Who is Professor Jonathan West?

Jonathan West is a current non-executive director of Hexima Limited ( http://www.hexima.com.au/board.html ) and has been for the past 6 years.

Hexima is an agribusiness company developing GM technology to protect commercial crops from pathogens. Hexima hold and have applied for many patents covering GM crops ( http://www.faqs.org/patents/assignee/hexima-limited/ ). They have partnerships with other biotech companies such as Dupont, Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences.

According to Hexima ( http://www.hexima.com.au/board.html ) West served as an advisor to DuPont, Roche, Novartis, Syngenta and was a member of the Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute in La Jolla California ( http://eprints.utas.edu.au/2728/ ). This institute was wholly concerned with developing ‘genomics’ and is in partnerships with Myriad Genetics ( http://www.evaluatepharma.com/Universal/View.aspx?type=Story&id=23120 ), Bayer, Monsanto and Novartis, Two of the companies West acted as an advisor to, Novartis ( http://www.riskworld.com/pressrel/2000/00q2/PR00a204.htm ) and Syngenta ( http://www.atrazine.com/AtraMain.aspx ) manufacture or have manufactured the herbicide Atrazine.

Jonathan West is reported to have asked to ‘remove biotech barriers urgently’( The Australian May 7 2004: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-116309328.html )

Our conclusion is that Professor West’s involvement with GM organisms is not casual but is a long-term career path.

Interestingly, the Tasmanian Greens Party introduced a motion ( http://mps.tas.greens.org.au/2012/03/notice-of-motion-sawmillers-back-jonathan-west-report/ ) to Tasmania’s Parliament calling on critics to ‘Apologise to Professor West, the scientists and experts who worked on the West Report for personally attacking them’. They have defended West and asked ( http://mps.tas.greens.org.au/2012/03/liberals-must-apologise-for-attacks-on-professor-west-scientists-independent-experts/ ) the opposition to ‘apologise for their vile character assassinations on Professor Jonathan West’.

Professor Jonathan West, Chair of the Independent Verification Group released the most up to date and comprehensive report into forestry in Tasmania in March 2012 ( http://www.environment.gov.au/land/forests/independent-verification/report.html ). In the 9 page ‘Report by The Chairman’ ( http://oldtt.pixelkey.biz/index.php?/weblog/article/download-the-report-labor-would-rather-you-did-not-see-/ ) West said ‘the future of the Tasmanian forest products industry resides in a transition to plantations’. It should be noted West is a board member of Hexima whose patents also apply to forestry as can be seen by the information they provided on their trademark ( http://trade.mar.cx/hexima_limited ). Also in the patents themselves ( http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2010/0095408.html )

West is now on the board of Thomas & Coffey ( http://www.thomascoffey.com.au/web/i_announcements.html ) a major supplier to the mining industry.

West’s report stated ‘Cease environmental campaigns to undermine industry access to markets and capital. Once the initial reserves and phased transition plan is agreed, the ENGOs must agree to terminate their campaigns against elements of the Tasmanian forest-product industry. This includes the sawmilling sector, veneers at Ta Ann, and a potential pulp mill.’

Some of the overseas campaigns targeting Ta Ann’s customers were actually correcting lies about where Ta Ann was sourcing timber ( http://indymedia.org.au/2012/03/17/tasmanian-tree-sitter-launches-japanese-awareness-campaign ).

By calling for campaigns to cease against ‘a potential pulp mill’ West is asking us to accept a corrupt assessment process and draconian laws.

Even worse is that the only ‘potential pulp mill’ in Tasmania would put organic farmers out of business. West may not value the input of organic farming highly as he is on the Board of a GM food company.

West is on the board of a massive Victorian olive growing concern Boundary Bend ( http://www.boundarybend.com/content.php?id=1&inid=48 ). Professor West is also Chairman of the Asia Advisory Council of Bunge Ltd ( http://www.hexima.com.au/board.html ), one of the world’s largest agribusiness processing and trading companies. On the one hand West has asked Tasmanian farmers not to campaign against a pulp mill that could ruin their business and on the other he has asociations with huge mainland and overseas food producers.

West is also an advisor to the Minister for Regional Development Simon Crean ( http://www.minister.regional.gov.au/sc/releases/2011/june/sc084_2011.aspx ). Simon Crean has played a key role in the TFIA himself ( http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/politics/greens-harriss-slam-crean-shift/2467202.aspx ) and Professor Jonathan West’s position as Chair of the Independent Verification Group may never have been advertised.

Jonathan West appears to have misled ABC radio on 28/03/2012 ( http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2012/03/peace-in-tassies-forests-possible-.html?site=hobart&program=hobart_mornings ) when he was asked if he had consulted with anti-pulp mill groups. He said he had ‘spoken to all the protest groups’. He has not met with the major protest groups in the Tamar Valley, TAP, Pulp the Mill, Friends of the Tamar Valley.

First published: 2012-04-01 05:13 AM