GM WATCH daily
http://www.gmwatch.org


It started with Canada seeking to exclude Dr Tewolde, the leader of the Africa Group, and ended with an industry roadblock courtesy of New Zealand and Brazil.

"The actions of Brazil and New Zealand are shameless. They have prevented the vast majority from bringing in rules that will protect the environment. Their victory, however, will be short-lived as global opposition to genetically engineered foods continues to grow."

Scroll down this website to see pictures of protests in Montreal this week: http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/bs-copmop2/


INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY TALKS END IN ACRIMONY

Two countries block tighter rules on GM crops and foods

MONTREAL, CANADA, 3 June 2005
MEDIA ADVISORY
Friends of the Earth International
Greenpeace International

Key United Nations negotiations on the safe trade of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods ended today in acrimony.

Despite over 100 countries demanding comprehensive controls to limit GM contamination, the move was blocked by just two countries that sided with the GM industry New Zealand and Brazil.

This week's negotiations on the United Nations’ Biosafety Protocol were aimed at bringing in international rules to reduce contamination from imports of GM crops and to introduce full labelling.

However, despite support from virtually all countries, especially in the developing world, little progress was made in making the laws stronger.

Needing consensus to bring in the new laws, New Zealand and Brazil sided with big business and shamelessly blocked all moves.

The Biosafety Protocol provides a safety net to protect the environment from the threat of GM crops. Countries are encouraged to develop

legislation that protects their biodiversity and can also ban imports of GM products if there are questions over its safety. To date 119 countries have ratified the Protocol.

Juan Lopez, GM Coordinator of Friends of the Earth International said: "The world community has shown here this week that it wants laws to protect itself from the threat of genetically modified foods and crops. Two countries, Brazil and New Zealand, acting in the interest of big business, held the talks to hostage and destroyed the hopes of improving international laws."

Doreen Stabinsky, Greenpeace international genetic engineering campaigner added: "The actions of Brazil and New Zealand are shameless. They have prevented the vast majority from bringing in rules that will protect the environment. Their victory, however, will be short-lived as global opposition to genetically engineered foods continues to grow."

ENDS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Juan Lopez, Friends of the Earth International
+1 514 8036 718 or +39 333 1498 049
Doreen Stabinsky, Greenpeace International +1 202 285 7398
Adrian Bebb, Friends of the Earth International +1 514 996 4090

For information, pictures and reports from Friends of the Earth see: http://www.foecanada.org

For information on GM contamination see:
http://www.gmcontaminationregister.org

URGENT ACTION!

As you may have heard New Zealand has been obstructing the biosafety negotiations in Montreal.

It may already be too late but PLEASE, PLEASE if you possibly can e-mail the New Zealand delegates and ask them to stop acting as proxies for GM exporters and to start taking a constructive attitude.

There's a sample e-mail to send below.

Please send your comments to:

jane.coombs@mfat.govt.nz

and

sarah.wynn-williams@mfat.govt.nz

For more on what NZ's delegates have been up to in Montreal see:
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5320
http://www.gmwatch.org/archive2.asp?arcid=5310

Thank you for your support and please circulate this urgently to all your friends, especially any you have in New Zealand.

Jonathan Matthews
http://www.gmwatch.org


EXAMPLE MESSAGE

Second Conference of the Parties, Montreal, Canada

We ask New Zealand to:

Stop Blocking the Birth of an Effective Biosafety Regime

Please respect the serious, science-based environmental and public-health concerns that motivated the emergence of the Biodiversity Convention and the Biosafety Protocol and stop obstructing this opportunity to take the Protocol forward.

This meeting cost $1 million and, thanks to the current attitude of the New Zealand delegation, nothing of any substance looks likely to be achieved. Such a result will be not just bad for biosafety but will do serious and lasting damage to the good name of New Zealand.

We ask you as New Zealand's delegates to re-think your attitude, to stop blocking the emerging consensus around rules to implement Article 18-2(a) and to rejoin the countries that are working to build an effective biosafety regime.

This change in attitude is needed urgently.

Thank you.

Signed:

"MON 810": Bundes-Verbraucherschutzverband fordert generelles Verbot von Genmaissorte (03.06.05)

Der Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband begrüßte am Freitag die Entscheidung des Bundessortenamtes, den Anbau von Genmais-Sorten auf Grundlage des Typs MON 810 wegen rechtlicher Bedenken vorerst nicht zuzulassen. Selbst wenn die rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen erfüllt wären, "gehören diese Sorten nicht in die Umwelt", sagte Edda Müller, Vorstand des Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverbandes(vzbv). Wegen seiner negativen Auswirkungen auf das Ökosystem stünden Nutzen und Risiken in keinem vertretbaren Verhältnis, so Edda Müller. Der vzbv fordere daher ein generelles Verbot für diese Sorten.

Die ganze Nachricht im Internet:
http://www.ngo-online.de/ganze_nachricht.php?Nr=11185

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/29/INGBPCUNHG18.DTL


Informant: Skews Me

http://rense.com/general65/righto.htm


Informant: DitziSis

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/koons041505.cfm


Informant: Friends

Des Pudels Korn
http://www.telepolis.de/tp/r4/artikel/20/20154/1.html