- Info
Biosafety Protocol
BRAZIL 2006: International Meeting on GMOs is expected to take a decision on the right to know the presence of GMOs in the global agriculture trade system
biosafety
After more than a decade of planting GM
crops in the environment, over 130 Parties
of the
United Nations Agreement on Genetically
Modified Organisms
, called the
Biosafety Protocol, will meet in Curitiba,
Brazil, to take a crucial decision that may
significantly affect the current model of
development and trade of GM foods around
the world. At stake is the right of
countries to know about the presence of
GMOs destined for food, feed and processing
(which constitute the bulk of GMOs traded
in the world today) in the global trade
market.
The biotech industry has consistently
opposed clear identification and labelling
for any of the GM crops on the market
today. Without information about the
content of GMOs traded around the world the
right to know of importing countries and
its citizens is violated. This situation
may also contribute to further
contamination of the global food and feed
supply, which may lead to contamination of
seeds and crops.
Briefing
:
Global Standard on identification of GMOs
to be decided by International Treaty
The context of the meeting
The meeting takes places amid a
controversial debate about the benefits of
GM crops and food after a decade of
experience, and a polemic ruling by the
World Trade Organization (WTO) between the
US and the European Union (EU). The current
briefing sets in context the key issues
that will be discussed at the Third Meeting
of the Parties of the Biosafety Protocol
(called MOP 3) which will be held between
the 13 th and 17 th of March in Brazil.
Report:
Who Benefits from GM Crops
WTO
Briefing
: "Looking behind the US spin"
WTO ruling does not prevent countries from
restricting or banning GMOs.
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what is the biosafety protocol
The Biosafety Protocol aims to
protect citizens
worldwide from the potential risks
derived from GMOs by:
-
regulating transboundary movements
of GMOs
-
implementing liability rules in the
event of damage caused by GMOs.
The Protocol is the first
international agreement that clearly
shows that GMOs are different from
conventional organisms and therefore
require different treatment.
The Biosafety Protocol is a United
Nations agreement adopted in 2000 in
Montreal, Canada that seeks to protect
the environment from the potential risks
of GMOs. It became law on September 11th
2003, and by March 2005 over 130
countries around the world became party
to this treaty.
-
Meeting of the Parties
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2004
After the Biosafety Protocol entered
into foce, the Parties meet to take
crucial decisions to reinforce the
controls over the trade global system on
GMOs. The first Meeting took place in
February, 2004, negotiations over further
measures took place at the Convention on
Biological Diversity, held in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Friends of the Earth campaigned in
Malaysia to prevent the US Coalition to
undermine the Biosafety Protocol, and for
comprehensive rules on identification,
labelling and liability on GMOs.
Don't let the U.S. Coalition
water down
the Biosafety Protocol again!
(pdf)
The
Global Battle for Biosafety
Despite the pressure from the biotech
industry, the results were very positive.
Friends of the Earth
welcomed the
conclusion of the first meeting
of
the parties to the Biosafety Protocol as
an important step forward for protecting
consumers, farmers and the environment
from the dangers of GMOs.
Montreal, Canada 2005
Montreal hosted the second Meeting of
the Parties (MOP) of the Biosafety
Protocol, between the 30th of May and the
3rd of June 2005. The Parties to the
Protocol negotiated a decision about how
to identify Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs) for food, feed and
processing. GMO contam ina tion today is
one of the major threats to biosafety
worldwide. The issue of identifying GMO
shipments for food, feed and processing
would give a signal to whether we are
moving towards a world where GMO contam
ina tion becomes the exception or the
rule.
Read more
about
Friends of the Earth International
activities during the meeting.
more information
Find out more at the
Convention on Biological Diversity
website
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