[asia-apec 1343] KEEP THE PRESSURE ON USDA ABOUT TERMINATOR!

[Anuradha Mittal]

KEEP THE PRESSURE ON USDA ABOUT TERMINATOR!

Despite meetings and letters pouring in to USDA regarding USDA's 
continued involvement in biotech research, the Agency is still not 
moving in the right direction -- We need to keep the pressure on!

ORGANIZATIONS: Please sign on to this letter regarding USDA's 
involvement in seed sterilization and genetic trait manipulation. (You 
do not need to have been at any meeting to sign on to this letter)

Send your organization name and contact info to the Campaign before
NOVEMBER 19.

Feel free to use this letter as a template for individual letters to
Glickman as well.

Thanks

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
P.O. Box 396, Pine Bush, NY  12566, (914) 744-8448, Fax: (914)
744-8477;  email: Campaign at magiccarpet.com
www.SustainableAgriculture.net


November 16, 1999

Dan Glickman, Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. SW, Rm. 200A
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Glickman,

Thank you for meeting with us on October 28 to discuss genetic seed
sterilization and related issues.  We are writing to seek more specific
responses to the requests we made at the meeting and at two earlier ones 
with the Deputy Secretary.   We also request that you meet
with representatives from the groups below to discuss your responses in 
detail  at your earliest convenience.

1.      USDA should cease negotiations with Delta & Pine Land on the
licensing  of its jointly held patent, US patent number 5,723,765.

2.      USDA should abandon all  research on genetic seed sterilization, 
including in-house research and grants to  university scientists, and 
adopt a strict policy prohibiting the use of taxpayer  dollars to 
support genetic seed sterilization.  We are equally alarmed by new 
developments in genetic trait control technology and we urge your 
department to cease research and development of this closely related 
technology that involves turning on and off genetic traits in plants 
with the application of external chemical inducers.

3.      USDA should use public research dollars to re-invigorate public
plant breeding for family farmers and sustainable agriculture.  Instead
of  engineering seeds for sterility, USDA should boost breeding programs 
that  will lessen farmer's dependency on chemicals, fertilizers and 
other expensive inputs. Given consumer concerns and uncertain markets 
for  genetically engineered seeds, USDA should invest in low-cost 
alternatives  to industry's patented, high-tech seeds.    As part of 
this initiative, funds should be redirected to the USDA SARE program to 
encourage farmer/breeder associations to publicly develop seed lines for 
sustainable agriculture, building on the success of a similar Fund for 
Rural America grant.

4.      USDA should implement a comprehensive technology assessment 
program that would use transparent criteria to determine the  
scientific, social, economic, and environmental  appropriateness of new 
technologies prior to development.   The technology assessment process 
should be used to help focus scarce public funding on research 
directions that support public goods.

We request that a follow-up meeting convenient for all be set before the 
end of this calendar year, and will be in touch with  your office to 
find such a time. Again we look forward to your response and  the 
opportunity to discuss this and other related issues.

Thank you very much for your continued engagement regarding these vital
public issues.


Sincerely,
Organization name and Contact person

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