NGOs Demand a Fundamental Re-thinking of the WTO TRIPS agreement as public pressure grows - September 17, 2001

As World Trade Organisation (WTO) delegates meet for the last time to debate the contentious agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIPS) before the WTO Ministerial in Doha in November, groups from around the world have converged on Geneva to express opposition against patenting of life forms and the agreement's wide ranging implications on health and human rights.

FTAA Negotiations on Intellectual PropertyThreaten Access to Pharmaceuticals and Seeds,Undermine International Agreements and Human Rights - April 19, 2001

As negotiators from throughout the Western Hemisphere gather in Quebec City to push for another free trade deal, representatives of civil society groups are gathering their voices in protest.

Drop Basmati Rice Patent - November 21, 2000.

A global coalition of non-governmental organisations is urging the Indian government to fully challenge a patent on basmati rice held by the US corporation RiceTec Inc.

Bush Administration Decision To Delay Dioxin Report Endangers Public

The final draft report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently states that a minimum of 4,000 people in the United States will get cancer from dioxin -- at least ten new cases every day. The Bush administration is delaying the report claiming a dispute over the interpretation of mountain ash studies on the health effects of dioxin.

Putting Profits Ahead of the Public's Health

Doctors and government officials are in a race to save one of modern "miracle cures," antibiotics that are essential for treating serious food poisoning and other infections. Unfortunately Bayer Corporation, maker of Bayer Aspirin and Flintstones vitamins, is erecting hurdles in the path of this public health effort.

Public Interest Groups Criticize Bayer Refusal To Comply With FDA Proposal To Ban Antibiotic Used In

On November 30, Bayer Corporation decided against immediate compliance with a proposed FDA ban on use of its product, Baytril, in poultry. Eleven health, consumer and public interest groups issued this press release criticizing Bayer, and warning its refusal blocks protection of public health.

Institute Calls on State Attorneys General To Investigate StarLink Corn Disaster

IATP sent a letter to Attorney's General in seven states calling for immediate action to protect farmers from extensive harm in relation to genetically engineered StarLink corn due to reckless corporate behavior that violated the terms of StarLink registration by allowing it to enter the human food supply.  

Borders Are No Barrier to Dioxin Emissions, NAFTA Commission Study Shows

The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (NACEC) released a study showing the dioxin emissions from point sources in Mexico, the United States and Canada is contaminating food and the environment in the Canadian Arctic. They identified the incinerator operated by Xcel Energy in Red Wing, Minnesota as one of the major sources of this contamination.

Save the Hotdish! MN Food Threatened By Dioxin Emissions

Several common Minnesota food dishes contain toxic by-product dioxin, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report released today. Foods that contain dairy products, such as the traditional cream soup-based "hot dish", meat and fish are all part of a diet the EPA is recommending that Americans avoid to reduce their dioxin intake.

EPA Report Calls Dioxin a Human Carcinogen

In response to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report leaked to the Washington Post acknowledging that dioxin is a human carcinogen, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy today urged the agency to act quickly to eliminate the primary sources of dioxin pollution.