12/05: WLL Newsletter #39 - 12th May 2006 - Part I
CONTENTS:
1. Shell to Sea statement in Response to Advantica Report
2. Issue 3 of INSIGHT Online Journal out now
3. Briefing paper on transgenic trees for CBD
4. Letters:
(a). Andrew St. Ledger on IFCI
(b). Rosita Sweetman on Coillte and FOI
5. In the News:
(a). Local:
Scorch earth policy leaves Hill bare (Southside People)
Clearing the Corrib Fog (Mayo News)
(b). National:
Releasing truth about nursing homes 'crucial' (Independent)
Fees blamed for fall in use of FoI Act by media (Irish Times)
Access to Information (Irish Times)
Former CEO denies role in land deal (Irish Times)
CRH denies taking 5m tonnes of sand from site (Irish Times)
Consultant says Glen Ding land price 'in right order' (Irish Times)
(c). UK:
GM trees are being grown secretly in UK (Independent)
(d). International:
Dying tribe takes on timber giants over lost habitat (Times)
Double Forest Area Under Local Control, Group Says (Reuters)
6. Contact the Woodland League
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1. SHELL TO SEA STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ADVANTICA REPORT
from www.corribsos.com
Wed, 3 May 2006 16:00
Shell to Sea notes today the publication of the final Advantica Report and other documents by Minister Noel Dempsey. The recommendations announced are irrelevant to the resolution of the dispute in North Mayo. Following this Report we are still left with a production pipeline traversing a village and within 70 metres of some homes. Nothing has changed.
The Report amounts to a post-hoc justification of a flawed project despite many of the findings which confirm either the absence or the failure of the regulatory regime governing the Corrib Gas project to date. There is now a failure of courage by the Minister to follow the logic of these flaws and order a comprehensive re-configuration of the project.
The process which produced the Advantica Report was defective resulting in a pre-determined outcome that the pipeline was 'fit for use'. For example, Advantica could not enquire into the development concept used by Shell; could not enquire into development alternatives; could not make
comparative safety findings; and did not comprehensively model the consequences of failure of the production pipeline.
The Advantica Report must be read together with other, more comprehensive studies such as those conducted by Accufacts, Leo Corcoran, Professor Werner Blau and Dr. Dave Aldridge. The cumulative impact of these Reports is to find that Shell's proposed pipeline is entirely inappropriate.
The resolution to the conflict lies in agreement between Shell, their government partners and the local community affected by their project. To date, Shell has made no single alteration to their project on foot of local concerns. Today, the Minister has once again sided with Shell against the vulnerable communities of North Mayo.
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2. INSIGHT JOURNAL
Issue #3 of Insight Journal, the free online Irish Heritage Studies publication is now available:
www.irishinsight.net
This issues' contents include:
The Late Pat Radford on Medieval Mermaid Imagery
Shae Clancy on Sheela-na-Gigs
Stiof MacAmhalghaidh on Cath Maige Tuired
Jill Brady and Lawrence McCaffrey on the History of the Catholic Irish in the US
Ciaran Hughes on the Woodland League (this issues' sponsored link)
Gillies MacBain on Easter Alignments at Knowth
Kieran Jordan on Place Names at Kiltullagh, Co. Galway
Stiof MacAmhalghaidh on Lichens and Rock Art
...and of course the usual bits and bobs - events etc.
Next issue is due out at the end of August 2006, so please get submissions in asap.
Closing date for submissions for Issue 4 is 1 August.
Closing date for submissions for Issue 5 is 10 November.
We like to keep each issue at around 8-12 articles and have seven with us already for August. Don't sit on it!
Submissions to: calraige@eircom.net
Events to: chalresotoole@eircom.net
Web tech issues to: leydens@eircom.net
sin é,
Stiof MacAmhalghaidh
Editor, INSIGHT Journal
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3. BRIEFING PAPER ON TRANSGENIC TREES FOR CBD
http://globaljusticeecology.org/index.php?name=getrees&ID=379
Briefing Paper Issued by Global Justice Ecology Project, EcoNexus, Friends of the Earth International, Global Forest Coalition and World Rainforest Movement:
Briefing Paper on Transgenic Trees - Agenda Point 26.1 - SBSTTA 11 recommendation
"We have no control over the movement of insects, birds and mammals, wind and rain that carry pollen and seeds. Genetically engineered trees, with the potential to transfer pollen for hundreds of miles carrying genes for traits including insect resistance, herbicide resistance, sterility and reduced lignin, thus have the potential to wreak ecological havoc throughout the world's native forests."
--Dr. David Suzuki, The Suzuki Foundation
Non-governmental organizations, social movements, scientists, indigenous groups, farmers, foresters and others are raising the call for a global ban on the commercial release of transgenic trees into the environment. Such release will inevitably and irreversibly contaminate native forest ecosystems, which will themselves become contaminants in an endless cycle. The potential effects of commercial release of transgenic trees include destruction of biodiversity and wildlife, loss of fresh water, desertification of soils, collapse of native forest ecosystems, major changes to ecosystem patterns and severe human health impacts. Despite all of these predictably disastrous consequences, thorough risk assessments of transgenic tree release have not been done.
Rural and indigenous communities in and around countries advancing transgenic tree plantations will bear the greatest burden of the negative impacts of transgenic trees. In particular, GE tree development is moving rapidly forward in Brazil and Chile. China already has widespread and undocumented plantations of transgenic Bt poplar in close proximity to conventional poplar plantations. Experiments carried out by the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science show that contamination is already occurring. The technology is also advancing in India, South Africa and Indonesia, the U.S. and several countries in Europe. Because tree pollen is known to travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers, countries sharing their borders should also be concerned.
To further quote world renown geneticist Dr. David Suzuki:
"GE trees could also impact wildlife as well as rural and indigenous communities that depend on intact forests for their food, shelter, water, livelihood and cultural practices.
"As a geneticist, I believe there are far too many unknowns and unanswered questions to be growing genetically engineered plants ˆ food crops or trees - in open fields. GE trees should not be released into the environment in commercial plantations and any outdoor test plots or existing plantations should be removed."
Human Health Impacts
Potential human health impacts are only beginning to be known. These health risks include exposure to hazardous chemicals that are applied to plantations of transgenic trees and harmful effects of inhaling pollen from trees that produce a Bt toxin (a õ-endotoxin, such as Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac (CHK).
Numerous studies have raised serious questions about the potential health impacts of õ-endotoxins. Work in the U.S. involving farmworkers exposed to Bt sprays found that 2 of 123 had antibodies to the õ-endotoxins Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac (Bernstein et al., 1999). A global expert consultation on how to test for allergenicity of GM foods, held jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) in Rome in January of 2001, recommended that a first step in assessing allergenicity of a transgenic protein should be a comparison of the amino acid sequence of the transgenic protein with the amino acid sequence of known human allergens (FAO/WHO, 2001). Dr. Steven Gendel of the US Food and Drug Administration found that Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac have significant sequence similarity to vitellogenin, a known egg allergen, and concluded that „the similarity between Cry1A(b) and vitellogenin might be sufficient to warrant additional evaluation‰ (Gendel, 1998b: 60). A series of studies published by scientists from Cuba and Mexico found that Cry1Ac is a potent systemic immunogen (e.g. evokes an immune response), as potent an adjuvant as the cholera sub-toxin, binds to gut cells and is capable of causing changes in the permeability of the gut (e.g. Vasquez- Padron et al., 1999a, 1999b, 2000). They concluded, „We think that previous to commercialization of food elaborated with self-insecticide transgenic plants it is necessary to perform toxicological tests to demonstrate the safety of Cry1A proteins for the mucosal tissue and for the immunological system of animals‰ (Vazquez-Padron et al., 2000b: 58). A study by Dutch scientists, utilizing the methodology for sequence similarity recommended by the FAO/WHO 2001 Expert Consultation, found sequence similarity between Cry1Ac and cedar pollen allergen (Kleter and Peijnenburg. 2002). Finally, the risk of immune response via inhalation is larger than the response from ingestion as inhaled substances are not exposed to gut digestive enzymes as they go directly into the circulatory system. In addition, some of the inhaled proteins can make it to the digestive system via the connection between the nasal passage and the esophagus. Unfortunately, implications of all these studies have not been pursued.
Engineering trees to produce Bt toxin could be far more dangerous. Pines are known for heavy pollination, spreading pollen for hundreds of kilometers. Establishment of plantations of pines that produce Bt pollen could potentially lead to widespread outbreaks of sickness.
The impacts on wildlife and humans from consuming Bt plants have not been thoroughly researched. However, animal studies of the effects of Bt published in Natural Toxins found that Bt remains active in mammals that have eaten it and may in fact bind to the intestines, leading to "significant structural disturbances and intestinal growths."
Trees engineered to resist glyphosate-based herbicides (e.g. RoundUp) also pose a threat. Charles Benbrook found use of glyphosate-resistant crops resulting in 300-600% increases in the use of the herbicide. Studies in Oregon found that glyphosate exposure significantly increased the risk of late term spontaneous abortions and De Roos and other authors found an association between glyphosate use and the cancers non-Hodgkins lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
RoundUp is known to persist for up to 360 days in some ecosystems, and is commonly found as a contaminant in rivers. Additionally, studies have found that inhaling RoundUp is much more dangerous than ingesting it orally. RoundUp is commonly sprayed from the air where it can drift into nearby communities.
Effects on Forests and Ecosystems
Trees are being primarily engineered for insect resistance (with the Bt gene), tolerance to glyphosate, reduced lignin, and faster growth. The escape of any of these traits into native forests (considered inevitable given the unreliability of sterility technologies), is likely to unleash devastating impacts on native forest ecosystems. Potential impacts include: Contamination with the Bt-toxin insect resistance will decimate insects sensitive to Bt-toxin, such as Lepidopterae (butterflies and moths), and potentially their predators (Hilbeck, 1998) and further impacting on bird populations, ultimately disrupting forest ecosystems for which insects are an integral component. Contamination with the low-lignin gene resulting in forest trees that cannot resist insects, disease or environmental stresses like wind. Escape of the gene for faster growth leading to transgenic trees out-competing native trees and plants for light, water and nutrients and leading to soil loss and desertification.
Claire Williams, a transgenic tree researcher at Duke University in the U.S. discusses the ramifications:
"∑The pursuit of genetic engineering in forest research is principally corporate, shaped by the imperatives of private investment, market forces and government regulatory institutions. Novel forest tree phenotypes are created as a means to increase shareholder value of investor companies. And although potential benefits will accrue to shareholders, it is clear that ecological risks of certain transgenic traits engineered into trees are likely to be shared by all. Private investment in forest biotechnology is ∑ fueling the creation of novel transgenic phenotypes in trees at a rate that is outstripping public policy deliberation and scientific assessment of environmental concerns specific to trees.
"In contrast to seasonally harvested crops, pollen and seeds from trees disperse without hindrance into their surroundings for many years. As seed and pollen production increase with the age and height of a tree, each year more seed and pollen travel progressively farther by a process known as long-distance dispersal. Most commercially cultivated tree species have many wild relatives that grow in similar locations; thus there is a high potential for mating. Biocontainment zones suited to transgenic food crops cannot deter escape of seeds or pollen... Reproductive sterility research for conifers, a complex problem, remains in its infancy.
"At present, we remain ignorant on numerous aspects of tree biology and ecology that affect whether or not we should proceed. A singular priority for forest research is determining the scale of regulatory oversight for transgenic forest trees. The genetic composition of [the world‚s] indigenous forests is at issue."
G. Sing et al. (1993) found pine pollen in Northern India more than 600km from the nearest pines. Pollen models created in 2004 by Duke University researchers demonstrated pollen from native forests in North Carolina in the U.S. traveling in air currents for more than 1,200km north into eastern Canada. This means that transgenic trees cannot be regulated only at the national level. Transboundary contamination of native forests with transgenic traits is virtually assured. Commercial release of transgenic trees must be addressed at the international level.
Transgenic Trees & Risk Assessment
In July, 2005 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published a report entitled "Preliminary Review of Biotechnology in Forestry Including Genetic Modification." They report 225 outdoor field trials of transgenic trees in 16 countries, with 150 in the United States. The remainder are mostly in Europe: France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Finland and Sweden, as well as in Canada and Australia. Field tests in the developing world are listed in India, South Africa, Indonesia, Chile and Brazil. China is the only country known to have developed commercial plantations of transgenic trees, with well over one million trees planted across ten provinces.
In the FAO study, transgenic tree researchers were surveyed for their opinions about economic, health and environmental risks associated with transgenic trees. Over half of researchers surveyed reported the environmental threat of escape of transgenic pollen or plants into native ecosystems and forests and their impacts on non-target species as a major concern. The FAO‚s report concludes,
„New biotechnologies, in particular genetic modification, raise concerns. Admittedly, many questions remain unanswered for both agricultural crops and trees, and in particular those related to the impact of GM crops on the environment. Given that genetic modification in trees is already entering the commercial phase with GM populus in China, it is very important that environmental risk assessment studies are conducted with protocols and methodologies agreed upon at a national level and an international level. It is also important that the results of such studies are made widely available.‰
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency selected the Tree Genetic Engineering Research Cooperative at Oregon State University to assess the risks of transgenic trees. The head of this program is Steven Strauss, the leading advocate for GE trees in the U.S. and an advocate for the deregulation of GMOs. The impartiality of the risk assessment of this organization is clearly questionable.
Conclusion
The damaging effects of conventional industrial mono-culture tree plantations is already well-documented. The addition of transgenic tree plantations can only worsen these existing problems. Add to this the utter lack of credible risk assessment of transgenic tree release, especially on a global scale, and it becomes a matter of common sense that there must not be any further forward motion in the commercial development of transgenic tree plantations. The UN CBD must impose a moratorium on the technology and launch a thorough and global examination of the risks of this technology.
In conclusion, Dr. Suzuki states, "The rush to apply the ideas of genetic engineering is absolutely dangerous because we don‚t have a clue what the long-term impact of our manipulations is going to be."
CBD COP8 ˆ Agenda point 26.1 - (Forest biodiversity: implementation of the programme of work)
Consideration of SBSTTA recommendation XI/11 (contained in UNEP/CBD/COP/8/3). Recommendation XI/11, paragraph 9 states:
Takes note of the potential impacts of genetically modified trees on forest biological diversity and suggests a process on how to address this issue.
Benbrook, CM. Rust, Resistance, Run Down Soils, and Rising Costs ˆ Problems Facing Soybean Producers in Argentina. Benbrook Consulting Services, Ag BioTech InfoNet, Technical Paper No. 8, Figure 7. (January 2005) http://www.greenpeace.org/multimedia/download/1/715238/0/test.pdf
Bernstein, et al. 1999. Immune responses in farm workers after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives, 107(7): 575-582
Connor, S., McCarthy, M. & Brown, C., The End for GM Crops: Final British Trial Confirms Threat to Wildlife, 3/22/05,
http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=622479&host=3&dir=58
De Roos, AJ et al. Integrative assessment of multiple pesticides as risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among men. Occup Environ Med 2003, 60, E11
De Roos, AJ, et al. Cancer incidence among glyphosate-exposed pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study. Environ Health Perspect 2005, 113, 49-54.
FAO/WHO. 2001. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Allergenicity of Foods Derived from Biotechnology, January, 2001, at http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/risk_biotech_allergen_es.stm
Gendel, S.M. 1998. The use of amino acid sequence alignments to assess potential allergenicity of proteins used in genetically modified foods. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 42: 44-61.
Hardell L, Eriksson M, Nordstrom M. "Exposure to pesticides as risk factor for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma among men," Occup. Environ. Med 2003 60, E11
Hilbeck A, Baumgartner M, Fried PM and Bigler F (1998). Effects of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis corn-fed prey on mortality and development time of immature Chrysoperia carnes (Neuroptera: Chrysoptidae). Environmental Entomology 27:480-496.
Katul, G., from Spacial Modeling of Trangenic Conifer Pollen, a presentation at Landscapes, Genomics and Trangenic Conifer Forests, The Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, 11/18/04
Kleter, G.A. and A.A.C.M Peijnenburg. 2002. Screening of transgenic proteins expressed in transgenic food crops for the presence of short amino acid sequences identical to potential, IgE-binding linear epitopes of allergens. BMC Structural Biology, 2: 8. At www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6807/2/8
Pearce F.,"Altered Trees Hide Out With the Poplars," New Scientist, 9/19/04 p.7
Rubicon CEO Luke Moriarity‚s July, 2005 address to shareholders. www.nx.com/market/market_announcements/by_company?id=108584
Savitz, D.A., Arbuckle, Kaczor D., Curtis, K.M., "Male Pesticide Exposure and Pregnancy Outcome," Am. J. Epidemiol., 2000, 146, pp. 1025-36.
Singh, G. et. al., "Pollen-Rain from Vegetation of Northwest India." New Physiologist, 72, 1993, pp. 191-206.
Suzuki, David. Personal communication, 2/23/05 to Orin Langelle, Global Justice Ecology Project.
Traavik, T. "Bt-Maize During Pollination May Trigger Disease in People Living Near the Cornfield," Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, terjet@genok.org - http://www.mindfully.org/GE/2004/Bt-Corn-Human-Disease24feb04.htm
UN Food and Agriculture Organization Report, Preliminary Review of Biotechnology in Forestry, Including Genetic Modification, December, 2004, Sections: 2.3.3.4; 1.5.1; 2.3.2
Vazquez-Padron, RI, et.al. 1999a. Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac 1999a. Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis induces systemic and mucosal antibody responses in mice. Life Sciences, 64(21): 1897-1912.
Vazquez-Padron RI, et.al. 1999b. Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac protoxin is a potent systemic and mucosal adjuvant. Scandinavian J Immunology 49: 578-584
Vazque-Padron, R.I., et al. 2000. Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis sp. kurstaki HD73 binds to surface proteins in the mouse small intestine. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 271, pp. 54-58
Wilson A., Latham J., Steinbrecher R. "Genome Scrambling - Myth or Reality? Transformation-induced mutations in transgenic crop plants." Technical report, EcoNexus 2004, www.econexus.org
Woods, C., "Here Come the Super Trees: Chile's Genfor Bets that GM Pines can Boost Latin American forestry‚s Bottom Line," Latin Trade, May, 2002, v10;5 p.24
Briefing Paper Issued by Global Justice Ecology Project, EcoNexus, Friends of the Earth International, Global Forest Coalition and World Rainforest Movement.
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4. LETTERS
(a) ANDREW ST LEDGER ON IFCI
To all who have an interest in the certification process of Coillte,
As you will know Coillte’s destructive activities are currently excused by the shield of the FSC ecolabel, which was, perhaps unwittingly, facilitated by some established environment NGOs. I would like to set the record straight as to my participation in the Steering Group (IFCI), which indirectly led to the formation of the Woodland League, particularly in the light of recent comments made about my involvement in IFCI.
The Woodland League have, since 2002, allowed our transparent Agenda 21 led approach to inform interested parties as to the truth within the quagmire that the FSC process has descended in to. The WLL policy is enlightenment/empowerment through sharing information. We are the only stakeholder who has consistently informed the public of our every move and reason behind same. Our website and inclusive non hierarchical public meetings confirm this fact. This point becomes more relevant, when one considers the WLL have received no funding whatsoever from any source. Our volunteers give of their own time and resources to this cause, which shows an unshakeable commitment and passion towards these issues.
The FSC Process was influenced largely by the Forest Principles attached to Agenda 21, both of which were agreed at Rio 1992 by 172 nations, whereby a balancing of the social, environmental and economic aspects of all industries and developments was considered to be the only way to start addressing the huge build up of problems created by unbridled bottom line only based activities since the beginning of the industrial revolution. The fact that FSC is the first attempt to balance these forces in through an ecological certification underlines the true importance of the outcome of the FSC process. We must ensure that it works for all stakeholders as this will be the blueprint and yardstick as more industries seek ecolabelling and as the public become more aware of the damage to their environment via old unsustainable practices. The EU, whose environment laws now supercede our national laws, has agreed to link conservation, protection and enhancement of biodiversity via native trees and plants to its funding programmes from 2007 onwards in order to urgently address the biggest threat to the planet i.e. global warming. This threat can be reduced via major native tree planting programmes. To reforest the hills, coasts and flood plains is a first line of defence - the EU and many global warming experts accept this wisdom implicitly.
Environmentalists in the 60s and 70s argued that exponential growth was not sustainable and was seriously depleting the planets resources, while overloading its ability to deal with pollution and waste. They questioned Western paradigms and criticised the inequitable distribution of wealth and resource use. The corporations who were responsible for creating these problems are now funding environmental groups and controlling the agenda. Many modern environmentalists have swapped outrage for compromise and seem to think one can negotiate with a corporate mentality which includes employee confidentiality clauses, therefore making true consultation null and void. Old style campaigners were squeezed out by professional career environmentalists who were more comfortable negotiating in corporate boardrooms and who presented a more respectable face to the mainstream media.
There is now a revolving door between the world of business and the world of environmental advocacy. If we take the example of Greenpeace - not only have people like former economist Thilo Bode moved from industry to head Greenpeace, but individuals like Paul Gilding, former CEO of Greenpeace International, and Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace, found career opportunities as industry consultants when they left. The formula today, according to Greenpeace ’s web pages, is “We work with industry and government to find solutions”. This seems to be far removed from the earlier Greenpeace formula, which involved raising consciousness of environmental problems at grassroots level. It is in this context that we must examine the FSC process in Ireland, while bearing in mind that the chief sponsor of FSC is the Ford Foundation, which is supported by a huge range of corporations with their profits at any cost structures in place, stronger than ever. The Ford foundation claims to be an independent charity, however a quick study of its corporate supporters and their activities will tell you otherwise.
Coca cola have set up a concentrate facility in a Coillte wood in Ballina, which causes emission problems for the local people, and Shell are attempting to set up a gas refinery against the wishes of local people in a 400 acre Coillte site in Bellanaboy, Rossport, Co. Mayo. These are just two examples of many whereby public forests are being exploited by “big business” and the established environment NGOs have remained silent. FSC was established to prevent these exact scenarios from happening, yet due to the dilution and erosion of its principles, it would appear any forestry operation is now sustainable so long as they can afford to pay the certifier and ultimately FSC. It is fair to say that certification has become a very lucrative business. The fact that the company seeking certification can choose the certifier and pay them directly leaves the system open to corruption. The benefits for business obtaining an ecolabel are enormous not least from the propaganda value (once again the public are disrespected by deception).
In early 2002, the late Dr. Anne Behan asked me to be her nominated replacement on the IFCI steering group to continue to represent the many communities, individuals and some NGOs she was representing. Dr. Behan explained to me her frustration at the lack of progress and the avoidance of many issues which affected local communities at the coalface of plantation problems, not to mention the lack of respect towards seeking legitimately to address the aforementioned problems. I agreed to replace Dr Anne as I was aware of the importance of this process in terms of setting the future agenda of all ecolabelling in .
The first meeting I attended in this capacity, in the environment chamber, was bizarre as I was informed by Caroline Lewis (then Murphy), Declan Little and Ruth McGrath that Dr Behan’s position had been filled by a nomination agreed by FIE and VOICE, a so called forester from England by the name of Steven King. They seemed to think that I would accept this nonsense and turn around to face another two hour drive back home, while accepting the wisdom of attempting to install a person nobody seemed to know too well who could hardly have understood the serious issues facing the many groups that Dr Anne Behan had courageously been articulating for.
I explained the fact that I had an important legitimate mandate to fulfill and under no circumstances was I about to accept this illegal attempt to sideline these issues. After a brief standoff, whereby I asserted my right, this was finally accepted, which raises the question of the legality of the attempt to sideline my inclusion in the first place, particularly when established Environmental NGOs were involved in this underhand behaviour. One would think that the public would be better served by its ENGOs.
Within a couple of months after more obstructionist tactics within IFCI, coupled with apparent financial irregularities, Brendan Kelly and I both resigned in protest with the agreed understanding that we would continue to act as stakeholders for and on behalf of the many and varied groups we had been representing within IFCI. Only this time it would be through the creation of the Woodland League, which would operate independently outside the process, but continue to highlight the major flaws within the certification process.
The Woodland League was established with the full support of Dr Anne Behan, who agreed that this was the only way to ensure an independent voice for the NGOs and communities who were disenfranchised by the IFCI. It is worth pointing out that Caroline Lewis was pushing Steven Kings attempted usurpment of my nomination and he was connected to FIE. It transpired that he was employed in the west cork region in a forestry capacity, and subsequently had to leave the area in controversial circumstances.
This calls into question Ms Lewis’ judgement. I say this in the context of the fact that Ms Lewis, at different stages of the process represented Crann (whose president was a Coillte director for a number of years), An Taisce and FIE, and was listed as a VOICE representative in the list of members of IFCI. At the recent meeting between IFCI and Woodland League, set up by pressure from FSC International, Ken Gill of Crann told the meeting he thought he was the first Crann representative to sit in the IFCI - in other words he was never briefed in regard to Ms Lewis’ and others roles in the process before him, all representing Crann. I spoke to Ian Lumley of An Taisce about Ms Lewis’ role in representing them in the process and he told me An Taisce was never briefed in regard to Ms Lewis’ role. There is a chaotic pattern here which has been unhelpful to progressing the many serious issues which to this day remain unresolved. I hope this correspondence clarifies some of the cloudier issues surrounding this important process, and it is my wish that the real issues can be addressed by a new coalition, with an agreed platform/stance as the only beneficiaries from the chaotic state of affairs to date are Coillte. I would like to think the late Dr Anne Behan would agree. Thank you for your interest.
Andrew St. Ledger
Former member of the IFCI Steering Committee
PRO of the Woodland League
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(b) ROSITA SWEETMAN ON COILLTE AND IFCI
Dear Woodland League,
Thought you might be interested in this, just in.
Best,
Rosita
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Dear Rosita,
Please find attached a question Joe Higgins T.D. put down to the Minister for Finance asking him if he would extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to Coillte. Unfortunately, the Minister states he has no plans to do this.
I will call you to talk about this shortly.
Yours sincerely,
Orla Drohan.
DÁIL QUESTION
NO 194
To ask the Minister for Finance if he will extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 to Coillte. - Joe Higgins.
* For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 26th April, 2006.
Ref No: 15596/06
REPLY
Minister for Finance ( Mr Cowen ) :
I have no proposals at present to extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 to Coillte
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5(a). IN THE NEWS - Local
SCORCH EARTH POLICY LEAVES HILL BARE
A unique Southside forest is being destroyed by ongoing tree felling, it was claimed this week.The State owned forest management company, Coillte, has been told to stop cutting down trees in Ticknock Forest on Three Rock Mountain because it is destroying the landscape and producing little in terms of commercial gain.
Dublin South TD, Eamon Ryan (GP), said the practice is dramatically changing the landscape in the surround area.
He said Ticknock is a unique forest park and few other cities in the world can have such a location with stunning views and quiet forest paths within minutes of a city.
The forest is primarily made up of Sitka Spruce trees, which were planted in the early 1950s. The trees grow well in the poor soil on the high ground of the mountain and are now being felled under the standard measures of the timber industry.
“Some 10 acres of trees have been felled in the last few months and Coillte plan to take out roughly another 20 acres by the end of this year and then return in 2009 to take out more of the forest,” said Deputy Ryan claimed.
“The scorched earth felling policy is leaving behind a barren hilltop with nothing but tree stumps and topped and tailed branches covering the ground. We are turning one of the great recreational spaces in our city into an industrial timber production area.”
Deputy Ryan also claimed that there is little commercial gain from clearing the forest in comparison to the recreational value of the amenity.
“The area of the forest cleared this year will yield some 6,000 cubic metres of timber for the building industry which has a commercial value of less than half a million euro,” he added.
Coillte is a private commercial company, to which the Government provides a licence to fell trees.
Deputy Ryan said the Green Party is calling on the Government to compensate the company for any commercial losses they may suffer in return for an agreement to keep the forest as a recreational resource.
He added that the Green Party had presented a plan for a more integrated approach to the management of the South Dublin hills to Coillte and the relevant local authorities two years ago. However, the party ran into opposition from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on budgetary grounds.
During an adjournment debate in the Dáil last week, Deputy Ryan called on the Minister of State at the Department with responsibility for forestry to take action and make direct contact with Coillte to stop the practice until it is discussed with local politicians.
Responding to Deputy Ryan’s demand, Deputy Mary Wallace (FF) and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food said Coillte has developed a forest management plan for the area, which involves the harvesting and replanting of areas as they mature.
“These management plans have been consulted on with the local community at a public meeting and on an individual basis following any inquiries regarding the plan,” she said.
“The felling operation is not interfering with the public’s use of Ticknock forest except in the immediate vicinity of the harvesting operation where access is restricted for health and safety reasons. I assure the Deputy that the area will be replanted in the spring of 2007.”
Southside People contacted Coillte but they were unavailable for comment on the matter.
(c) Southside People, May 9 '06
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CLEARING THE CORRIB FOG
Liamy McNally on the matters of fact and the facts of the matter
De Facto
Clearing the Corrib fog
To coin a well-used phrase, ‘They haven’t gone away, you know.’ The phrase can be applied to any or all sides in the Corrib gas debate. All hands are still on deck, even if things are still a little hazy. The fog horn still sounds along the route of the Corrib gas project. Fog horns serve a positive purpose, there is hope on the horizon.
Advantica
Last Wednesday, almost four months after he received the final Advantica report, Minister Noel Dempsey released it. Of course the release was ‘managed’ – RTE received the first copy to allow them to ‘prepare’ for a television interview. They are the national broadcaster pleaded the Minister when the unfairness of it was pointed out to him. The rest of us received the report at 1pm and an interview with the Minister at 1.05pm. Speed reading comes with the job! It is just another example of the arrogance of power when dealing with people. The previous Friday certain politicians and quasi-politicians could advise journalists to ‘be ready’ for Tuesday or Wednesday. How is it that the chosen few (always) know what is about to happen?
Wednesday heralded the much-awaited Advantica report. No surprises. It lined up well alongside the draft report from last December. It was being sold by the Minister as a safety review, which it was not, it was a selective review. And, as expected, Shell will accept the findings.
Apologia
Then things started to run like an express train. Rather than spin out the reaction to the Advantica report, Shell ran away into new territory. It issued an apology. It put all the reports in the halfpenny place as the company’s Managing Director, Andy Pyle, admitted that Shell had made mistakes and apologised for the hurt caused to the men who were imprisoned for 94 days and their families. The apology was accepted, with hopes that progress would be next. Then Shell said, in a somewhat roundabout fashion, that all options were on the table. What has been known by many and acknowledged by a few (including some Shell personnel) emerged - Rossport is really out of the picture as a route for the upstream pipeline. The adjacent bay is an option as are other routes. With some reading between the lines the offshore option is on the table, albeit most unwillingly, and probably as a discussion tactic at best. This option has a choice between the deep water and shallow water option. The shallow water option would be a bonanza for Belmullet but too many people were too quick to accept the much-hated land-based option, as proposed at Bellanaboy. There is another land site on the west of Belmullet that would be more suitable from a (human) safety aspect but this was not properly examined as the Coillte site in Bellanaboy was the proverbial gift horse, or so it seemed at the time.
Vindication
Let’s go back! Advantica is a vindication of the stance taken by the Rossport Five, their families and supporters and by the opponents of the Bellanaboy site. They rejected this site and its associated routes as the best option for the terminal many years ago. What the Advantica report does is point out in black and white the serious inadequacies of Shell’s upstream pipeline proposal, along with the serious flaws attached to the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Rossport Five have done Erris, Mayo and the country a service that will never be recognised in the short term. Through their campaign they have ensured, not that the rules are re-written, but that they are written up in the first place. They have ensured that there are rules. Up to now it was a free for all for the oil and gas companies. Now responsibility for upstream pipelines rests with the Commission for Energy Regulation. This is major development. A reduction in the capacity of the Shell pipeline to a maximum of 144 bar is another major victory. Let the Shell apologists stop saying that the maximum pressure going through the pipeline is 120 bar. Let them check the Shell Environmental Impact Statement, if they find the correct one because there were so many.
The debt
And the quasi-politicos and all who are interested in ensuring that the west gets its fair share also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Rossport Five and their families. While there will be a queue to claim the place at the top table for ensuring that CER changed their criteria for providing a gas supply to towns along the gas grid, the reality is that it was the Rossport Five crisis that ensured that these regulations were changed. In effect, the Rossport Five campaign will ensure that Mayo towns receive gas, the flawed project as proposed is less flawed and responsibility for upstream pipelines will now be assumed by a statutory body. To think that no statutory body had responsibility for upstream pipelines before this makes a mockery of this whole project. It also highlights the serious inadequacies within a Department that is charged with encouraging exploration on the one hand and policing it on the other hand. It even raises questions about the role of the local authority, Mayo County Council, in such a project.
The Rossport Five campaign has been a success on all fronts. Their campaign was based on a ‘justice for all’ policy, not a ‘gains for a few’ policy.
Treading softly
There is an opportunity now for all sides to be honest with each other. The Shell to Sea campaign has wound up many local people because of the actions of a few people. This should not deter from the bigger picture which is about ensuring that the gas is brought ashore safely and that Mayo benefits. This is about a long term goal not a short term gain. An apology for wrongdoing also carries with it a duty for reparation. The Corrib gas project can be a win-win project. It is only such a pity that such pain, tears and aggression had to be experienced first.
(c) Mayo News, May 9 '06
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5(b). IN THE NEWS - National
RELEASING TRUTH ABOUT NURSING HOMES 'CRUCIAL'
THE Health Service Executive came under fire from a State watchdog last night over its failure to publish inspection reports on nursing homes.
The HSE was strongly criticised by the Information Commissioner, Emily O'Reilly, for not publishing the reports a full year after the Leas Cross scandal.
Referring to the delays in publishing the health reports, Ms O'Reilly said: "The Leas Cross affair and other controversies show how vital it is that we see how nursing homes are operated."
The HSE still cannot say when the inspection reports will be published. A new inspection process is due to begin next month and recommendations are also due on the information to be made available to the public, a spokesperson said.
Ms O'Reilly also said she wants to see a greater number of important public bodies, including the Garda Siochana, come under the Freedom of Information Act.
She also wants the Central Bank, the National Treasury Management Agency, 33 VECs, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the CAO to be included under the Act.
The police in Britain came under the Act and the "heavens had not fallen", she said. "I am not aware of any great damage that is being done to the English and Scottish police as a result of FOI."
Justice Minister Michael McDowell does not plan to bring the gardai under the Act at the moment as he is focusing on such reforms as the Garda Ombudsman, Inspectorate and tribunals.
Purposes
"However, he will review An Garda Siochana as a body for the purposes of FOI in 2007," a spokesman said.
Plans to include an extra 100 bodies under the FOI were recently announced, a spokesman for Finance Minister Brian Cowen said.
"This will bring from 67 to 500 the number of bodies covered by the FOI over the life of this government and the previous government," a spokesman said.
Launching her annual report, Ms O'Reilly said the number of FOI requests last year was 14,600, up 16pc on 2004.
But the number of requests had decreased since the Government brought in a €15 charge per application.
FOI requests from journalists have dropped to 6.5pc of all requests, compared to 20pc of requests five years ago.
Meanwhile, a state agency last night rejected an accusation from the Information Commissioner that its conduct was "particularly unacceptable" when it claimed that it wasn't under the control of any government department.
Objection
Coillte made the claim in an objection to a Freedom of Information Act request which was seeking details of a land sale.
The FOI request went through the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, whom Ms O'Reilly also criticised.
Coillte is a private company under the law but all of its shares are held by the Government and the board of directors is appointed by ministers.
Coillte's failure to mention the European Court of Justice rejection of its status as a private company was described by Emily O'Reilly as "unfortunate at best".
However, Coillte last night said it respected the Commissioners' position but rejected the criticism.
"We wouldn't accept that. We believe we approached the matter in a reasonable fashion," a spokesman said.
Fionnan Sheahan
(c) Independent, May 12 '06
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FEES BLAMED FOR FALL IN USE OF FOI ACT BY MEDIA
Use of the Freedom of Information Act by journalists has dropped to an all-time low, according to Information Commissioner Emily O'Reilly.
Fewer than 1,000 Freedom of Information requests were made by journalists last year, compared to over 3,000 in 2001, a trend Ms O'Reilly blamed on the introduction of fees in 2003.
Delivering her third annual report as Information Commissioner, Ms O'Reilly said ways would have to be found to encourage the media to make greater use of the Act. Overall use of the Act remains static, except for a surge of applications to the Department of Education from former residents of institutions.
Ms O'Reilly described the continued exclusion of the Garda Síochána and other public bodies from the remit of the Freedom of Information Act as "quite extraordinary". Expressing disappointment that a number of bodies remain outside the scope of the Act nine years after it was introduced, she also singled out the Garda Ombudsman, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and Refugee Appeals Tribunal, the Central Bank, the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the 33 Vocational Education Committees, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Central Applications Office.
Ms O'Reilly said she didn't think the Garda had anything to fear from the Freedom of Information Act. The British police were covered by similar legislation, she pointed out, and "the heavens haven't fallen in".
The number of Freedom of Information requests made to public bodies last year was 14,616, a 16 per cent increase on the previous year but 21 per cent down on 2003. Last year's increase is almost entirely accounted for by applications to the Department of Education for records by people applying to the Residential Institutions Redress Board.
Ms O'Reilly said the introduction of fees had caused a significant change in user behaviour. Before fees were introduced, Freedom of Information requests were split evenly between personal information and non-personal information (sought by, for example, journalists). Now, three times as many requests for personal information are received compared to non-personal information.
She criticised the "extraordinary" behaviour of the State forestry body Coillte, who had argued it was a private company to avoid disclosing information.
She said Coillte had failed to mention the binding judgment of the European Court of Justice which totally rejected its claim to be a private company, she said. "It was a perfectly reasonably request and yet they fought it in this bizarre way," she said.
The Office of the Information Commissioner reviewed 447 Freedom of Information appeals last year, leaving a backlog of 339 cases. Ms O'Reilly said this represented a significant reduction in the backlog, with a further improvement expected this year.
© The Irish Times, May 12 '06
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ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The need for good governance and accountability, and the positive role played by the Freedom of Information Act in providing access to decisions by politicians and public bodies, has been emphasised once again by the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner, Emily O'Reilly.
In spite of her efforts to engage the attention of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, however, she appears to be engaged in a dialogue of the deaf.
Two years ago, the Taoiseach acknowledged that new charges imposed by his Government should be reviewed because of their negative impact on the operation of the Act, where public requests for information had fallen by one-third. But nothing has changed, in spite of the Ombudsman's promptings and a critical report on the fees adopted by the Council of Europe. The number of applications for information did increase last year, but is still 21 per cent below the 2003 figure. And the percentage of journalists' requests has fallen by two-thirds.
Time and again, it has been shown that transparency and accountability are vital ingredients in effective government. Such features reassure and empower the citizen while encouraging public servants and politicians to behave ethically and responsibly. That is why it is important the Government should now signal its approval of the Act by reducing charges and extending its remit. Otherwise, it will offer implicit approval to those agencies, such as Coillte and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources that sought to thwart the work of the Ombudsman.
Traditions of secrecy and obfuscation are slow to change in the public service. Ms O'Reilly noted that a ruling by her predecessor on the release of school inspection reports, which had been strongly opposed by the Department of Education, was now acceptable to the Minister. And while the Health Service Executive had undertaken to publish its inspection reports on private nursing homes last year, that had not yet happened. Such action should be undertaken speedily, she suggested, because of the public interest in the documents.
Originally, it was agreed that the decisions and records of all State agencies would be exposed to scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act, subject to security and other considerations. But progress in extending the remit of the Act to these bodies has been slow and halting. The Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, announced he would extend its jurisdiction to a further 109 organisations late last year. But the Ombudsman has expressed concern that public bodies of considerable significance will remain outside its scope. The sooner that situation changes, the better.
© The Irish Times, May 12 '06
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FORMER CEO DENIES ROLE IN LAND DEAL
Moriarty tribunal: The former chairman and chief executive of the CRH group, Tony Barry, said he played no role in negotiating the purchase of property at Glen Ding, Co Wicklow, in 1990.
The 145-acre site was bought from the Department of Energy for £1.25 million and the tribunal is inquiring into whether the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey, or his financial adviser, the late Des Traynor, played any role in the sale.
Mr Barry told John Coughlan SC, for the tribunal, that he was never asked to, and never gave any assistance to the CRH subsidiary, Roadstone Ireland Ltd, in relation to its purchase of the site. As far as he was aware, Mr Traynor likewise played no part in negotiating the sale.
Mr Barry said that in 1990 he was told that the purchase had been agreed subject to approval by the CRH board and his only role was to bring the proposal to the acquisitions committee of that board. Mr Traynor chaired the committee, but Mr Barry said that to his knowledge Mr Traynor played no other role.
Mr Barry said he been an account holder with Ansbacher Cayman and occasionally give sterling cheques to Mr Traynor for lodgement. The cheques were foreign currency dividends that were included in his income tax returns, he said.
He said he did not know at the time that any other directors of CRH had a banking relationship with Mr Traynor. He said that he had not known that Mr Traynor was running a banking operation from the CRH office in Dublin.
Mr Coughlan said that at different stages eight CRH directors or senior executives made use of the Ansbacher service. He asked what Mr Barry would say to the suggestion that it was incredible that this involvement had been compartmentalised, and that there was no collective knowledge of the Ansbacher operation.
"I can understand how third parties looking in might think that," said Mr Barry. But it was his experience that no other director discussed his banking arrangements with him, and likewise he never discussed his affairs with anyone else.
The tribunal adjourned to a date to be announced.
© The Irish Times, May 12 '06
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CRH DENIES TAKING 5M TONNES OF SAND FROM SITE
Moriarty tribunal: The Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) subsidiary which bought 145 acres at Glen Ding Wood, Co Wicklow, from the State for £1.25 million in 1990, has to date extracted less than 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the site, the tribunal heard.
CRH executive Donal Dempsey returned to the witness box yesterday to respond to evidence given by minerals expert John Barnett on Tuesday. Mr Barnett had said five million tonnes of material had been withdrawn.
However, Mr Dempsey told Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal, that five million tonnes had not been taken out of the new land.
He said CRH subsidiary Roadstone Dublin Ltd had planning permission for 15 acres of the site and had taken "less than half a million tonnes" from the former State lands.
Mr Dempsey, who is now chief executive of a European CRH group company, was at the time of the purchase financial director of Roadstone Dublin. He agreed with Mr Healy that the material extracted included some for which Roadstone "got in trouble" over planning issues. The land was sold without permission for sand and gravel extraction.
Mr Healy asked him about an environmental impact statement that formed part of one of Roadstone's applications to develop 80 acres in the site. The statement referred to withdrawing not more than 800,000 tonnes per year, for 15 years. On one reading this could indicate a total for the 80 acres of 12 million tonnes, Mr Healy said. At the time of the sale in 1990, Mr Barnett told the Department of Energy he estimated that the 85 acres of the site contained 6.7 million tonnes of usable material.
However Mr Dempsey said the 800,000 figure was designed to give Roadstone flexibility. It did not mean the company believed the 80 acres contained 12 million tonnes of sand and gravel. The tribunal resumes today with a new witness.
© The Irish Times, May 11 '05
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CONSULTANT SAYS GLEN DING LAND PRICE 'RIGHT IN ORDER'
Moriarty tribunal: An English consultant engaged to estimate the value of land at Glen Ding Wood in Co Wicklow has told the tribunal, in a report, that the value obtained was "in the right order".
However, in his report Christopher Lockwood, a partner with GVA Grimley property advisers, said it would have been better if the Department of Energy had invited other potentially interested parties to bid for the site rather than sell it privately to Roadstone Dublin Ltd.
Roadstone, a subsidiary of the CRH group, bought the site for its sand and gravel content. It agreed a £1.25 million (€1.82 million) price for the 145-acre site, without planning permission, in December 1990.
The tribunal is inquiring into the sale because at the time the late Des Traynor was chairman of CRH and Charles Haughey was taoiseach. Mr Traynor organised Mr Haughey's finances for more than 20 years.
In his report, part of which was displayed during yesterday's hearing, Mr Lockwood said "you cannot be sure you achieve market value" if you deal with only one party.
The tribunal was told yesterday by minerals expert John Barnett that Roadstone has to date removed five million tonnes of sand and gravel from the site. Last week the tribunal heard from CRH witnesses that planning permission for only 15 acres from the 145-acre site had so far been granted.
Mr Lockwood's report notes that one million tonnes were removed from the site in 1995 by Roadstone. It has been reported that material had been removed from the site without planning permission.
In a report for the department in 1990, Mr Barnett estimated that planning permission for extraction was only likely for 85 acres of the 145-acre site. On this basis he gave the site a value of £1.3 million, with planning permission, and £860,000 without planning permission.
Kiaran O'Malley, who gave advice to the department on the planning aspect of the site, told Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal, that he developed "serious concerns" about the planning issue.
Getting planning would have increased the value of the site, but being refused would have been "fatal", he said.
Mr Barnett and Mr O'Malley attended a meeting with departmental officials in October 1990. Mr O'Malley expressed the view that without planning permission he could not see anyone bidding more than £400,000 for the site, other than Roadstone, who might bid £600,000.
A memo of the meeting recorded that when told of a £1.1 million offer from Roadstone, with £400,000 being conditional on planning permission, Mr Barnett "strongly advised" that a sale to Roadstone be negotiated. It was felt that as Roadstone had an adjacent site, it would be better able to get planning permission.
The tribunal resumes today with a new witness.
© The Irish Times, May 10 '06
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5(c). IN THE NEWS - UK
GM TREES ARE BEING GROWN SECRETLY IN THE UK
They are 'somewhere in Dundee'. But they won't say where. Could it be because of a damning UN verdict?
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
Governments worldwide have issued an unprecedented warning about the greatest biotech hazards so far: GM trees. Trees modified to grow faster, yield better wood, produce whiter paper, resist pests and disease and tolerate herbicides are increasingly being cultivated.
Elms resistant to Dutch elm disease are being grown in Dundee, Scotland. But the scientists involved will not say precisely where they are, or even exactly how many of them are being grown.
The Government was forced to admit for the first time last week that GM poplar, apple and eucalyptus trees have been cultivated outdoors in Berkshire, Derbyshire and Kent.
The admission came after warnings about such trees from ministers from over 100 countries at a UN conference in Curitiba, Brazil. They urged a "precautionary approach" towards them after hearing that they could "wreak ecological havoc throughout the world's forests".
Some 16 countries around the world are developing GM trees, and more than a million have already been planted in China. At least 24 species, from papaya to silver birch, from olive to teak, have already been modified; the most commonly treated are poplar, pine and eucalyptus.
The process can speed growth: GM poplars can grow four times faster than traditional softwood trees used for timber and paper. It has also reduced their content of lignin, which strengthens trees but make the wood harder to pulp and whiten for paper.
Other modifications enable them to produce their own pesticides to fight off insects, to resist diseases and to enable them to endure heavy doses of herbicides so that plantations can be drenched to kill weeds without harming the trees.
A GM orange tree, developed in Spain, bears fruit after only one year of life, instead of six. Danish scientists have worked on modified Christmas trees, with a view to developing specimens whose needles do not fall off. And in the boldest suggestion yet, an American professor has suggested that trees could be modified to make the moon habitable by growing "huge greenhouses over their heads". But the ministers in Brazil were concerned that genes from the modified trees could spread great distances on the wind and across national boundaries. Tree pollen can travel up to 2,000 km. And, because trees can live for centuries, modified examples pose a long-term threat to the world's forests. Contamination by genes conferring fast growth, for example, could make some forest trees crowd out other species; genes that produce insecticides could decimate rainforest ecosystems, the richest on earth; and genes that reduce lignin could make trees more vulnerable to pests.
The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs denied late last week that GM trees had ever been grown in the open in Britain, until given details by The Independent on Sunday.
All the plantations have either been destroyed by protesters or cut down at the end of the experiments. Britain's only GM trees are now elms, resistant to Dutch elm disease and being grown in "a controlled environment" somewhere in Dundee.
The scientists developing them say they will not plant any outside because they fear "terrorism" by protesters. They will not disclose precisely where they are or give details of the numbers, but confirm that there are "more than a hundred" of them.
Elm
Being grown at a secret indoor location by Abertay University scientists and modified to be resistant to Dutch elm disease. The scientists hope the trees will in time replace the 20 million taken from the British landscape by the disease.
Poplar
Grown at Jealotts Hill Research Station at Bracknell, Berks, and modified so that the wood is whiter for making paper. Most, grown by the biotech firm Zeneca, were destroyed by protesters, but a few were successfully harvested.
Eucalyptus
Grown by Shell Research Ltd at Sittingbourne and West Malling, both in Kent. The tree was modified to resist the use of herbicides, as in most current GM crops. The experiment is now over.
Apple
Greensleeves and Jonagold apple trees, modified to resist insect pests and fungal diseases, were grown by the University of Derby, but destroyed by protesters.
(c) Independent, April 30 '06
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Continued at
http://www.woodlandleague.org/newsletter/index.php?itemid=52
1. Shell to Sea statement in Response to Advantica Report
2. Issue 3 of INSIGHT Online Journal out now
3. Briefing paper on transgenic trees for CBD
4. Letters:
(a). Andrew St. Ledger on IFCI
(b). Rosita Sweetman on Coillte and FOI
5. In the News:
(a). Local:
Scorch earth policy leaves Hill bare (Southside People)
Clearing the Corrib Fog (Mayo News)
(b). National:
Releasing truth about nursing homes 'crucial' (Independent)
Fees blamed for fall in use of FoI Act by media (Irish Times)
Access to Information (Irish Times)
Former CEO denies role in land deal (Irish Times)
CRH denies taking 5m tonnes of sand from site (Irish Times)
Consultant says Glen Ding land price 'in right order' (Irish Times)
(c). UK:
GM trees are being grown secretly in UK (Independent)
(d). International:
Dying tribe takes on timber giants over lost habitat (Times)
Double Forest Area Under Local Control, Group Says (Reuters)
6. Contact the Woodland League
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1. SHELL TO SEA STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO ADVANTICA REPORT
from www.corribsos.com
Wed, 3 May 2006 16:00
Shell to Sea notes today the publication of the final Advantica Report and other documents by Minister Noel Dempsey. The recommendations announced are irrelevant to the resolution of the dispute in North Mayo. Following this Report we are still left with a production pipeline traversing a village and within 70 metres of some homes. Nothing has changed.
The Report amounts to a post-hoc justification of a flawed project despite many of the findings which confirm either the absence or the failure of the regulatory regime governing the Corrib Gas project to date. There is now a failure of courage by the Minister to follow the logic of these flaws and order a comprehensive re-configuration of the project.
The process which produced the Advantica Report was defective resulting in a pre-determined outcome that the pipeline was 'fit for use'. For example, Advantica could not enquire into the development concept used by Shell; could not enquire into development alternatives; could not make
comparative safety findings; and did not comprehensively model the consequences of failure of the production pipeline.
The Advantica Report must be read together with other, more comprehensive studies such as those conducted by Accufacts, Leo Corcoran, Professor Werner Blau and Dr. Dave Aldridge. The cumulative impact of these Reports is to find that Shell's proposed pipeline is entirely inappropriate.
The resolution to the conflict lies in agreement between Shell, their government partners and the local community affected by their project. To date, Shell has made no single alteration to their project on foot of local concerns. Today, the Minister has once again sided with Shell against the vulnerable communities of North Mayo.
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2. INSIGHT JOURNAL
Issue #3 of Insight Journal, the free online Irish Heritage Studies publication is now available:
www.irishinsight.net
This issues' contents include:
The Late Pat Radford on Medieval Mermaid Imagery
Shae Clancy on Sheela-na-Gigs
Stiof MacAmhalghaidh on Cath Maige Tuired
Jill Brady and Lawrence McCaffrey on the History of the Catholic Irish in the US
Ciaran Hughes on the Woodland League (this issues' sponsored link)
Gillies MacBain on Easter Alignments at Knowth
Kieran Jordan on Place Names at Kiltullagh, Co. Galway
Stiof MacAmhalghaidh on Lichens and Rock Art
...and of course the usual bits and bobs - events etc.
Next issue is due out at the end of August 2006, so please get submissions in asap.
Closing date for submissions for Issue 4 is 1 August.
Closing date for submissions for Issue 5 is 10 November.
We like to keep each issue at around 8-12 articles and have seven with us already for August. Don't sit on it!
Submissions to: calraige@eircom.net
Events to: chalresotoole@eircom.net
Web tech issues to: leydens@eircom.net
sin é,
Stiof MacAmhalghaidh
Editor, INSIGHT Journal
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3. BRIEFING PAPER ON TRANSGENIC TREES FOR CBD
http://globaljusticeecology.org/index.php?name=getrees&ID=379
Briefing Paper Issued by Global Justice Ecology Project, EcoNexus, Friends of the Earth International, Global Forest Coalition and World Rainforest Movement:
Briefing Paper on Transgenic Trees - Agenda Point 26.1 - SBSTTA 11 recommendation
"We have no control over the movement of insects, birds and mammals, wind and rain that carry pollen and seeds. Genetically engineered trees, with the potential to transfer pollen for hundreds of miles carrying genes for traits including insect resistance, herbicide resistance, sterility and reduced lignin, thus have the potential to wreak ecological havoc throughout the world's native forests."
--Dr. David Suzuki, The Suzuki Foundation
Non-governmental organizations, social movements, scientists, indigenous groups, farmers, foresters and others are raising the call for a global ban on the commercial release of transgenic trees into the environment. Such release will inevitably and irreversibly contaminate native forest ecosystems, which will themselves become contaminants in an endless cycle. The potential effects of commercial release of transgenic trees include destruction of biodiversity and wildlife, loss of fresh water, desertification of soils, collapse of native forest ecosystems, major changes to ecosystem patterns and severe human health impacts. Despite all of these predictably disastrous consequences, thorough risk assessments of transgenic tree release have not been done.
Rural and indigenous communities in and around countries advancing transgenic tree plantations will bear the greatest burden of the negative impacts of transgenic trees. In particular, GE tree development is moving rapidly forward in Brazil and Chile. China already has widespread and undocumented plantations of transgenic Bt poplar in close proximity to conventional poplar plantations. Experiments carried out by the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science show that contamination is already occurring. The technology is also advancing in India, South Africa and Indonesia, the U.S. and several countries in Europe. Because tree pollen is known to travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers, countries sharing their borders should also be concerned.
To further quote world renown geneticist Dr. David Suzuki:
"GE trees could also impact wildlife as well as rural and indigenous communities that depend on intact forests for their food, shelter, water, livelihood and cultural practices.
"As a geneticist, I believe there are far too many unknowns and unanswered questions to be growing genetically engineered plants ˆ food crops or trees - in open fields. GE trees should not be released into the environment in commercial plantations and any outdoor test plots or existing plantations should be removed."
Human Health Impacts
Potential human health impacts are only beginning to be known. These health risks include exposure to hazardous chemicals that are applied to plantations of transgenic trees and harmful effects of inhaling pollen from trees that produce a Bt toxin (a õ-endotoxin, such as Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac (CHK).
Numerous studies have raised serious questions about the potential health impacts of õ-endotoxins. Work in the U.S. involving farmworkers exposed to Bt sprays found that 2 of 123 had antibodies to the õ-endotoxins Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac (Bernstein et al., 1999). A global expert consultation on how to test for allergenicity of GM foods, held jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) in Rome in January of 2001, recommended that a first step in assessing allergenicity of a transgenic protein should be a comparison of the amino acid sequence of the transgenic protein with the amino acid sequence of known human allergens (FAO/WHO, 2001). Dr. Steven Gendel of the US Food and Drug Administration found that Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac have significant sequence similarity to vitellogenin, a known egg allergen, and concluded that „the similarity between Cry1A(b) and vitellogenin might be sufficient to warrant additional evaluation‰ (Gendel, 1998b: 60). A series of studies published by scientists from Cuba and Mexico found that Cry1Ac is a potent systemic immunogen (e.g. evokes an immune response), as potent an adjuvant as the cholera sub-toxin, binds to gut cells and is capable of causing changes in the permeability of the gut (e.g. Vasquez- Padron et al., 1999a, 1999b, 2000). They concluded, „We think that previous to commercialization of food elaborated with self-insecticide transgenic plants it is necessary to perform toxicological tests to demonstrate the safety of Cry1A proteins for the mucosal tissue and for the immunological system of animals‰ (Vazquez-Padron et al., 2000b: 58). A study by Dutch scientists, utilizing the methodology for sequence similarity recommended by the FAO/WHO 2001 Expert Consultation, found sequence similarity between Cry1Ac and cedar pollen allergen (Kleter and Peijnenburg. 2002). Finally, the risk of immune response via inhalation is larger than the response from ingestion as inhaled substances are not exposed to gut digestive enzymes as they go directly into the circulatory system. In addition, some of the inhaled proteins can make it to the digestive system via the connection between the nasal passage and the esophagus. Unfortunately, implications of all these studies have not been pursued.
Engineering trees to produce Bt toxin could be far more dangerous. Pines are known for heavy pollination, spreading pollen for hundreds of kilometers. Establishment of plantations of pines that produce Bt pollen could potentially lead to widespread outbreaks of sickness.
The impacts on wildlife and humans from consuming Bt plants have not been thoroughly researched. However, animal studies of the effects of Bt published in Natural Toxins found that Bt remains active in mammals that have eaten it and may in fact bind to the intestines, leading to "significant structural disturbances and intestinal growths."
Trees engineered to resist glyphosate-based herbicides (e.g. RoundUp) also pose a threat. Charles Benbrook found use of glyphosate-resistant crops resulting in 300-600% increases in the use of the herbicide. Studies in Oregon found that glyphosate exposure significantly increased the risk of late term spontaneous abortions and De Roos and other authors found an association between glyphosate use and the cancers non-Hodgkins lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
RoundUp is known to persist for up to 360 days in some ecosystems, and is commonly found as a contaminant in rivers. Additionally, studies have found that inhaling RoundUp is much more dangerous than ingesting it orally. RoundUp is commonly sprayed from the air where it can drift into nearby communities.
Effects on Forests and Ecosystems
Trees are being primarily engineered for insect resistance (with the Bt gene), tolerance to glyphosate, reduced lignin, and faster growth. The escape of any of these traits into native forests (considered inevitable given the unreliability of sterility technologies), is likely to unleash devastating impacts on native forest ecosystems. Potential impacts include: Contamination with the Bt-toxin insect resistance will decimate insects sensitive to Bt-toxin, such as Lepidopterae (butterflies and moths), and potentially their predators (Hilbeck, 1998) and further impacting on bird populations, ultimately disrupting forest ecosystems for which insects are an integral component. Contamination with the low-lignin gene resulting in forest trees that cannot resist insects, disease or environmental stresses like wind. Escape of the gene for faster growth leading to transgenic trees out-competing native trees and plants for light, water and nutrients and leading to soil loss and desertification.
Claire Williams, a transgenic tree researcher at Duke University in the U.S. discusses the ramifications:
"∑The pursuit of genetic engineering in forest research is principally corporate, shaped by the imperatives of private investment, market forces and government regulatory institutions. Novel forest tree phenotypes are created as a means to increase shareholder value of investor companies. And although potential benefits will accrue to shareholders, it is clear that ecological risks of certain transgenic traits engineered into trees are likely to be shared by all. Private investment in forest biotechnology is ∑ fueling the creation of novel transgenic phenotypes in trees at a rate that is outstripping public policy deliberation and scientific assessment of environmental concerns specific to trees.
"In contrast to seasonally harvested crops, pollen and seeds from trees disperse without hindrance into their surroundings for many years. As seed and pollen production increase with the age and height of a tree, each year more seed and pollen travel progressively farther by a process known as long-distance dispersal. Most commercially cultivated tree species have many wild relatives that grow in similar locations; thus there is a high potential for mating. Biocontainment zones suited to transgenic food crops cannot deter escape of seeds or pollen... Reproductive sterility research for conifers, a complex problem, remains in its infancy.
"At present, we remain ignorant on numerous aspects of tree biology and ecology that affect whether or not we should proceed. A singular priority for forest research is determining the scale of regulatory oversight for transgenic forest trees. The genetic composition of [the world‚s] indigenous forests is at issue."
G. Sing et al. (1993) found pine pollen in Northern India more than 600km from the nearest pines. Pollen models created in 2004 by Duke University researchers demonstrated pollen from native forests in North Carolina in the U.S. traveling in air currents for more than 1,200km north into eastern Canada. This means that transgenic trees cannot be regulated only at the national level. Transboundary contamination of native forests with transgenic traits is virtually assured. Commercial release of transgenic trees must be addressed at the international level.
Transgenic Trees & Risk Assessment
In July, 2005 the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published a report entitled "Preliminary Review of Biotechnology in Forestry Including Genetic Modification." They report 225 outdoor field trials of transgenic trees in 16 countries, with 150 in the United States. The remainder are mostly in Europe: France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Portugal, Finland and Sweden, as well as in Canada and Australia. Field tests in the developing world are listed in India, South Africa, Indonesia, Chile and Brazil. China is the only country known to have developed commercial plantations of transgenic trees, with well over one million trees planted across ten provinces.
In the FAO study, transgenic tree researchers were surveyed for their opinions about economic, health and environmental risks associated with transgenic trees. Over half of researchers surveyed reported the environmental threat of escape of transgenic pollen or plants into native ecosystems and forests and their impacts on non-target species as a major concern. The FAO‚s report concludes,
„New biotechnologies, in particular genetic modification, raise concerns. Admittedly, many questions remain unanswered for both agricultural crops and trees, and in particular those related to the impact of GM crops on the environment. Given that genetic modification in trees is already entering the commercial phase with GM populus in China, it is very important that environmental risk assessment studies are conducted with protocols and methodologies agreed upon at a national level and an international level. It is also important that the results of such studies are made widely available.‰
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency selected the Tree Genetic Engineering Research Cooperative at Oregon State University to assess the risks of transgenic trees. The head of this program is Steven Strauss, the leading advocate for GE trees in the U.S. and an advocate for the deregulation of GMOs. The impartiality of the risk assessment of this organization is clearly questionable.
Conclusion
The damaging effects of conventional industrial mono-culture tree plantations is already well-documented. The addition of transgenic tree plantations can only worsen these existing problems. Add to this the utter lack of credible risk assessment of transgenic tree release, especially on a global scale, and it becomes a matter of common sense that there must not be any further forward motion in the commercial development of transgenic tree plantations. The UN CBD must impose a moratorium on the technology and launch a thorough and global examination of the risks of this technology.
In conclusion, Dr. Suzuki states, "The rush to apply the ideas of genetic engineering is absolutely dangerous because we don‚t have a clue what the long-term impact of our manipulations is going to be."
CBD COP8 ˆ Agenda point 26.1 - (Forest biodiversity: implementation of the programme of work)
Consideration of SBSTTA recommendation XI/11 (contained in UNEP/CBD/COP/8/3). Recommendation XI/11, paragraph 9 states:
Takes note of the potential impacts of genetically modified trees on forest biological diversity and suggests a process on how to address this issue.
Benbrook, CM. Rust, Resistance, Run Down Soils, and Rising Costs ˆ Problems Facing Soybean Producers in Argentina. Benbrook Consulting Services, Ag BioTech InfoNet, Technical Paper No. 8, Figure 7. (January 2005) http://www.greenpeace.org/multimedia/download/1/715238/0/test.pdf
Bernstein, et al. 1999. Immune responses in farm workers after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives, 107(7): 575-582
Connor, S., McCarthy, M. & Brown, C., The End for GM Crops: Final British Trial Confirms Threat to Wildlife, 3/22/05,
http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=622479&host=3&dir=58
De Roos, AJ et al. Integrative assessment of multiple pesticides as risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among men. Occup Environ Med 2003, 60, E11
De Roos, AJ, et al. Cancer incidence among glyphosate-exposed pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study. Environ Health Perspect 2005, 113, 49-54.
FAO/WHO. 2001. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Allergenicity of Foods Derived from Biotechnology, January, 2001, at http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/risk_biotech_allergen_es.stm
Gendel, S.M. 1998. The use of amino acid sequence alignments to assess potential allergenicity of proteins used in genetically modified foods. Advances in Food and Nutrition Research, 42: 44-61.
Hardell L, Eriksson M, Nordstrom M. "Exposure to pesticides as risk factor for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma among men," Occup. Environ. Med 2003 60, E11
Hilbeck A, Baumgartner M, Fried PM and Bigler F (1998). Effects of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis corn-fed prey on mortality and development time of immature Chrysoperia carnes (Neuroptera: Chrysoptidae). Environmental Entomology 27:480-496.
Katul, G., from Spacial Modeling of Trangenic Conifer Pollen, a presentation at Landscapes, Genomics and Trangenic Conifer Forests, The Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, 11/18/04
Kleter, G.A. and A.A.C.M Peijnenburg. 2002. Screening of transgenic proteins expressed in transgenic food crops for the presence of short amino acid sequences identical to potential, IgE-binding linear epitopes of allergens. BMC Structural Biology, 2: 8. At www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6807/2/8
Pearce F.,"Altered Trees Hide Out With the Poplars," New Scientist, 9/19/04 p.7
Rubicon CEO Luke Moriarity‚s July, 2005 address to shareholders. www.nx.com/market/market_announcements/by_company?id=108584
Savitz, D.A., Arbuckle, Kaczor D., Curtis, K.M., "Male Pesticide Exposure and Pregnancy Outcome," Am. J. Epidemiol., 2000, 146, pp. 1025-36.
Singh, G. et. al., "Pollen-Rain from Vegetation of Northwest India." New Physiologist, 72, 1993, pp. 191-206.
Suzuki, David. Personal communication, 2/23/05 to Orin Langelle, Global Justice Ecology Project.
Traavik, T. "Bt-Maize During Pollination May Trigger Disease in People Living Near the Cornfield," Norwegian Institute of Gene Ecology, terjet@genok.org - http://www.mindfully.org/GE/2004/Bt-Corn-Human-Disease24feb04.htm
UN Food and Agriculture Organization Report, Preliminary Review of Biotechnology in Forestry, Including Genetic Modification, December, 2004, Sections: 2.3.3.4; 1.5.1; 2.3.2
Vazquez-Padron, RI, et.al. 1999a. Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac 1999a. Intragastric and intraperitoneal administration of Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis induces systemic and mucosal antibody responses in mice. Life Sciences, 64(21): 1897-1912.
Vazquez-Padron RI, et.al. 1999b. Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac protoxin is a potent systemic and mucosal adjuvant. Scandinavian J Immunology 49: 578-584
Vazque-Padron, R.I., et al. 2000. Cry1Ac protoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis sp. kurstaki HD73 binds to surface proteins in the mouse small intestine. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 271, pp. 54-58
Wilson A., Latham J., Steinbrecher R. "Genome Scrambling - Myth or Reality? Transformation-induced mutations in transgenic crop plants." Technical report, EcoNexus 2004, www.econexus.org
Woods, C., "Here Come the Super Trees: Chile's Genfor Bets that GM Pines can Boost Latin American forestry‚s Bottom Line," Latin Trade, May, 2002, v10;5 p.24
Briefing Paper Issued by Global Justice Ecology Project, EcoNexus, Friends of the Earth International, Global Forest Coalition and World Rainforest Movement.
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4. LETTERS
(a) ANDREW ST LEDGER ON IFCI
To all who have an interest in the certification process of Coillte,
As you will know Coillte’s destructive activities are currently excused by the shield of the FSC ecolabel, which was, perhaps unwittingly, facilitated by some established environment NGOs. I would like to set the record straight as to my participation in the Steering Group (IFCI), which indirectly led to the formation of the Woodland League, particularly in the light of recent comments made about my involvement in IFCI.
The Woodland League have, since 2002, allowed our transparent Agenda 21 led approach to inform interested parties as to the truth within the quagmire that the FSC process has descended in to. The WLL policy is enlightenment/empowerment through sharing information. We are the only stakeholder who has consistently informed the public of our every move and reason behind same. Our website and inclusive non hierarchical public meetings confirm this fact. This point becomes more relevant, when one considers the WLL have received no funding whatsoever from any source. Our volunteers give of their own time and resources to this cause, which shows an unshakeable commitment and passion towards these issues.
The FSC Process was influenced largely by the Forest Principles attached to Agenda 21, both of which were agreed at Rio 1992 by 172 nations, whereby a balancing of the social, environmental and economic aspects of all industries and developments was considered to be the only way to start addressing the huge build up of problems created by unbridled bottom line only based activities since the beginning of the industrial revolution. The fact that FSC is the first attempt to balance these forces in through an ecological certification underlines the true importance of the outcome of the FSC process. We must ensure that it works for all stakeholders as this will be the blueprint and yardstick as more industries seek ecolabelling and as the public become more aware of the damage to their environment via old unsustainable practices. The EU, whose environment laws now supercede our national laws, has agreed to link conservation, protection and enhancement of biodiversity via native trees and plants to its funding programmes from 2007 onwards in order to urgently address the biggest threat to the planet i.e. global warming. This threat can be reduced via major native tree planting programmes. To reforest the hills, coasts and flood plains is a first line of defence - the EU and many global warming experts accept this wisdom implicitly.
Environmentalists in the 60s and 70s argued that exponential growth was not sustainable and was seriously depleting the planets resources, while overloading its ability to deal with pollution and waste. They questioned Western paradigms and criticised the inequitable distribution of wealth and resource use. The corporations who were responsible for creating these problems are now funding environmental groups and controlling the agenda. Many modern environmentalists have swapped outrage for compromise and seem to think one can negotiate with a corporate mentality which includes employee confidentiality clauses, therefore making true consultation null and void. Old style campaigners were squeezed out by professional career environmentalists who were more comfortable negotiating in corporate boardrooms and who presented a more respectable face to the mainstream media.
There is now a revolving door between the world of business and the world of environmental advocacy. If we take the example of Greenpeace - not only have people like former economist Thilo Bode moved from industry to head Greenpeace, but individuals like Paul Gilding, former CEO of Greenpeace International, and Patrick Moore, a founder of Greenpeace, found career opportunities as industry consultants when they left. The formula today, according to Greenpeace ’s web pages, is “We work with industry and government to find solutions”. This seems to be far removed from the earlier Greenpeace formula, which involved raising consciousness of environmental problems at grassroots level. It is in this context that we must examine the FSC process in Ireland, while bearing in mind that the chief sponsor of FSC is the Ford Foundation, which is supported by a huge range of corporations with their profits at any cost structures in place, stronger than ever. The Ford foundation claims to be an independent charity, however a quick study of its corporate supporters and their activities will tell you otherwise.
Coca cola have set up a concentrate facility in a Coillte wood in Ballina, which causes emission problems for the local people, and Shell are attempting to set up a gas refinery against the wishes of local people in a 400 acre Coillte site in Bellanaboy, Rossport, Co. Mayo. These are just two examples of many whereby public forests are being exploited by “big business” and the established environment NGOs have remained silent. FSC was established to prevent these exact scenarios from happening, yet due to the dilution and erosion of its principles, it would appear any forestry operation is now sustainable so long as they can afford to pay the certifier and ultimately FSC. It is fair to say that certification has become a very lucrative business. The fact that the company seeking certification can choose the certifier and pay them directly leaves the system open to corruption. The benefits for business obtaining an ecolabel are enormous not least from the propaganda value (once again the public are disrespected by deception).
In early 2002, the late Dr. Anne Behan asked me to be her nominated replacement on the IFCI steering group to continue to represent the many communities, individuals and some NGOs she was representing. Dr. Behan explained to me her frustration at the lack of progress and the avoidance of many issues which affected local communities at the coalface of plantation problems, not to mention the lack of respect towards seeking legitimately to address the aforementioned problems. I agreed to replace Dr Anne as I was aware of the importance of this process in terms of setting the future agenda of all ecolabelling in .
The first meeting I attended in this capacity, in the environment chamber, was bizarre as I was informed by Caroline Lewis (then Murphy), Declan Little and Ruth McGrath that Dr Behan’s position had been filled by a nomination agreed by FIE and VOICE, a so called forester from England by the name of Steven King. They seemed to think that I would accept this nonsense and turn around to face another two hour drive back home, while accepting the wisdom of attempting to install a person nobody seemed to know too well who could hardly have understood the serious issues facing the many groups that Dr Anne Behan had courageously been articulating for.
I explained the fact that I had an important legitimate mandate to fulfill and under no circumstances was I about to accept this illegal attempt to sideline these issues. After a brief standoff, whereby I asserted my right, this was finally accepted, which raises the question of the legality of the attempt to sideline my inclusion in the first place, particularly when established Environmental NGOs were involved in this underhand behaviour. One would think that the public would be better served by its ENGOs.
Within a couple of months after more obstructionist tactics within IFCI, coupled with apparent financial irregularities, Brendan Kelly and I both resigned in protest with the agreed understanding that we would continue to act as stakeholders for and on behalf of the many and varied groups we had been representing within IFCI. Only this time it would be through the creation of the Woodland League, which would operate independently outside the process, but continue to highlight the major flaws within the certification process.
The Woodland League was established with the full support of Dr Anne Behan, who agreed that this was the only way to ensure an independent voice for the NGOs and communities who were disenfranchised by the IFCI. It is worth pointing out that Caroline Lewis was pushing Steven Kings attempted usurpment of my nomination and he was connected to FIE. It transpired that he was employed in the west cork region in a forestry capacity, and subsequently had to leave the area in controversial circumstances.
This calls into question Ms Lewis’ judgement. I say this in the context of the fact that Ms Lewis, at different stages of the process represented Crann (whose president was a Coillte director for a number of years), An Taisce and FIE, and was listed as a VOICE representative in the list of members of IFCI. At the recent meeting between IFCI and Woodland League, set up by pressure from FSC International, Ken Gill of Crann told the meeting he thought he was the first Crann representative to sit in the IFCI - in other words he was never briefed in regard to Ms Lewis’ and others roles in the process before him, all representing Crann. I spoke to Ian Lumley of An Taisce about Ms Lewis’ role in representing them in the process and he told me An Taisce was never briefed in regard to Ms Lewis’ role. There is a chaotic pattern here which has been unhelpful to progressing the many serious issues which to this day remain unresolved. I hope this correspondence clarifies some of the cloudier issues surrounding this important process, and it is my wish that the real issues can be addressed by a new coalition, with an agreed platform/stance as the only beneficiaries from the chaotic state of affairs to date are Coillte. I would like to think the late Dr Anne Behan would agree. Thank you for your interest.
Andrew St. Ledger
Former member of the IFCI Steering Committee
PRO of the Woodland League
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(b) ROSITA SWEETMAN ON COILLTE AND IFCI
Dear Woodland League,
Thought you might be interested in this, just in.
Best,
Rosita
-----------
Dear Rosita,
Please find attached a question Joe Higgins T.D. put down to the Minister for Finance asking him if he would extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to Coillte. Unfortunately, the Minister states he has no plans to do this.
I will call you to talk about this shortly.
Yours sincerely,
Orla Drohan.
DÁIL QUESTION
NO 194
To ask the Minister for Finance if he will extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 to Coillte. - Joe Higgins.
* For WRITTEN answer on Wednesday, 26th April, 2006.
Ref No: 15596/06
REPLY
Minister for Finance ( Mr Cowen ) :
I have no proposals at present to extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997 to Coillte
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5(a). IN THE NEWS - Local
SCORCH EARTH POLICY LEAVES HILL BARE
A unique Southside forest is being destroyed by ongoing tree felling, it was claimed this week.The State owned forest management company, Coillte, has been told to stop cutting down trees in Ticknock Forest on Three Rock Mountain because it is destroying the landscape and producing little in terms of commercial gain.
Dublin South TD, Eamon Ryan (GP), said the practice is dramatically changing the landscape in the surround area.
He said Ticknock is a unique forest park and few other cities in the world can have such a location with stunning views and quiet forest paths within minutes of a city.
The forest is primarily made up of Sitka Spruce trees, which were planted in the early 1950s. The trees grow well in the poor soil on the high ground of the mountain and are now being felled under the standard measures of the timber industry.
“Some 10 acres of trees have been felled in the last few months and Coillte plan to take out roughly another 20 acres by the end of this year and then return in 2009 to take out more of the forest,” said Deputy Ryan claimed.
“The scorched earth felling policy is leaving behind a barren hilltop with nothing but tree stumps and topped and tailed branches covering the ground. We are turning one of the great recreational spaces in our city into an industrial timber production area.”
Deputy Ryan also claimed that there is little commercial gain from clearing the forest in comparison to the recreational value of the amenity.
“The area of the forest cleared this year will yield some 6,000 cubic metres of timber for the building industry which has a commercial value of less than half a million euro,” he added.
Coillte is a private commercial company, to which the Government provides a licence to fell trees.
Deputy Ryan said the Green Party is calling on the Government to compensate the company for any commercial losses they may suffer in return for an agreement to keep the forest as a recreational resource.
He added that the Green Party had presented a plan for a more integrated approach to the management of the South Dublin hills to Coillte and the relevant local authorities two years ago. However, the party ran into opposition from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on budgetary grounds.
During an adjournment debate in the Dáil last week, Deputy Ryan called on the Minister of State at the Department with responsibility for forestry to take action and make direct contact with Coillte to stop the practice until it is discussed with local politicians.
Responding to Deputy Ryan’s demand, Deputy Mary Wallace (FF) and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food said Coillte has developed a forest management plan for the area, which involves the harvesting and replanting of areas as they mature.
“These management plans have been consulted on with the local community at a public meeting and on an individual basis following any inquiries regarding the plan,” she said.
“The felling operation is not interfering with the public’s use of Ticknock forest except in the immediate vicinity of the harvesting operation where access is restricted for health and safety reasons. I assure the Deputy that the area will be replanted in the spring of 2007.”
Southside People contacted Coillte but they were unavailable for comment on the matter.
(c) Southside People, May 9 '06
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CLEARING THE CORRIB FOG
Liamy McNally on the matters of fact and the facts of the matter
De Facto
Clearing the Corrib fog
To coin a well-used phrase, ‘They haven’t gone away, you know.’ The phrase can be applied to any or all sides in the Corrib gas debate. All hands are still on deck, even if things are still a little hazy. The fog horn still sounds along the route of the Corrib gas project. Fog horns serve a positive purpose, there is hope on the horizon.
Advantica
Last Wednesday, almost four months after he received the final Advantica report, Minister Noel Dempsey released it. Of course the release was ‘managed’ – RTE received the first copy to allow them to ‘prepare’ for a television interview. They are the national broadcaster pleaded the Minister when the unfairness of it was pointed out to him. The rest of us received the report at 1pm and an interview with the Minister at 1.05pm. Speed reading comes with the job! It is just another example of the arrogance of power when dealing with people. The previous Friday certain politicians and quasi-politicians could advise journalists to ‘be ready’ for Tuesday or Wednesday. How is it that the chosen few (always) know what is about to happen?
Wednesday heralded the much-awaited Advantica report. No surprises. It lined up well alongside the draft report from last December. It was being sold by the Minister as a safety review, which it was not, it was a selective review. And, as expected, Shell will accept the findings.
Apologia
Then things started to run like an express train. Rather than spin out the reaction to the Advantica report, Shell ran away into new territory. It issued an apology. It put all the reports in the halfpenny place as the company’s Managing Director, Andy Pyle, admitted that Shell had made mistakes and apologised for the hurt caused to the men who were imprisoned for 94 days and their families. The apology was accepted, with hopes that progress would be next. Then Shell said, in a somewhat roundabout fashion, that all options were on the table. What has been known by many and acknowledged by a few (including some Shell personnel) emerged - Rossport is really out of the picture as a route for the upstream pipeline. The adjacent bay is an option as are other routes. With some reading between the lines the offshore option is on the table, albeit most unwillingly, and probably as a discussion tactic at best. This option has a choice between the deep water and shallow water option. The shallow water option would be a bonanza for Belmullet but too many people were too quick to accept the much-hated land-based option, as proposed at Bellanaboy. There is another land site on the west of Belmullet that would be more suitable from a (human) safety aspect but this was not properly examined as the Coillte site in Bellanaboy was the proverbial gift horse, or so it seemed at the time.
Vindication
Let’s go back! Advantica is a vindication of the stance taken by the Rossport Five, their families and supporters and by the opponents of the Bellanaboy site. They rejected this site and its associated routes as the best option for the terminal many years ago. What the Advantica report does is point out in black and white the serious inadequacies of Shell’s upstream pipeline proposal, along with the serious flaws attached to the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. The Rossport Five have done Erris, Mayo and the country a service that will never be recognised in the short term. Through their campaign they have ensured, not that the rules are re-written, but that they are written up in the first place. They have ensured that there are rules. Up to now it was a free for all for the oil and gas companies. Now responsibility for upstream pipelines rests with the Commission for Energy Regulation. This is major development. A reduction in the capacity of the Shell pipeline to a maximum of 144 bar is another major victory. Let the Shell apologists stop saying that the maximum pressure going through the pipeline is 120 bar. Let them check the Shell Environmental Impact Statement, if they find the correct one because there were so many.
The debt
And the quasi-politicos and all who are interested in ensuring that the west gets its fair share also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Rossport Five and their families. While there will be a queue to claim the place at the top table for ensuring that CER changed their criteria for providing a gas supply to towns along the gas grid, the reality is that it was the Rossport Five crisis that ensured that these regulations were changed. In effect, the Rossport Five campaign will ensure that Mayo towns receive gas, the flawed project as proposed is less flawed and responsibility for upstream pipelines will now be assumed by a statutory body. To think that no statutory body had responsibility for upstream pipelines before this makes a mockery of this whole project. It also highlights the serious inadequacies within a Department that is charged with encouraging exploration on the one hand and policing it on the other hand. It even raises questions about the role of the local authority, Mayo County Council, in such a project.
The Rossport Five campaign has been a success on all fronts. Their campaign was based on a ‘justice for all’ policy, not a ‘gains for a few’ policy.
Treading softly
There is an opportunity now for all sides to be honest with each other. The Shell to Sea campaign has wound up many local people because of the actions of a few people. This should not deter from the bigger picture which is about ensuring that the gas is brought ashore safely and that Mayo benefits. This is about a long term goal not a short term gain. An apology for wrongdoing also carries with it a duty for reparation. The Corrib gas project can be a win-win project. It is only such a pity that such pain, tears and aggression had to be experienced first.
(c) Mayo News, May 9 '06
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5(b). IN THE NEWS - National
RELEASING TRUTH ABOUT NURSING HOMES 'CRUCIAL'
THE Health Service Executive came under fire from a State watchdog last night over its failure to publish inspection reports on nursing homes.
The HSE was strongly criticised by the Information Commissioner, Emily O'Reilly, for not publishing the reports a full year after the Leas Cross scandal.
Referring to the delays in publishing the health reports, Ms O'Reilly said: "The Leas Cross affair and other controversies show how vital it is that we see how nursing homes are operated."
The HSE still cannot say when the inspection reports will be published. A new inspection process is due to begin next month and recommendations are also due on the information to be made available to the public, a spokesperson said.
Ms O'Reilly also said she wants to see a greater number of important public bodies, including the Garda Siochana, come under the Freedom of Information Act.
She also wants the Central Bank, the National Treasury Management Agency, 33 VECs, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the CAO to be included under the Act.
The police in Britain came under the Act and the "heavens had not fallen", she said. "I am not aware of any great damage that is being done to the English and Scottish police as a result of FOI."
Justice Minister Michael McDowell does not plan to bring the gardai under the Act at the moment as he is focusing on such reforms as the Garda Ombudsman, Inspectorate and tribunals.
Purposes
"However, he will review An Garda Siochana as a body for the purposes of FOI in 2007," a spokesman said.
Plans to include an extra 100 bodies under the FOI were recently announced, a spokesman for Finance Minister Brian Cowen said.
"This will bring from 67 to 500 the number of bodies covered by the FOI over the life of this government and the previous government," a spokesman said.
Launching her annual report, Ms O'Reilly said the number of FOI requests last year was 14,600, up 16pc on 2004.
But the number of requests had decreased since the Government brought in a €15 charge per application.
FOI requests from journalists have dropped to 6.5pc of all requests, compared to 20pc of requests five years ago.
Meanwhile, a state agency last night rejected an accusation from the Information Commissioner that its conduct was "particularly unacceptable" when it claimed that it wasn't under the control of any government department.
Objection
Coillte made the claim in an objection to a Freedom of Information Act request which was seeking details of a land sale.
The FOI request went through the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, whom Ms O'Reilly also criticised.
Coillte is a private company under the law but all of its shares are held by the Government and the board of directors is appointed by ministers.
Coillte's failure to mention the European Court of Justice rejection of its status as a private company was described by Emily O'Reilly as "unfortunate at best".
However, Coillte last night said it respected the Commissioners' position but rejected the criticism.
"We wouldn't accept that. We believe we approached the matter in a reasonable fashion," a spokesman said.
Fionnan Sheahan
(c) Independent, May 12 '06
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FEES BLAMED FOR FALL IN USE OF FOI ACT BY MEDIA
Use of the Freedom of Information Act by journalists has dropped to an all-time low, according to Information Commissioner Emily O'Reilly.
Fewer than 1,000 Freedom of Information requests were made by journalists last year, compared to over 3,000 in 2001, a trend Ms O'Reilly blamed on the introduction of fees in 2003.
Delivering her third annual report as Information Commissioner, Ms O'Reilly said ways would have to be found to encourage the media to make greater use of the Act. Overall use of the Act remains static, except for a surge of applications to the Department of Education from former residents of institutions.
Ms O'Reilly described the continued exclusion of the Garda Síochána and other public bodies from the remit of the Freedom of Information Act as "quite extraordinary". Expressing disappointment that a number of bodies remain outside the scope of the Act nine years after it was introduced, she also singled out the Garda Ombudsman, the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and Refugee Appeals Tribunal, the Central Bank, the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority, the 33 Vocational Education Committees, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Central Applications Office.
Ms O'Reilly said she didn't think the Garda had anything to fear from the Freedom of Information Act. The British police were covered by similar legislation, she pointed out, and "the heavens haven't fallen in".
The number of Freedom of Information requests made to public bodies last year was 14,616, a 16 per cent increase on the previous year but 21 per cent down on 2003. Last year's increase is almost entirely accounted for by applications to the Department of Education for records by people applying to the Residential Institutions Redress Board.
Ms O'Reilly said the introduction of fees had caused a significant change in user behaviour. Before fees were introduced, Freedom of Information requests were split evenly between personal information and non-personal information (sought by, for example, journalists). Now, three times as many requests for personal information are received compared to non-personal information.
She criticised the "extraordinary" behaviour of the State forestry body Coillte, who had argued it was a private company to avoid disclosing information.
She said Coillte had failed to mention the binding judgment of the European Court of Justice which totally rejected its claim to be a private company, she said. "It was a perfectly reasonably request and yet they fought it in this bizarre way," she said.
The Office of the Information Commissioner reviewed 447 Freedom of Information appeals last year, leaving a backlog of 339 cases. Ms O'Reilly said this represented a significant reduction in the backlog, with a further improvement expected this year.
© The Irish Times, May 12 '06
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ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The need for good governance and accountability, and the positive role played by the Freedom of Information Act in providing access to decisions by politicians and public bodies, has been emphasised once again by the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner, Emily O'Reilly.
In spite of her efforts to engage the attention of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, however, she appears to be engaged in a dialogue of the deaf.
Two years ago, the Taoiseach acknowledged that new charges imposed by his Government should be reviewed because of their negative impact on the operation of the Act, where public requests for information had fallen by one-third. But nothing has changed, in spite of the Ombudsman's promptings and a critical report on the fees adopted by the Council of Europe. The number of applications for information did increase last year, but is still 21 per cent below the 2003 figure. And the percentage of journalists' requests has fallen by two-thirds.
Time and again, it has been shown that transparency and accountability are vital ingredients in effective government. Such features reassure and empower the citizen while encouraging public servants and politicians to behave ethically and responsibly. That is why it is important the Government should now signal its approval of the Act by reducing charges and extending its remit. Otherwise, it will offer implicit approval to those agencies, such as Coillte and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources that sought to thwart the work of the Ombudsman.
Traditions of secrecy and obfuscation are slow to change in the public service. Ms O'Reilly noted that a ruling by her predecessor on the release of school inspection reports, which had been strongly opposed by the Department of Education, was now acceptable to the Minister. And while the Health Service Executive had undertaken to publish its inspection reports on private nursing homes last year, that had not yet happened. Such action should be undertaken speedily, she suggested, because of the public interest in the documents.
Originally, it was agreed that the decisions and records of all State agencies would be exposed to scrutiny under the Freedom of Information Act, subject to security and other considerations. But progress in extending the remit of the Act to these bodies has been slow and halting. The Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, announced he would extend its jurisdiction to a further 109 organisations late last year. But the Ombudsman has expressed concern that public bodies of considerable significance will remain outside its scope. The sooner that situation changes, the better.
© The Irish Times, May 12 '06
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FORMER CEO DENIES ROLE IN LAND DEAL
Moriarty tribunal: The former chairman and chief executive of the CRH group, Tony Barry, said he played no role in negotiating the purchase of property at Glen Ding, Co Wicklow, in 1990.
The 145-acre site was bought from the Department of Energy for £1.25 million and the tribunal is inquiring into whether the then taoiseach, Charles Haughey, or his financial adviser, the late Des Traynor, played any role in the sale.
Mr Barry told John Coughlan SC, for the tribunal, that he was never asked to, and never gave any assistance to the CRH subsidiary, Roadstone Ireland Ltd, in relation to its purchase of the site. As far as he was aware, Mr Traynor likewise played no part in negotiating the sale.
Mr Barry said that in 1990 he was told that the purchase had been agreed subject to approval by the CRH board and his only role was to bring the proposal to the acquisitions committee of that board. Mr Traynor chaired the committee, but Mr Barry said that to his knowledge Mr Traynor played no other role.
Mr Barry said he been an account holder with Ansbacher Cayman and occasionally give sterling cheques to Mr Traynor for lodgement. The cheques were foreign currency dividends that were included in his income tax returns, he said.
He said he did not know at the time that any other directors of CRH had a banking relationship with Mr Traynor. He said that he had not known that Mr Traynor was running a banking operation from the CRH office in Dublin.
Mr Coughlan said that at different stages eight CRH directors or senior executives made use of the Ansbacher service. He asked what Mr Barry would say to the suggestion that it was incredible that this involvement had been compartmentalised, and that there was no collective knowledge of the Ansbacher operation.
"I can understand how third parties looking in might think that," said Mr Barry. But it was his experience that no other director discussed his banking arrangements with him, and likewise he never discussed his affairs with anyone else.
The tribunal adjourned to a date to be announced.
© The Irish Times, May 12 '06
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CRH DENIES TAKING 5M TONNES OF SAND FROM SITE
Moriarty tribunal: The Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) subsidiary which bought 145 acres at Glen Ding Wood, Co Wicklow, from the State for £1.25 million in 1990, has to date extracted less than 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the site, the tribunal heard.
CRH executive Donal Dempsey returned to the witness box yesterday to respond to evidence given by minerals expert John Barnett on Tuesday. Mr Barnett had said five million tonnes of material had been withdrawn.
However, Mr Dempsey told Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal, that five million tonnes had not been taken out of the new land.
He said CRH subsidiary Roadstone Dublin Ltd had planning permission for 15 acres of the site and had taken "less than half a million tonnes" from the former State lands.
Mr Dempsey, who is now chief executive of a European CRH group company, was at the time of the purchase financial director of Roadstone Dublin. He agreed with Mr Healy that the material extracted included some for which Roadstone "got in trouble" over planning issues. The land was sold without permission for sand and gravel extraction.
Mr Healy asked him about an environmental impact statement that formed part of one of Roadstone's applications to develop 80 acres in the site. The statement referred to withdrawing not more than 800,000 tonnes per year, for 15 years. On one reading this could indicate a total for the 80 acres of 12 million tonnes, Mr Healy said. At the time of the sale in 1990, Mr Barnett told the Department of Energy he estimated that the 85 acres of the site contained 6.7 million tonnes of usable material.
However Mr Dempsey said the 800,000 figure was designed to give Roadstone flexibility. It did not mean the company believed the 80 acres contained 12 million tonnes of sand and gravel. The tribunal resumes today with a new witness.
© The Irish Times, May 11 '05
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CONSULTANT SAYS GLEN DING LAND PRICE 'RIGHT IN ORDER'
Moriarty tribunal: An English consultant engaged to estimate the value of land at Glen Ding Wood in Co Wicklow has told the tribunal, in a report, that the value obtained was "in the right order".
However, in his report Christopher Lockwood, a partner with GVA Grimley property advisers, said it would have been better if the Department of Energy had invited other potentially interested parties to bid for the site rather than sell it privately to Roadstone Dublin Ltd.
Roadstone, a subsidiary of the CRH group, bought the site for its sand and gravel content. It agreed a £1.25 million (€1.82 million) price for the 145-acre site, without planning permission, in December 1990.
The tribunal is inquiring into the sale because at the time the late Des Traynor was chairman of CRH and Charles Haughey was taoiseach. Mr Traynor organised Mr Haughey's finances for more than 20 years.
In his report, part of which was displayed during yesterday's hearing, Mr Lockwood said "you cannot be sure you achieve market value" if you deal with only one party.
The tribunal was told yesterday by minerals expert John Barnett that Roadstone has to date removed five million tonnes of sand and gravel from the site. Last week the tribunal heard from CRH witnesses that planning permission for only 15 acres from the 145-acre site had so far been granted.
Mr Lockwood's report notes that one million tonnes were removed from the site in 1995 by Roadstone. It has been reported that material had been removed from the site without planning permission.
In a report for the department in 1990, Mr Barnett estimated that planning permission for extraction was only likely for 85 acres of the 145-acre site. On this basis he gave the site a value of £1.3 million, with planning permission, and £860,000 without planning permission.
Kiaran O'Malley, who gave advice to the department on the planning aspect of the site, told Jerry Healy SC, for the tribunal, that he developed "serious concerns" about the planning issue.
Getting planning would have increased the value of the site, but being refused would have been "fatal", he said.
Mr Barnett and Mr O'Malley attended a meeting with departmental officials in October 1990. Mr O'Malley expressed the view that without planning permission he could not see anyone bidding more than £400,000 for the site, other than Roadstone, who might bid £600,000.
A memo of the meeting recorded that when told of a £1.1 million offer from Roadstone, with £400,000 being conditional on planning permission, Mr Barnett "strongly advised" that a sale to Roadstone be negotiated. It was felt that as Roadstone had an adjacent site, it would be better able to get planning permission.
The tribunal resumes today with a new witness.
© The Irish Times, May 10 '06
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5(c). IN THE NEWS - UK
GM TREES ARE BEING GROWN SECRETLY IN THE UK
They are 'somewhere in Dundee'. But they won't say where. Could it be because of a damning UN verdict?
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
Governments worldwide have issued an unprecedented warning about the greatest biotech hazards so far: GM trees. Trees modified to grow faster, yield better wood, produce whiter paper, resist pests and disease and tolerate herbicides are increasingly being cultivated.
Elms resistant to Dutch elm disease are being grown in Dundee, Scotland. But the scientists involved will not say precisely where they are, or even exactly how many of them are being grown.
The Government was forced to admit for the first time last week that GM poplar, apple and eucalyptus trees have been cultivated outdoors in Berkshire, Derbyshire and Kent.
The admission came after warnings about such trees from ministers from over 100 countries at a UN conference in Curitiba, Brazil. They urged a "precautionary approach" towards them after hearing that they could "wreak ecological havoc throughout the world's forests".
Some 16 countries around the world are developing GM trees, and more than a million have already been planted in China. At least 24 species, from papaya to silver birch, from olive to teak, have already been modified; the most commonly treated are poplar, pine and eucalyptus.
The process can speed growth: GM poplars can grow four times faster than traditional softwood trees used for timber and paper. It has also reduced their content of lignin, which strengthens trees but make the wood harder to pulp and whiten for paper.
Other modifications enable them to produce their own pesticides to fight off insects, to resist diseases and to enable them to endure heavy doses of herbicides so that plantations can be drenched to kill weeds without harming the trees.
A GM orange tree, developed in Spain, bears fruit after only one year of life, instead of six. Danish scientists have worked on modified Christmas trees, with a view to developing specimens whose needles do not fall off. And in the boldest suggestion yet, an American professor has suggested that trees could be modified to make the moon habitable by growing "huge greenhouses over their heads". But the ministers in Brazil were concerned that genes from the modified trees could spread great distances on the wind and across national boundaries. Tree pollen can travel up to 2,000 km. And, because trees can live for centuries, modified examples pose a long-term threat to the world's forests. Contamination by genes conferring fast growth, for example, could make some forest trees crowd out other species; genes that produce insecticides could decimate rainforest ecosystems, the richest on earth; and genes that reduce lignin could make trees more vulnerable to pests.
The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs denied late last week that GM trees had ever been grown in the open in Britain, until given details by The Independent on Sunday.
All the plantations have either been destroyed by protesters or cut down at the end of the experiments. Britain's only GM trees are now elms, resistant to Dutch elm disease and being grown in "a controlled environment" somewhere in Dundee.
The scientists developing them say they will not plant any outside because they fear "terrorism" by protesters. They will not disclose precisely where they are or give details of the numbers, but confirm that there are "more than a hundred" of them.
Elm
Being grown at a secret indoor location by Abertay University scientists and modified to be resistant to Dutch elm disease. The scientists hope the trees will in time replace the 20 million taken from the British landscape by the disease.
Poplar
Grown at Jealotts Hill Research Station at Bracknell, Berks, and modified so that the wood is whiter for making paper. Most, grown by the biotech firm Zeneca, were destroyed by protesters, but a few were successfully harvested.
Eucalyptus
Grown by Shell Research Ltd at Sittingbourne and West Malling, both in Kent. The tree was modified to resist the use of herbicides, as in most current GM crops. The experiment is now over.
Apple
Greensleeves and Jonagold apple trees, modified to resist insect pests and fungal diseases, were grown by the University of Derby, but destroyed by protesters.
(c) Independent, April 30 '06
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Continued at
http://www.woodlandleague.org/newsletter/index.php?itemid=52