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posted April 15, 2004

AgCan investment in Monsanto

This bit of news from the CBC likely resulted in more letters like Richard Boehnke's to the Federal Minister of Industry:

Federal government invested in GM wheat

WINNIPEG - Agriculture Canada invested nearly $2.5 million in genetically modified wheat and stands to make money if it approves the product for sale, CBC News has learned.

... According to documents obtained through access to information, the government department:

-committed $850,000 to Monsanto to develop GM seeds; -provided unfettered access to test the crops in the department's fields; -assigned three key scientists to work with Monsanto on the wheat.

Read More >>

Richard Boehnke's letter:

The Honourable Alan Rock, M. P.

Sir:
Agriculture Canada and Monsanto
(see attached article)

It is outrageous that a government department (Agriculture Canada) who is in charge of the testing and the approving of agricultural commodities for use or sale in Canada would also be 'investing' my tax money in a project with Monsanto, and then bringing the product of that 'investment' to itself for approval.

Even the very slow can predict the happy outcome - an approved product! This is like asking the foxes whether everything's good in the chicken coop.

Regardless of what your position may be on genetically modified foods (personally I am not persuaded that they are as wonderful as Monsanto claims and believe that there are very real risks), I assume you are against such an obvious and egregious conflict of interest.

To read that "... John Cully, the department's director of intellectual property, said the department can manage the conflict" makes a mock of the concept of keeping the regulator and the proponent separate. What makes Mr. Cully so wonderful that he can separate himself from the 'investment' of his own department in such decisions. Surely he would not find that his own service had invested in a loser, eh!

Please take the necessary action to extract Agriculture Canada from this incredible mess, and stop permitting them to use my money to 'invest' in private ventures.

Yours truly,

Richard H. Boehnke
67 Markland Drive
Etobicoke, ON M9C 1N4
(416) 621 5089


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