2004 marks the tenth anniversary of the
commercialization of the first genetically
modified (GM) crop in the United States .
Ten years of experience has shown that the
fears and concerns raised by
environmentalists throughout the 1980s and
90s have come true. Contrary to the
promises made by biotech companies, the
reality of the last ten years of
commercialization shows that the safety of
GM crops cannot be ensured, that they are
neither cheaper nor higher quality, and
that they are not a panacea for global
hunger. Moreover, the creeping spread of GM
crops around the planet is a serious threat
to biodiversity, and the global ambitions
of companies like Monsanto to control
agriculture are a menace to the livelihoods
of farmers everywhere.
Friends of the Earth International, in
collaboration with other organizations and
local communities, has been a leading force
against the release of GM crops. Friends of
the Earth groups in countries as far flung
as Nigeria , the United States , Nicaragua
, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom have
been campaigning on this front for many
years. For example, Friends of the Earth
Europe was a lead advocate of the European
moratorium obtained in 1999. In 2000,
Friends of the Earth United States
discovered a GM maize variety not approved
for human consumption in the food supply.
This was a huge blow to the biotech
industry, costing companies over US$1
billion, and a major contribution to the
improvement of regulatory systems in many
countries. Friends of the Earth, together
with local NGOs and local communities,
continued to discover more illegal GMOs
through monitoring US food aid sent to
Latin America and food products in European
supermarkets.
Ten years of GM crops has been enough to
substantiate our claim that genetically
modified crops play no role in a
sustainable future. Now more than ever, we
are convinced of the need to prevent the
release of GMOs into the environment, and
we hope that the grim reality revealed in
this report will strengthen the movement
against GM crops. In the meantime, we will
continue to campaign for agricultural
policies based on the needs of local
communities, and promote the available
alternatives for achieving food security,
food sovereignty and environmental
sustainability.
