ASHA denounces funding by US govt of a dubious PR firm to discredit anti-GM, anti-pesticide activists
ASHA denounces the financial support extended by the US Government to a ex-Monsanto employee’s private social network profiling/tracking anti-pesticide and anti-GMO activists –
“V-Fluence, Stop your disgusting anti-people, anti-Nature work”
New Delhi, October 4th 2024: Members of Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) condemned strongly the fact that USDA/American Government is funding dubious PR agencies to discredit public-spirited activists in India. Documents and reports released by Lighthouse Reports and shared with its partner media organisations across the world show how an American PR firm set up by an ex-Monsanto employee, is profiling activists around the world who are resisting pesticides and GM. Called as “Bonus Eventus”, a private social network accessible only to around 1000 subscribers (including some biotech and pesticide lobby groups in India) has profiled and has been tracking around 100 Indian activists, scientists and others in their newsletters (in addition to hundreds of others globally).
“The fact that the US government actively and incessantly lobbies on behalf of the pesticide and biotech industry is well-known. America’s corporate agriculture is based on unsustainable, profit-driven technologies, propped up by billions of dollars of subsidies. The American agricultural economy depends on global markets for acceptance of its products.
For instance, Wiki-Leaks revealed in the past classified reports from US government officials based in India who were closely monitoring developments related to Bt brinjal decision-making, and it is also well-known that several GM product development projects have american money supporting such projects. The efforts of Dr Nina Federoff who flew in to support Bt brinjal in 2010 was a much-noted blatant lobbying effort by the USA in India’s policy-making. The promotion of unsustainable technologies by USAID and American philanthropies like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is also known, and the vulnerability of the Indian government to such foreign lobbying is a cause for concern, even as it ironically clamps down on “foreign-funded” organisations. What is more objectionable with Bonus Eventus is that it is pooling together even personal details of activists as much as it can, looking for various ways to discredit these activists”, said ASHA in a statement.
“We ask the US government to stop its interference in sovereign policy affairs of different countries, and the science-based responsible questions that activists are raising around toxic technologies. We ask V-Fluence to stop its objectionable tracking and profiling activities and apologise to public-spirited activists in India”, said ASHA.
ASHA’s statement also added: “The pesticides and GM seed industry (which often have the same corporates) are feeling threatened as more and more citizens and governments wake up to the dangers of these unsafe technologies and refuse to open their doors to GM agriculture. They are desperate to stifle the scientific and public debates which create public awareness on the need to prohibit these toxic treadmill technologies. In India, SLAPP strategy has been used for a long time by the pesticides industry to stifle even scientific research and publication. While the industry’s obnoxious behaviour is predictable, what we are concerned by is that the Government of India may well succumb to the lobbying pressure and falsehoods of the industry if public debate is stifled. Reports indicate time and again that international trade agreements and high level visits are used to influence the Indian government to favour profit-driven industry, at the expense of the public interest of ordinary Indians. Despite some welcome statements and announced budgetary outlays to promote natural farming, GM and pesticides are being promoted. These technologies destroy India’s trade opportunities, including of organic produce and also threaten the food safety of our own citizens”.
For more information, contact Kavitha Kuruganti at 8880067772—
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Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA-Kisan Swaraj)
FOOD – FARMERS – FREEDOM
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