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Breaking News from America's Progressive Community... Latest
Releases
The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate. If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly. |
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| JANUARY
15, 1999 6:01 PM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Greenpeace USA Charles Margulis, Greenpeace Genetic Engineering Specialist, 212-865-5645 Isabelle Meister, Greenpeace Intl (in Mexico), 52-5-505-4801 Racine Tucker-Hamilton, Media Officer, 202-319-2435 or 202-256-4041 (cell) |
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| Greenpeace Warns Poor Nations Against Canadian-U.S. Lobby to Accept Genetically Modified Crops | ||||
| WASHINGTON
- January 15 - Greenpeace today warned developing countries to be wary of promises being made
by major grain exporting countries in an attempt convince them to accept their
genetically engineered crops.
The warning was issued at the end of a key workshop prior to international negotiations to control the transboundary movements of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Final negotiations for the rules, called the Biosafety Protocol, will be held next month in Colombia. "This week was an opportunity for back-room promises of finance by the North in a crude attempt to stop developing countries from voicing their objections to genetically modified crops," said Isabelle Meister of Greenpeace International, who is attending the workshop. The workshop is sponsored by the U.S. and Canadian governments. The Canadian and U.S. teams aggressively lobbied developing countries to establish rules under which they will have little basis for barring GMOs from coming into their countries. However, Southern nations continue to raise concerns about genetic engineering's threat to their rich natural resources. "We must have clear rights to protect our precious biodiversity and culture in Mexico and not be forced to take unnatural crops that have been developed in laboratories in North America and Europe," said Liza. Greenpeace is calling for the upcoming international rules on biosafety to be based on precaution as well as include a clear right for countries to say no to GMOs coming into their countries. Greenpeace also asserts that the rules must set out who will be responsible if there is harm to the environment or human health from GMOs, and must include provisions for clear labeling and traceability. Canada and the U.S. are among the countries that oppose such an approach. Together with Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Japan, the North Americans believe that their trade in genetically engineered crops should not be impeded by environmental rules. "It is unacceptable to exclude genetically engineered crops from the Biosafety Protocol. This is not a trade negotiation. The protocol is meant to protect biodiversity and human health," said Meister. The Biosafety Protocol will form part of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The U.S. has not ratified this convention. However, the U.S. has been actively negotiating on the protocol as an "observer" nation. "The aggressive anti-environmental position of the U.S. delegation aims to water down rules that the U.S. government will not even sign. It is clear that the U.S. is more interested in protecting corporate interests than the environment," said Charles Margulis, Greenpeace U.S. genetic engineering specialist. ### Greenpeace is the leading independent organization that uses peaceful and creative activism to protect the global environment. |
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