Subj:   Iowa's Gov. to Africa, promoting GE
Date:   08/23/01
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AP v8039 m 0ia-n
AP-IA-VILSACK-TRADE
IOWA NEWS!
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GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES SIX-DAY AFRICA TRADE MISSION
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(DES MOINES-AP) -- Governor Vilsack has announced plans for a six-day
trade mission to Africa, hoping to tap into an untapped market for Iowa
products.

Another goal is to improve farm technology in the impoverished continent.
Vilsack leaves this Saturday and will visit South Africa and Nigeria.

He'll be joined by officials from Iowa State, business
leaders and former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young.

The trip is being financed by the Healthy Harvest Foundation, a nonprofit
group, and won't cost the state anything.  Young founded the group with a
goal of increasing bio-technology in Africa.

The trade mission was thrown together rapidly, and is the first time an
Iowa governor has made an official trip to Africa.  Young met with Vilsack
three weeks ago during a meeting of the National Governors Association.

(COPYRIGHT 2001 BY TTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
APNP 08-23-01  1307CDT
###

Tom Mathews' comments:

The Sierra Club Iowa Chapter endorsed Tom Vilsack for governor in 1998. To my
knowledge, neither the governor nor any of his staff consulted with Sierra
Club before formulating the governor's policy of strong promotion of
biotechnology, including genetic engineering, a policy that follows closely
the line of the major corporations involved in agricultural genetic
engineering, while sharply contradicting Sierra Club's policies.

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