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monday 30 th may 2005
new report shows contamination risk to
food and crops as international talks
begin
Tougher measures are needed to prevent
contamination of conventional food by
genetically modified organisms (GMO), a
new
report
from Friends of the Earth
International concludes today. [1] The report
was distributed by campaigners in
decontamination suits in Montreal at the
start of key international negotiations on
the trade in genetically modified crops.
The EU impoundment last week of a shipment
of illegal US GM maize highlights the urgency
of these talks to address the issue of
contamination. Key to the talks will be a
decision to label shipments if they contain
GM products, a move opposed by the main
GMO-producing countries. [2]
The Friends of the Earth report,
Tackling GMO Contamination
makes a
series of practical recommendations relevant
to the Protocol discussions, including:
-
Clear labelling of all shipments that
contain GM products
-
The right of countries to stop imports
of illegal GMOs
-
The need to make the biotech industry
liable for GM pollution
The report also highlights that:
-
84% of the area cultivated with GM
crops is in just 2 countries – United
States and Argentina.
-
There are already systems to separate
crops that could be expanded in North
America and other GMO producing countries
to aggressively keep GM away from non-GM
products.
-
The world's leading GMO company,
Monsanto, spends millions of dollars on a
monitoring and testing programme not for
safety reasons – but to protect its own
patents.
Juan Lopez, Coordinator of Friends of the
Earth's International Programme on Genetic
Engineering said: “ These talks are key to
protecting the environment and the world's
food supply from GM contamination. Most
countries growing GM crops on a large scale
have not even signed up to the Biosafety
protocol, yet they will be at the talks
lobbying for weak controls on their products
.”
Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of Friends of the
Earth Canada said:
“
Canada
, as one of the few countries that grow
GM crops must be forced to put in place
effective segregation measures so that the
rest of the world's food supply, and our
environment, is not contaminated
.”
More than 110 countries have signed the
United Nations Biosafety Protocol, agreed in
2000 and will be participating in the talks
[3].
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT:
In Canada :
Photographs of the Friends of the Earth's
“Decontamination Team” greeting delegates at
the opening of the Protocol talks are
available.
To arrange interviews, photographs or the
full report please contact Basia Pioro at +1
416 972 7401
Beatrice Olivastri, Friends of the Earth
Canada +1 613 724-8690
Juan Lopez, Friends of the Earth
International +1 514 803-6718 or
+39-333-1498049
In Europe
Clare Oxborrow, Friends of the Earth (
England , Wales and Northern Ireland ) Tel:
+44 (0) 7712 843211
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] The report will be available to
download at the Friends of the Earth Canada
website on 30 th of May
http://www.foecanada.org
[2] European Commission press release, 25
May 2005 .
http://europa.eu.int/comm/press_room/index.htm
[3] For more information on Biosafety
Protocol and the "Second meeting of the
Conference of the Parties serving as the
Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena
Protocol on Biosafety" go to the official UN
website:
http://www.biodiv.org/default.shtml
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