Lexington Communications
Address: The Connection, 198 High Holborn, London
Headed by Mike Craven a former adviser to the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott MP and a former chief media spokesperson for the Labour Party. He is also a former boss of GPC Market Access, that was accused of waging a 'massive disinformation campaign' over its campaign for patents on life.
In 2003, the corporate front group the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which had been set up by the biotech industry to confuse the public with the government appointed Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission, hired Lexington. [1] [2] [3]
ABC's founder members are Monsanto, Bayer CropScience, BASF, Dow Agrosciences, Dupont and Syngenta. At the same time Lexington hired Bernard Marantelli, a PR operative from Monsanto. Part of his job in 2003 year was to run a pro-[4] [5]
Bernard Marantelli convinced about 30 companies to come to a meeting on the 1st December to explore setting up a Nanotechnology - equivalent of ABC. The Nanotech Association, which is run out of the same offices as Lexington, was launched in February 2005. [6]
Lexington has also taken over the account of CropGen another biotech front organisation which was run by Countrywide Porter Novelli. The Chair of CropGen is Vivian Moses who is also on the advisory board of the Scientific Alliance, another pro-biotech front organisation. [7]
Resources
- ^ Lexington website - Mike Craven, undated, accessed March 2006
- ^ ABC website, undated, accessed March 2006
- ^ Christian Garnett Partners website - The Connection, undated, accessed March 2006
Articles
- ^ Andy Rowell, "The alliance of science", The Guardian, March 26, 2003
- ^ Corporate Watch "Lobby and PR groups go for nano honeypot", October/November 2005
- ^ Corporate Europe Observatory, "Industry and the EU Life Patent Directive", May 1998
