the world. Although GM crops were grown on over 80 million hectares in 2004, there is no global monitoring system. Because of this failure of national and international agencies, GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace International have launched this joint initiative to record all incidents of contamination arising from the intentional or accidental release of genetically modified (GM) organisms (which are also known as genetically engineered (GE) organisms). It also includes illegal plantings of GM crops and the negative agricultural side-effects that have been reported."

"Only those incidents which have been publically documented are recorded here. There may be others that are, as yet, undetected."

"This site is intended to be a resource for individuals, public interest groups and governments. The register can be searched to see where, when and how contamination has taken place. It includes information about, and links to, sources and the GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace web sites as well as other useful sites."

Here's a place to bookmark and keep track of what's happening to our food source, that you're not supposed to know. What drew my attention to this site was a report it published, that I saw mentioned on another site. The report can be found on this page, with a more complete description (and map) than the bit I've quoted below:

Contamination register report.PDF

"GeneWatch UK and Greenpeace have prepared a report of all the incidents which have been included on the register up to the end of 2005. There were 113 incidents included in the register to the end of 2005: 88 cases of contamination, 17 illegal releases and eight reports of negative agricultural side-effects. For 2005, this includes seven cases of contamination, eight illegal releases and three cases of negative agricultural side-effects. A total of 39 countries on five continents are known to have been affected by an incident of GM contamination, illegal planting or adverse agricultural side-effect since 1996. This is almost twice the number of countries that grow GM crops."

Here's one of the conclusions they've drawn from the information in the report;

"Potentially dangerous genes could be introduced into the food chain and the environment as a result of the poor controls and lack of information because of claims to commercial confidentiality."

What? Don't think "potentially" and "could be" are anything to worry about? Well how about this;

"The economic costs of contamination and other incidents have been, and are likely to continue to be, high in the future. Health, environmental and social costs are potentially immense."

Yeah, it's affecting your wallet. There are a few other conclusions and recommendations at the end of the report, but like so many other issues today, it'll probably take more than a few watchdog groups, it'll take the people who are affected; "us", to make more noise. To rattle cages. To bug the living shit out of our leaders till they force corporations to stop screwing us over, just so they can add more zeros to their precious bottom lines. Yeah, I know, wishful thinking.

I have my own distrust of GM, but it doesn't involve contamination, accidental or intentional. I'll save that for another time.