MAIZE/CORN LINKED TO HIV VIRUS IN AFRICA...

" SCIENCE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE IS DEATH OF THE SOUL." Rabelais

A scientific research paper recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was undertaken to “ test the hypotheses that consumption of mycotoxin-prone staple foods is related to the incidence of HIV infection in Africa.”

The author writes: “fumonisin has been proposed as a positive factor in HIV pathology. Fumonisin is predominantly a contaminant of maize (11) resulting from fungal growth (Fusarium verticillioides) after damage by pests such as the cornstalk borer (Busseola fusca)

Alarmingly, the lead researcher & author of the paper - Jonathan H William - found that “ HIV transmission frequency is positively associated with maize consumption in Africa.”

Link to the study:

http://www.ajcn.org/content/92/1/154.abstract

However, there is not an iota of scientific evidence in the literature that correlates fumonisin-contaminated maize with HIV transmission. The author himself writes “ there is no evidence in the literature of some property of normal maize that could influence the susceptibility of humans to HIV infection.” “The basis for the relation between maize and HIV needs careful consideration. Clearly, these are preliminary findings that need further research."

I am naturally alarmed and extremely worried about the findings of his research since maize is a major staple food for millions of Africans who consume it daily.

ProdiGene & HIV "edible" maize vaccine...

While doing further research on this subject, I came across an investigative article which carried out further research into this issue and found a disturbing link between the conclusions of this study, USAID and a US biotech company called Prodigene that in 2002 developed a GM 'pharma" maize containing a key protein found on the surface of the monkey form of HIV (gp120)to be used as an “edible vaccine” against the HIV virus…

An article published in the New Scientist on 12 April 2002 titled - Edible HIV vaccine breakthrough – states:

“Maize genetically modified to contain a key protein found on the surface of the monkey form of HIV has been created by US company ProdiGene. This development brings an edible, more effective, HIV vaccine for people a step closer, says the US National Institutes of Health."

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2161-edible-hiv-vaccine-breakthrough.html

The Journal of Drug Targeting also published an article on the same subject in January 2003 titled - Advantageous Features of Plant-based Systems for the Development of HIV Vaccines relating to the development of genetically modified maize to express “the SIV major surface glycoprotein gp130 (analogous to HIV gp120).”

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10611860410001669992

ProdiGene & USAID...

Furthermore, during the course of his investigative research, Robert Wingfield found that the CEO of the Prodigene – Anthony G Leos - was appointed as head of USAID in 2002 by President George Bush...

An article published online states:

Anthony G. Laos Appointed to Board for International Food and Agriculture Development by President Bush

Article Excerpt

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- ProdiGene, Inc., a leader in the development and manufacturing of recombinant proteins from transgenic-plant systems, announced today that Anthony G. Laos, President and CEO of ProdiGene was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the Board for International Food and Agriculture Development (BIFAD).

source: http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-2156870/Anthony-G-Laos-Appointed-to.html

USAID & GM Food Aid

USAID is a US government (so-called) “aid” agency that is distributing millions of tons of GM (so-called) “food aid” across Africa & is aggressively & fraudulently promoting GM food crops in African agriculture to "fight hunger and poverty..." USAID itself clearly states that among other things its role is to "integrate GM into local food systems" and "spread agricultural technology through regions of Africa."

As Robert Wingfield writes :

" In summary, we have the president of a company producing HIV tainted strains of corn on the board of an organization ( USAID) that is involved in providing genetically modified crops to sub Saharan Africa, where corn consumption is now being linked to HIV infection rates."

Disturbing link & fact...

Coincidence…?

I let you research the subject further and draw your own conclusions...

The entire article with references can be read at the following link:

http://www.the3report.com/index.php/blog/hiv_infected_corn_genocide_in_sub_saharan_africa/

I have written to USAID to inquire about the troubling link between Prodigene and USAID and other issues related to the safety of GM0 (so-called) "food" crops distributed as (so-called) "food aid" by USAID in Africa and worldwide.

You can read a copy of the Open Letter addressed to the current USAID Administrator - Rajiv Shah - published on my blog at the following link:

http://yajnacentre.blogspot.com/2011/01/open-letter-to-rajiv-shah-usaid.html

I have also written to the lead researcher/author of the scientific study - Jonathan H William - re. the troubling link between Prodigene and USAID and other issues related to the findings of his study and have asked him the following questions:

a) Why is there no mention of this important “evidence in the literature “in your research paper…?

b) Why have you not researched and integrated this “ candidate factor” into your research paper to correlate maize consumption and HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa…?
Jonathan William's response:

Mr Tajdin,

The important point about my paper is that if the theory of fumonisin contaminated maize being a factor in HIV is correct we can easily reduce transmission with existing technologies. I urge you to use your Centers resources to help ensure that people eat corn that is not contaminated with the common toxins that naturally occur in that commodity.

The science behind my article is correct and efforts to develop vaccine in corn do not envisage that people consume corn with this attribute- the vaccine is to be produced there and then extracted for use via normal delivery techniques. I consider that the corn-vaccine and corn/transmission factors are totally separate issues – the time periods of the data in my paper combined with the fact Prodigene failed and that no ‘vaccine-corn’ exists even in 2010 means that the concerns raise are totally groundless.

Best regards,
JHW

“FOOD AID” & GM MAIZE

I also asked Jonathan Williams why he failed to study and take into account in his research GM food aid distributed by USAID and the World Food Program (WFP) across Africa over the last 15 years:

Are you not aware of and have not you “identified” the FACT that millions of tons of GM MAIZE have been distributed across Africa as (so-called) “food aid” over the last 10-15 years and consumed by millions of Africans…?

USAID & GM Food Aid

As Greenpeace writes in its report titled "USAID and GM Food Aid":

The problem of GM maize in US food aid is partly due to the fact that the US
government provides a considerable proportion of its food aid in the form of maize from US farms, which is then shipped to areas of need. The simple fact is that USAID has chosen to supply GM maize as food aid.

It is clear that the current program of food aid donation is the latest twist in a crude 10-year marketing campaign, led by USAID, designed to facilitate the introduction of US-developed GM crops into Africa. USAID clearly states, however, that among other things its role is to "integrate GM into local food systems" and "spread agricultural technology through regions of Africa."

World Food Program "Food Aid"

It was recently discovered that the WFP has been delivering food contaminated with GM to developing countries since 1996 - without informing them.xx The countries that received GM food aid include India, Colombia, Guatemala, and many African countries, despite the import of GM grain often being in breach of local regulations. However, WFP officials maintain that they are "under no obligation to alert authorities and have made no attempt to distinguish between GM and conventional cereals." If food aid meets the standards of the donor country the WFP maintain they do not need to warn recipient countries - they simply play the role of middleman. WFP Executive Director James Morris said in August that, "There is no way that the WFP can provide the resources to save these starving people without using food that has some biotech content."

To add insult to injury, a WFP spokesman said, "We think the starving would rather eat GM grain than dirt." And a USAID official added “ beggars do not choose...”

My question to Jonathan Williams re GM maize distributed in Africa as “food aid”

Have you studied the correlation between GM MAIZE consumption distributed as “ food aid” across sub-Saharan Africa and HIV transmission in Africa in your research…?


His response:

" I do not believe that GM would be a candidate factor with a plausible mechanism for HIV – in fact it is more likely that GM would reduce the risk of HIV transmission according to the fumonisin theory. Attempting to prove with good science the GM corn used by WFP is a factor promoting HIV transmission is a challenge but not one that I will engage in."

Food Aid, GM maize & genetic contamination of food crops by pharma & industrial “food” crops.

Furthermore, I believe and argued – based on the following scientific reports and empirical evidence - that it plausible and very likely that GM pharma and/or industrial “food” crops grown in the US could have inadvertently contaminated US-grown maize and/or other crops shipped and distributed in Africa as “food aid”, which in turn could have genetically contaminated the local maize seeds/crops.

As Dr. Mae-Wan Ho from the London-based Institute on Science in Society (ISIS) writes :

We have repeatedly warned against using food crops to produce gene drugs and industrial chemicals since 1998 [1-3]. The inevitable contamination of our food supply has now come to light.

Worries about food crop contamination, which have dogged the industry from its inception, were confirmed in fall 2002 when the USDA discovered that ProdiGene, a pharma/industrial crop company, had allowed corn plants engineered to produce a veterinary drug (vaccine for pig diarrhea) to emerge as volunteers in a Nebraska soybean field. The company harvested the pharma corn along with the soybeans, and subsequently transported the contaminated soybeans to a grain elevator where thousands of bushels of commodity soybeans were contaminated.

ProdiGene was also responsible for a separate incident that same fall, in which pharma corn in Iowa genetically modified to contain the glycoprotein gene gp120 of the Aids virus HIV-1 that has been built into GM maize as a “cheap, edible oral vaccine” was suspected of having cross-pollinated with feed corn in adjacent fields.”

A plant geneticist at the University of California commented that the government were lucky to find the Prodigene pharm crops, and he said,

“What if the GM corn had come up inside a corn field? It could have crosspollinated and you’d have no idea where it was” (Cohen 2002).

And the Union of Concerned Scientists wrote:

“Considering all the potential routes for contamination of food with pharm crops, it is a frightening possibility that the Union of Concerned Scientists believe that contamination of the food system may already have occurred (Mellon & Rissler 2004).

ProdiGene, HIV maize vaccine, maize consumption & HIV transmission…

Furthermore, both Dr Mae Wan Hoe and Dr Veljko Veljkonic have repeatedly warned about the dangers associated with HIV vaccines containing the gp 120 HIV glycoprotein.

As Dr. Mae-Wan Ho writes:

“Most AIDS vaccines are based on the HIV glycoprotein gp120, that a number of virologists have warned, not only undermines the immune system of individuals but is also likely to create deadly viruses and bacteria that can spread through entire populations.

“ It turns out that the envelop glycoprotein, gp120, of HIV-1 is similar to the region of human immunoglobulins involved in antigen-binding, a crucial step in the immune response. Thus, any AIDS vaccine containing the glycoprotein or the gene could strongly interfere with the immune system and make it more vulnerable to the virus. And in the long term, it could accelerate disease progression in HIV patients that do not yet have symptoms. Recombinant viruses expressing gp120 could also be a source of potential new pathogens.”

But A company in Texas, ProdiGene, is now putting gp120 into GM maize as a ‘cheap, edible oral vaccine’ against HIV. This will surely lead to widespread contamination of our food crops with disastrous consequences, as Vejkovic and I have written in a correspondence now published in the journal. Not only is this extremely hazardous for human beings. It will affect all organisms in the food chain and multiply the opportunities for this gene to recombine with bacteria and viruses in the environment, of which 99% cannot be cultured and are hence completely unknown.”

source : http://www.i-sis.org.uk/gmbiopost.php

ProdiGene, maize HIV vaccine and Pharmaceutical & Industrial maize/food crops

Taking into account the high probability and likelihood that Pharmaceutical maize (such as the HIV maize vaccine developed by Prodigene) and/or industrial GM maize/crops could have genetically contaminated US “food aid” maize shipped to Africa:

My question to Jonathan Williams on this issue:

(?) Is genetic contamination of “food aid “ maize by Pharmaceutical and/or Industrial maize and/or other GM food crops not an important “ candidate factor” to research and integrate in your research to correlate maize consumption and HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa…?


His response:

I do not believe that GM would be a candidate factor with a plausible mechanism for HIV – in fact it is more likely that GM would reduce the risk of HIV transmission according to the fumonisin theory. Attempting to prove with good science the GM corn used by WFP is a factor promoting HIV transmission is a challenge but not one that I will engage in.

Firstly the statistics around the HIV epidemic are not precise enough to determine the transmission rates on an annual basis while the exposure to GM is generally not for more than months since this is usually in response to famines and refugee situation where other forces are also operating to promote transmission.

Secondly, getting reliable data on the amount of GM maize in the diets of Africans is not something that I believe is likely and there for such a study is not a feasible research endeavor.

Thirdly, please remember that the pattern of distribution of the HIV epidemic was mostly established through 1980-90 before the GM maize was available in quantity. Zambia, Swaziland and Lesotho were seriously infected before there was any exposure to GM since they either derived their supply from South Africa and Zimbabwe which until recently did not have GM and were maize exporters. Also I seriously doubt that GM exposure would be a factor in the development of the epidemic because of the temporal variability associated with dependence on food assistance, compared with believed relatively consistent expansion of the epidemic. The countries with the least dependence on food aid (Zambia, Zimbabwe) had rampant HIV before they had major famines.

I find it more plausible that the toxin explanation should be followed up first and leave it to the Union of Concerned Scientists to follow up on their concerns. I believe that I will do more good addressing what are to me more probably opportunities – the opportunities afforded by the food toxins greatly exceed what I believe the risks associated with GM to be. The opportunity that I prefer to invest in is identified in this paper:
http://peanutcrsp.org/pdfs/williams_ajcn_2004.pdf

My response to Jonathan Williams

How can you state that: “I do not believe that GM (maize) would be a candidate factor with a plausible mechanism for HIV “, without having researched the subject ?

You further state:

“ in fact it is more likely that GM (maize) would reduce the risk of HIV transmission according to the fumonisin theory.”

There is not a single iota of scientific evidence in the literature that correlates fumonisin-contaminated maize to HIV transmission or that proves that ‘ GM (maize) would reduce the risk of HIV transmission”. I beg you to differ by providing scientific evidence to the contrary.

As you clearly write in your paper and admit yourself: “ there is no evidence in the literature of some property of normal maize that could influence the susceptibility of humans to HIV infection.”

Re. your ‘fumonisin theory”

The “fumonisin theory” you postulate – namely that “ fumonisin is the most likely factor in maize-promoting HIV” - is a theoretical hypothesis… And as you write and admit in the concluding remarks of your research paper: “The basis for the relation between maize and HIV needs careful consideration. Clearly, these are preliminary findings that need further research."

I entirely agree with you on this last point.

However, you categorically refuse to research the correlation between GM maize consumption and HIV transmission…

You write in your previous email:

“ Attempting to prove with good science the GM corn used by WFP is a factor promoting HIV transmission is a challenge but not one that I will engage in.”

How can you rule out the probability that the HIV transmission could be correlated to GM MAIZE consumption if you categorically refuse to research the issue…?

Re. your proposed “solution”

Your proposed “solution” to use GM Bt maize is based on your hypothetical “ fumonisin theory” and thus is both logically and scientifically invalid.

Moreover, there are multiple and serious negative human (and animal) health effects correlated to GMO consumption, as the findings of the (independent) scientific & medical reports which I have sent you clearly demonstrate.

Furthermore, there is AMPLE (independent) scientific and empirical evidence that demonstrates the serious negative environmental, social & economic dangers and effects associated with both GM maize (Bt, Ht, pharma, industrial, etc. ) and GMO “food” crops in general. I will be happy to provide you the references and summaries of the findings of these studies.

I therefore recommend that you consider & research the subject thoroughly before stating : “ I do not believe that GM would be a candidate factor with a plausible mechanism for HIV – in fact it is more likely that GM would reduce the risk of HIV transmission according to the fumonisin theory”, and proposing to use GM maize as a “solution” to your hypothetical fumonisin theory.

As Einstein rightly stated: “ You cannot resolve a problem by using the source that created it.”

Re. the “independence” of your USAID-FUNDED research

You state in your research paper that “The authors had no conflicts of interest related to the publication of these results. » Ironically, however, your paper states that your research has been “ 3 Supported by US Agency for International Development agreement ECG-A-00-0700001-00 to the Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program located at the University of Georgia.”

As you very well know, USAID is the largest provider of GM (so-called) “food aid” in Africa and officially admits that it seeks to “integrate biotech into local food systems” and “spread agricultural technology through regions of Africa.”

As Greenpeace writes in its report titled USAID & GM FOOD AID

The problem of GM maize in US food aid is partly due to the fact that the US government provides a considerable proportion of its food aid in the form of GM maize from US farms, which is then shipped to areas of need. There are numerous sources of non-GM aid available around the world, including the USA. Using these sources is the best way to both feed people and maintain their dignity, yet the US has made a clear policy decision to only supply GM contaminated aid from US suppliers.

The simple fact is that USAID has chosen to supply GM maize as food aid, even though there are numerous grain companies in the USA from whom they could supply certified non-GM grain. It is clear that the current program of aid donation is the latest twist in a crude 10-year marketing campaign, led by USAID, designed to facilitate the introduction of US developed GM crops into Africa.

And as the African Centre for Biosafety writes:

The US’s policy of providing food aid in kind — effectively providing an extra, subsidized market for its own grain farmers under Public Law 480 — is extremely controversial. PL 480 clearly asserts that the purpose of US food aid programmes is to ‘develop and expand export markets for US agricultural commodities’. This not only includes markets for domestic agricultural surpluses but also, crucially, facilitates the penetration of GM food. USAID has made it quite clear that it seeks to “integrate biotech into local food systems” and “spread agricultural technology through regions of Africa.”

In view of USAID’s pro-GMO agenda in Africa, is there not a flagrant conflict of interest between both your position as director of the USAID-FUNDED Peanut Collaborative Research Support Program (PCRSP) and the hypothesis, conclusions and “solution” proposed in your USAID-FUNDED research…?

Can there be any scientific integrity in the findings and conclusions of your research given this flagrant conflict of interest…?

Foods Aid, GM Maize, genetic contamination & HIV transmission…

Furthermore, you (erroneously) assume in your research and conclusions that the local maize (not from food aid) grown and consumed in Africa is de facto non-GM.

How can you be sure that the locally grown maize has not been genetically contaminated with “food aid” GM maize and therefore is not GM…? Have you collected and analyzed samples of the maize in each one of the countries where you conducted your research to confirm that the maize grown and consumed is indeed non-GM …?

I invite you to consider, further research and take into account the following important FACTS and plausible ‘candidate factors” in your research paper:

a) Food Aid & GM Maize

MILLIONS OF TONS OF GM MAIZE have been distributed as ( so-called) “ Food Aid “ (by USAID, WFP, etc.)across Africa over the last 15-20 years and consumed by MILLIONS OF AFRICANS ACROSS THE CONTINENT over the same period…

According to statistics published in the latest USAID report on “ food aid” distributed across Africa ( US International Food Assistance Report 2008), over 2 MILLION TONS OF GMO food ( including GM maize) was distributed to OVER 26 MILLION people in over 4O countries across Africa…This is only in ONE year! Multiply this figure by 15-20 years = 30-40 MILLION TONS OF GMO FOOD (including GM MAIZE) consumed by MILLIONS OF AFRICANS in more than 40 COUNTRIES ACROSS THE CONTINENT OVER THE LAST 15-20 YEARS!

Is this not a plausible “candidate factor” to consider, integrate and study in your research to correlate maize consumption with HIV transmission…?

a) Genetic contamination of local maize by GM maize distributed as “food aid”

Furthermore, it is highly probable and likely that GM maize and other GM food crops distributed as “food aid” over the last 15-20 years could have genetically contaminated both the local maize crops and the local seed supply. As a result, it is highly probable and likely that MILLIONS of Africans across the continent have been consuming MILLIONS OF TONS OF GENETICALLY CONTAMINATED GM MAIZE from their own LOCAL MAIZE crop EVERY YEAR for the past 15-20 years… (without their knowledge!).

As Greepeace writes in its report: Pharm Crops: a super-disaster in the making
By Michelle Allsopp & Janet Cotter

“This is a legitimate possibility. Scientists have already found that genes from other GE foodcrops have ended up in conventional (non GE) crops growing in the US. Over half the batches of seed from maize, soybeans and oil seed rape (canola) that were tested in one study contained some GE contamination”(Pearce 2004).

Thus, taking into account both the “ food aid “ factor and the inevitable, widespread ( and irreversible) “genetic contamination” factor mentioned above, how can you rule out and not take into account in your research the high probability that MILLIONS OF AFRICANS ACROSS THE CONTINENT have been consuming MILLIONS OF TONS GM maize both from “Food Aid” and THEIR OWN LOCAL CONTAMINATED MAIZE CROPS over the last 15-20 years, and therefore how can you rule out the probability that GM MAIZE could be a ‘candidate factor “ correlated to HIV transmission…?

b) Genetic contamination of local maize by pharma & industrial “food” crops

Furthermore, ( it gets worse!) it is also highly probable – as demonstrated by the following scientific report (among many others)- that Pharma and/or industrial “food” crops ( maize, soya, rice, etc.) grown in the US could have genetically contaminated the GM maize produced in the US ( as it has > Starlink 2000, ProdiGene 2002 ) and thus the “food aid” maize distributed and consumed in Africa, resulting in inevitable, widespread and irreversible genetic contamination of local maize and other food crops with serious negative health effects on both humans and animals consuming the contaminated local maize and other food crops.

As the Union of Concerned Scientist write:

“ Considering all the potential routes for contamination of food with pharm crops, it is a frightening possibility that the Union of Concerned Scientists believe that contamination of the food system may already have occurred” (Mellon & Rissler 2004).

In the spring of 2003, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) convened an expert workshop on protecting the U.S. food and feed supply from contamination by crops genetically engineered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals.

The experts who participated in that workshop wrote the technical report A Growing
Concern: Protecting the Food Supply in an Era of Pharmaceutical and Industrial Crops independently of UCS, which developed policy recommendations based on its own analysis of this report.

Below are excerpts from the both the report and comments by USC regarding the health dangers and the inevitable genetic contamination of maize/food crops by GM Pharma & Industrial “food” crops.

Excerpts

“ Food crops, primarily corn, are currently being genetically engineered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals. These crops are referred to as “pharma” crops when they produce drugs, hormones, and other therapeutic agents,and industrial crops when they produce compounds such as plastics for use in industry. Many of these substances are being produced in corn and other food1 crops visually indistinguishable from their non-industrial counterparts.”

Genetic contamination of food crops by pharma & industrial crops

There are two major routes by which pharmaceutical and industrial transgenes can inadvertently contaminate commodity crops and, therefore,
the food and feed supply. One of these is the physical mixing of seed—pharma seed can be inadvertently spilled or mixed during seed production, harvest, storage, transport, and handling.

Contamination can occur by direct mixing of the crops in the growing year or potential future contamination from volunteer plants the following year.

The other route is pollen, which contains the male reproductive cells necessary for the
fertilization of plants and the production of seed.

Pollen containing genes for the pharma product can pollinate commodity crops, leading to contamination during the growing year.

The potential contamination of food crops with the hundreds, if not thousands, of drugs or industrial compounds promised by this industry poses new and serious risks to the safety of the food system.

The U.S. commodity corn and soybean production systems are structured to mix grain
from many sources before it is ultimately used. Without substantial modification, such a system cannot protect the human food and animal feed supply systems from contamination by pharma crops.

UCS observations & conclusions based on the report

The Current Corn and Soybean ProductionProcess (in the US).

After careful analysis, we have concluded that current U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations governing such crops, although stronger than they have been in the past, are still insufficiently stringent to assure the complete protection of the food supply in the United States.

Our report concludes that the current production process and production areas for corn
and soybean cannot be used without substantial modification to ensure virtually zero contamination of the human food and animal feed supplies.

Moreover, the routes of contamination in existing commodity crop production systems are so numerous that even very strong regulatory systems may not be sufficient to prevent the
contamination of the food system with crops genetically engineered to produce pharmaceutical and industrial compounds.

The problem of pharm crop seeds being mixed with normal seed after harvesting is also a real possibility.Mistakes have already been made with other GE crops. For example, a variety of GE corn meant only for animals feed known as Starlink, turned up in foods across the U.S. (Anon 2005a).

Considering all the potential routes for contamination of food with pharm crops, it is a frightening possibility that the Union of Concerned Scientists believe that contamination of the food system may already have occurred (Mellon & Rissler 2004).

The UCS warn that widespread contamination of food crops with pharm genes will undermine the value of gene banks, that is, seed stores of traditional crop varieties (Pearce 2004).

Pharmaceutical and industrial compounds are of particular concern because they are being produced in GE plants that are not intended for the food supply. Many of these are designed to produce substances, often at high levels, that are toxic or bioactive. For practical reasons, most of the crops being engineered as pharma/industrial crops are food crops such as corn, soybeans, and rice, leading to concern that these pharma/industrial crops can contaminate the food supply, if they have not already done so.

Pharma/industrial transgenes may also spread to wild and weedy relatives of crop plants, widening the populations potentially exposed to biologically active compounds. Because they are toxic to insects or plant pathogens, some pharma/industrial compounds, if they are expressed in wild/weedy relatives, may make the relatives more fit or competitive, facilitating the spread of the pharma gene and possibly increasing weediness.

Since 1991, the USDA has approved at least 125 and perhaps 200 or more applications to grow GE pharma/industrial crops.3 More than 15 companies, along with several universities, have been involved in pharma/industrial crop production. Corn has been the crop of choice; others include soybeans, rice, tomato, barley, safflower, peas, and tobacco.

Most pharma/industrial crops are indistinguishable from crops grown for food purposes, and many are grown in close proximity to those intended for human and animal consumption. As UCS demonstrated in its 2004 report A Growing Concern,4 the genes in pharma/industrial corn or soybean crops have numerous routes—both physical and biological—by which they can contaminate crops destined for food uses.

ProdiGene, HIV edible maize vaccine & genetic contamination…

Worries about food crop contamination, which have dogged the industry from its inception, were confirmed in fall 2002 when the USDA discovered that ProdiGene, a pharma/industrial crop company, had allowed corn plants engineered to produce a veterinary drug (vaccine for pig diarrhea) to emerge as volunteers in a Nebraska soybean field. The company harvested the pharma corn along with the soybeans, and subsequently transported the contaminated soybeans to a grain elevator where thousands of bushels of commodity soybeans were contaminated.

We have repeatedly warned against using food crops to produce gene drugs and industrial chemicals since 1998 [1-3]. The inevitable contamination of our food supply has now come to light, writes Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

A scientist from the Union of Concerned Scientists commented that:

“This is a failure at an elementary level. They couldn’t distinguish corn from
soybeans and remove them from a field.That’s like failing nursery school”

A plant geneticist at the University of California commented that the government were lucky to find the Prodigene pharm crops, and he said,

“What if the GM corn had come up inside a corn field? It could have crosspollinated and you’d have no idea where it was” (Cohen 2002).

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The true extent of the contamination remains unknown owing to the secrecy surrounding more than 300 field trials of such crops across the country since 1991. Still others sites are in Canada [3]. The chemicals these plants produce include vaccines, growth hormones, clotting agents, industrial enzymes, human antibodies, contraceptives, immune suppressive cytokines and abortion-inducing drugs, writes Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

The majority of engineered biopharmaceuticals are being incorporated into maize.

Source: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Pharmageddon.php

ProdiGene was also responsible for a separate incident that same fall, in which pharma corn in Iowa genetically modified to contain the glycoprotein gene gp120 of the Aids virus HIV-1 that has been built into GM maize as a “cheap, edible oral vaccine” was suspected of having cross-pollinated with feed corn in adjacent fields.

According to virologists and research scientists, this manipulation of plant genetics will be a biological time-bomb, as the vaccine once consumed can, “interfere with the immune system and recombine with viruses and bacteria to generate new and unpredictable pathogens”.

HIV maize vaccine…promotes HIV!

A study done by HIV researcher Dr Veljko Veljkovic - virologist in the Laboratory for Multidisciplinary Research, Institute of Nuclear Sciences in Belgrade,Yugoslavia - showed that any Aids vaccine containing the gp120 glycoprotein or the gene coding for it could strongly interfere with the immune system and make the host more vulnerable to the virus.

As Dr. Veljko Veljkovic explains:

“The envelope glycoprotein, gp120 of HIV-1, is similar to the region of human immunoglobulins that binds antigen, a crucial feature of the immune response. Thus, any AIDS vaccine containing the gp120 could interfere with the immune system and make people more vulnerable to the virus. There is evidence suggesting that gp120 can interfere with and undermine the immune system and can readily recombine with viruses and bacteria (used as vectors) to generate new pathogens. In the longer term, this could accelerate disease progression in HIV patients that do not yet have symptoms.”

And as Dr. Mae-Wan Ho explains :

“Most AIDS vaccines are based on the HIV glycoprotein gp120, that a number of virologists have warned, not only undermines the immune system of individuals but is also likely to create deadly viruses and bacteria that can spread through entire populations.

“ It turns out that the envelop glycoprotein, gp120, of HIV-1 is similar to the region of human immunoglobulins involved in antigen-binding, a crucial step in the immune response. Thus, any AIDS vaccine containing the glycoprotein or the gene could strongly interfere with the immune system and make it more vulnerable to the virus. And in the long term, it could accelerate disease progression in HIV patients that do not yet have symptoms. Recombinant viruses expressing gp120 could also be a source of potential new pathogens.”


ProdiGene & GM HIV maize vaccine


Dr. Mae-Wan Ho further writes:

But A company in Texas, ProdiGene, is now putting gp120 into GM maize as a ‘cheap, edible oral vaccine’ against HIV. This will surely lead to widespread contamination of our food crops with disastrous consequences, as Vejkovic and I have written in a correspondence now published in the journal. Not only is this extremely hazardous for human beings. It will affect all organisms in the food chain and multiply the opportunities for this gene to recombine with bacteria and viruses in the environment, of which 99% cannot be cultured and are hence completely unknown.”

source : http://www.i-sis.org.uk/gmbiopost.php

ProdiGene, HIV maize vaccine, maize consumption & HIV transmission…

Interestingly, an investigative article carried out further research into the correlation between the conclusions of your report and the GM HIV maize vaccine produced by ProdiGene in 2002.

During the course of his investigative research, Robert Wingfield found that the CEO of the Prodigene – Anthony G Leos - was appointed as head of USAID in 2002 by president George Bush…

USAID, as you already know, is promoting and introducing GMO’s in African agriculture and has been distributing millions of tons of GM maize and other GM food in Africa as (so-called) “food aid “ over the course of the past 15-20 years…
USAID clearly states that among other things, its role is to "integrate GM into local food systems" and "spread agricultural technology through regions of Africa."

As Robert Wingfield writes :

" In summary, we have the president of a company producing HIV tainted strains of corn on the board of an organization ( USAID) that is involved in providing genetically modified crops to sub Saharan Africa, where corn consumption is now being linked to HIV infection rates."

Disturbing fact & link…

Coincidence...?

Could this not be a plausible “ candidate factor “ to consider and research to correlate maize consumption and HIV transmission in Africa…?

The entire article can be read at the following link :

http://www.the3report.com/index.php/blog/hiv_infected_corn_genocide_in_sub_saharan_africa/

Human and animal health risks of pharma & industrial GM “food” crops

And gp120 is not all that’s going into our food crops. Our food crops are being tainted with antibodies, vaccines, and other pharmaceuticals, some of which are known to be harmful to human beings, further writes Dr. Mae-Wan Ho
As UCS writes:

“Many pharma and industrial products could harm humans, livestock, or wildlife if ingested in active forms. Pharma/industrial crops may be a health risk to humans and animals because compounds they produce could end up in the food or feed supply and harm people and animals that consume them.”

Most pharma/industrial crops will be engineered to produce compounds not normally found in food, for example, hormones, vaccines, diagnostic compounds, and plastics. Even products that are already part of the general food supply, such as cellulase, and/or those that are produced in humans and animals themselves, such as lactoferrin, may occur in higher amounts or in different forms in the pharma/industrial crops. As a result, humans and animals may be exposed to new proteins or altered forms or unaccustomed levels of proteins they normally produce or consume.

Certain populations, including young children or elderly adults, may have special sensitivities to some of these compounds. Most of the gene products of pharma/industrial crops are proteins that are new to the plant. These new proteins may be processed in ways that create new allergens or elicit other adverse immune system responses.15 In addition, the new proteins may have anti-nutritional,16 toxic, neurological, hormonal, or other harmful effects.

Pharma crop drugs, in particular, are designed to be biologically active in people or animals, and some may be toxic or harmful if accidentally ingested. Medicines intended to treat certain
medical conditions could prove dangerous to people not suffering from those conditions. For
example, blood thinners may harm people whose blood is normal or already too thin.

Hormones are another serious concern if accidentally consumed because they produce significant physiological effects at very low doses. Some immunological effects may also occur at very low doses.Plant-produced industrial compounds like biodegradable plastics and lubricants, dietary substances like the sweetener brazzein, or accumulated heavy metals may also be harmful if they contaminate the food supply.

My (unanswered) question to you:

In view of the above and given both the health dangers associated with GM pharma & industrial crops and the (high) probability of genetic contamination of both “food aid” maize and other “food aid” crops distributed in Africa - and therefore by ricochet of local maize seeds/crops - by GM pharmaceutical maize/crops ( such as the HIV edible maize vaccine developed by ProdiGEne) and/or by GM industrial maize/crops:

Is it plausible that pharma maize and/or other pharma “food” crops genetically modified to contain the glycoprotein gene gp120 could have inadvertently contaminated US-grown corn and/or other US food crops distributed as “food aid” in Africa, which in turn could have contaminated the local maize seeds/crops…?

Do you not consider these important “ candidate factors” to integrate in your (ongoing) research to correlate maize consumption and HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa…?

Unsurprisingly, I have not heard back from Jonathan H Williams since…

Nevertheless, the TRUTH will reveal itself in due course…I have no doubts about that.

FIELD TRIALS OF GM MAIZE TO BEGIN IN EAST AFRICA

Tragically, while researching this issue, I came accross the following article published in Reuters online on October 15, 2010 which states:

" Confined field trials of genetically modified maize will begin in Kenya and Uganda this year(2010)once regulators approve it, the U.S.-based non-profit African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) said. Trials are also planned for South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Scientists conducted mock trials in simulated conditions in Kenya and Tanzania in 2009. The transgenic maize will now be planted in 1-2 hectare confined fields once Kenya and Uganda give regulatory approval."

The link to the article: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE69D1Q320101015

URGENT ACTIONS TO BE IMMEDIATELY TAKEN BY AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS/COUNTRIES

a) In view of the findings of the above cited scientific study establishing a positive correlation between maize consumption and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa

b) Given both the scientific and the empirical evidence on the inevitability and irreversibility of genetic contamination of food crops by GM, Pharma & Industrial crops

c) Given the scientifically documented human & animal health and environmental hazards resulting from the genetic contamination of food crops by Pharma and/or Industrial GM crops

d) Given that GM maize and other GM "food" crops distributed as "food aid" in Africa originates in the US

e) Given the overwhelming (independent) scientific & empirical evidence on the human & animal health hazards associated with GMO food consumption, and the overwhelming empirical evidence around the world re. their negative socio-economic and environmental consequences

In view of the above (a-e):

African governments/countries must IMMEDIATELY ban or declare a moratorium on both GM food distributed as "food aid" and on all commercial imports of GM foods and immediately halt all confined and open-field testing and growing of GMO's in Africa using the "Precautionary Principle" clause contained in the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which states:

"In order to protect the environment, (and taking into account risks to human and animal health) the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation."


Another often used definition from the Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle states: "When an activity raises threats to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken, even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. In this context, the proponent of an activity, rather than the public, should bear the burden of proof (of the safety of the activity)."

Furthermore, Article 10.6 and 11.8 of the Biosafety Protocol states that : "Lack of scientific certainty due to insufficient relevant scientific information and knowledge regarding the extent of the potential adverse effects of an LMO on biodiversity, taking into account risks to human health, shall not prevent a Party of import from taking a decision, as appropriate, with regard to the import of the LMO in question, in order to avoid or minimize such potential adverse effects."

In addition to banning all GM "food aid", GM food commercial imports and testing and growing of GMO's in Africa, African countries must URGENTLY & IMMEDIATELY carry out genetic tests of local maize seeds/crops cross the continent to determine the genetic make-up of the local maize.

Further appropriate action should be taken based on the results of these tests.

Nothing less than the future survival of the entire African population is at stake...

In fact, GMO's constitute the biggest danger & threat facing the future survival of the African people and are truly the last nail in the coffin of Africa...

THE REAL (hidden) GEOPOLITICAL OBJECTIVES & AGENDA OF THE US ADMINISTRATION AND THE BIOTECH COMPANIES

"CONTROL OIL AND YOU CONTROL NATIONS
CONTROL FOOD AND YOU CONTROL PEOPLE."

Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State under Nixon ( and Nobel Peace Price laureate!)

Of course, the real objectives of the US and the biotech companies are NOT " to fight hunger & poverty" in Africa...

On the contrary...

Food used as a weapon

In fact, GMO’s are used as a “weapon” and a Trojan horse by the biotech industry and the US administration to serve their own economic & financial interests and to achieve their geopolitical agenda.

GMO's: Trojan Horse...

In fact, GMO's are a Trojan horse used by the US administration and the biotech industry to take over complete control over the supply of seeds ( and thus of food ) in Africa and worldwide through the following mechanism:

- Inevitable & irreversible GENETIC CONTAMINATION of traditionnal seeds

- STERILISATION of all contaminates seeds through the use of the jointly US government and Monsanto owned "Terminator Technology " which renders all contaminated seeds sterile.

- PATENTING of all GMO and contaminated seeds.

As a result, Africans farmers will forever lose all their traditional seeds and will be obliged to purchase patented GMO seeds from biotech multinationals every year, thereby making farmers and millions of Africans exclusively and dangerously dependent on a handful of biotech companies to eat and thus to live...

Furthermore, GMO's are NOT intended to "fight hunger and poverty" in Africa". Rather, GMO's will be used to produce agrofuels, industrial and pharmaceutical raw materials and feedstock (using GMO food crops) grown on vast seized tracks of land in Africa for consumption in affluent countries, NOT to produce food for starving Africans...

Thus, GMO's will lead to the biggest recorded FAMINE in the history of Africa & to the GENOCIDE of millions of Africans...!

The root causes of hunger & poverty

Hunger - the worst form of violence - is a direct result of unfair global trading rules and exploitative economic practices and suicidal economic policies imposed on Africa by the IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, blindly followed by so-called african "leaders" and governements which result in abject human poverty and hunger.

There is more than sufficient food to feed everyone in Africa and around the world. The problem lies in its inequitable distribution and in the lack of financial resources required to purchase it by the vast majority of the human population.

Thus, simply increasing food production without addressing the root economic, political and structural causes of poverty and without distributional justice will NOT resolve hunger.

As Mahatma Gandhi rightly stated:

"There is enough food in the world to satisfy everyone's needs but not everyone's greed."

I invite you to read the following article I have written & published on this blog for an overview of the REAL economic, social, health & environmental dangers and consequences of GMO's in agriculture and the (hidden) geopolitical objectives and agenda of the US administration and the biotech companies...

http://yajnacentre.blogspot.com/2009/12/real-consequences-agenda-of-gmos.html

WAKE UP AFRICA BEFORE ITS TOO LATE...!

MAY GOD PROTECT AFRICA.

Thank you for widely sharing this info...

Truthfully,

Arya

" In a world surrounded by deceit, telling the Truth is a revolutionary act." George Orwell